Spinning Reel Suggestions...

[Big Country]

Hey guys and gals,

Need some suggestions for a new spinning reel. I've been wanting to get one to replace my Penn spinning reel that I'd like to set aside specifically for salt water fishing. Here's a few that I've had my eye on, but b/c I've never fished them I don't know which would be best:

1. Quantum KVD series or PTi

2. Johnny Morris Signature Series

3. Browning Citori

4. BPS Pro Qualifier

After doing a little research I'm kind of partial to the Quantum Spinning Reels after reading up on their magnetic bail as apposed to everyone else's spring and screw bails, but am open to any pro's and con's of the above mentioned or other reels that you might suggest. Looking to spend around $100.00 for a good quality reel.

[ChiCityBasser]

Looks like some pretty good choices to me but sure as u said others will present there pros and cons. Of the ones you have listed I haven't fished that last 3. I do like the looks of the Browning Citori and at the sale price it would seem to be a pretty good reel and even handled it in the store and felt pretty good.

I have fished the Quantum KVD and it was a second choice and really didn't like the way the reel felt while fishing it and this is just my personal opinion. I returned the KVD for the Kinetic

I do have the Quantum Catalyst PTI-A20 and also the Kinetic PTI-B20 and they pretty much are my go to setups and not one problem with either of them. The magnetic bails work great and so does the drag on them both. I hear people complain of the weight but that has not been an issue for me. I got the Catalyst off ebay for a pretty good deal. I got the Kinetic at BPS during the classic event.

The New PTI series of reels did shave some weight off as well and both the old PTI Energy and Tour Edition are on clearance at Cabelas and probably BPS and some online stores.

[Big Country]

Looks like some pretty good choices to me but sure as u said others will present there pros and cons. Of the ones you have listed I haven't fished that last 3. I do like the looks of the Browning Citori and at the sale price it would seem to be a pretty good reel and even handled it in the store and felt pretty good.

I have fished the Quantum KVD and it was a second choice and really didn't like the way the reel felt while fishing it and this is just my personal opinion.

I do have the Quantum Catalyst PTI-A20 and also the Kinetic PTI-B20 and they pretty much my go to setups and not one problem with either of them. The magnetic bails work great and so does the drag on them both. I hear people complain of the weight but that has not been an issue for me. I got the Catalyst off ebay for a pretty good deal. I got the Kinetic at BPS during the classic event.

The New PTI series of reels did shave some weight off as well and both the old PTI Energy and Tour Edition are on clearance at Cabelas and probably BPS and some online stores.

Thanks for the quick feedback. I'm heading to a Bass Pro Shop after work today and hope to handle all the reels mentioned. Good to hear the Quantum reels get good reviews. I'll have to check out the Catalyst and Energy reels. Thanks again.

[MarauderYak]

The spinning reels I've used the most over the last year are Pro Qualifier.  I have two that I've used quite a bit & been a little rough on.  I haven't had a single issue, I've grown to really like the larger spool, and I've been very happy with their drag.  I don't have any experience with any of the other reels you're looking at.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I just bought an 08 Energey E30PTi-A from cabelas and really like it.  The Tour would be a great choise too for a little more.

I would also suggest you also take a look at the Pflueger President and Supreme.

[SirSnookalot]

As a saltwater fishermen let me chime in.

What kind of fishing are you planning on doing and what are your target species? Beach, pier, boat, casting, trolling, bait fishing, this all makes a difference on what is best suited for you. You just never know what is swimming by.

True stradicfi 2500 is an excellent reel but not enough line capacity and the drag is insufficient, you need a 4000 or 5000. I have a stradicfi 4000 and it's very good. Also the majority of shimanos mentioned on this site are for freshwater and sw inshore use. If used offshore you may want to check out their offshore line, spheros, thunnus, sargaosa.

The president is now marketed as a saltwater reel, I'd check out the medalist, a true saltwater reel, I have a 5000 and it performs flawless and the smoothest reel I own.

The supreme is not a SW reel, I use one in saltwater but If I had to do over, I would not.

I also use Abu cardinals and very pleased with them.

In my area of Florida the guides and top fisherman I know lean towards Quantum, cabo being the choice.

I can't comment on the other reels as I've never owned them.  The rod is important too

[Big Country]

The answer would be: None of the above.

Otherwise, the Stradic 2500FI, ICAST "Best In Class".

8-)

Thanks, I'll have to check the Stradic and Symetre's out. I'm not too familiar with Shimano b/c I could never afford them, but if these models are in my price range I'd love to see what all the hype is about when it comes time to a Shimano reel. I've heard nothing but good things about them as far as fishing with them goes, they've just always had a pretty hefty price tag on them  :-/

[roadwarrior]

I deleted my post because I did not read yours carefully enough.

I missed your main criteria, saltwater. I agree with SirSnookalot

that the 2500 series is too small for saltwater applications. We use

the Stradic 4000 for inland stripers on the Tennessee River.

8-)

[Big Country]

As a saltwater fishermen let me chime in.

What kind of fishing are you planning on doing and what are your target species? Beach, pier, boat, casting, trolling, bait fishing, this all makes a difference on what is best suited for you. You just never know what is swimming by.

True stradicfi 2500 is an excellent reel but not enough line capacity and the drag is insufficient, you need a 4000 or 5000. I have a stradicfi 4000 and it's very good. Also the majority of shimanos mentioned on this site are for freshwater and sw inshore use. If used offshore you may want to check out their offshore line, spheros, thunnus, sargaosa.

The president is now marketed as a saltwater reel, I'd check out the medalist, a true saltwater reel, I have a 5000 and it performs flawless and the smoothest reel I own.

The supreme is not a SW reel, I use one in saltwater but If I had to do over, I would not.

I also use Abu cardinals and very pleased with them.

In my area of Florida the guides and top fisherman I know lean towards Quantum, cabo being the choice.

I can't comment on the other reels as I've never owned them. The rod is important too

The reel I am looking to get will be for freshwater fishing only. I have a Penn Captiva that I bought last year and it had replaced an old Pinnacle that I had been using, but now that I am getting into saltwater fishing a bit more I wanted to use the Penn only for saltwater b/c it's a bit bulky for freshwater fishing. My main target fish for freshwater are Largemouths, Hybrids and Stripers.

Sorry if my original post was a bit confusing as to whether or not this reel I'd like to purchase is for fresh or salt water.

[SirSnookalot]

RW, I caught another 46'' barracuda today on my stradic, I'm really liking it now, I may buy another.  I was going to buy a biomaster but I don't really see the point.

[roadwarrior]

Okay...back to the 2500. This is a bass reel and can be used for

striper and hybrid if you expect to catch small fish. For striper over

12 lbs or so, you need something heavier. The Stradic 4000 is fine

for a spinning reel, but I fish a baitcaster, CTE200GT. Most guys

prefer 300 series baitcasters for striper fishing.

So, I suggest buying the Symetre at your pricing point or the Stradic

2500FI for more money. Use this reel for bass fishing and your Penn

when you are targeting striper.

8-)

[Big Country]

Okay...back to the 2500. This is a bass reel and can be used for

striper and hybrid if you expect to catch small fish. For striper over

12 lbs or so, you need something heavier. The Straddic 4000 is fine

for a spinning reel, but I fish a baitcaster, CTE200GT. Most guys prefer 300 series baitcasters for striper fishing.

8-)

I've got plenty of baitcasters, but only the lone Penn spinning reel, so I was looking to get at least one freshwater spinning reel to add to my overall fishing tackle, although I have had my eye on a Curado for a while now I'm also partial to steelhead fishing in northern PA when I travel home in the fall/early winter, so this new reel will also be used for that, so the drag system will also be important when making this purchase.

[MarauderYak]

After seeing that you'd like to use this reel for steelhead as well I'd advise against the Pro Qualifier.  I think they're a great reel with a very good drag, but the largest holds 115 yds of 12lb test.  I personally would want a little more line capacity if fishing for steelhead.  Those little missles can strip 40 or 50 yards in a single run with no problem.

Maybe you should consider getting this new spinning reel for just lighter fishing & use the Penn for steelhead in addition to saltwater.

[andamtoft]

I would also suggest you also take a look at the Pflueger President and Supreme.

x2... but whatever you get just try them all out in the store and make sure it fits well with you

[bobdogg17]

I had the same question last year and went with a Shimano Stradic 3000 and couldn't be happier!

[Micro]

IMO, the current crop of Browning spinning reels are total garbage and unworthy of the Browning name.  A few years ago they were very similar to Pfluegers - based on the fact that were made in Korea, and had a lot in common with Pfluegers.  Those were excellent reels.  I had two and ended up giving both away to some young fishermen.  I acquired a "new" model Citori at a good price (free) and used it once on a smallmouth trip.   This one was made in China and just didn't feel like the old reel.  It essentially siezed up on me on that trip.  When I got home and opened it up, I found a thin brass washer had somehow gotten drawn down the shaft wedging it immobile.  There were also shavings of that washer in the anti-reverse bearing.   I threw that reel in the trash.

Avoid new Browning spinning reels.

[Big Country]

Thank you all for your opinions and input, it really helped me in my decision. I went to Bass Pro and got my hands on the Pfluegers, Quantums, Brownings, Johnny Morris Signature Series, Pro Qualifier, and a few Shimanos. The overall winner ended up being the Shimano Symetre 2500. I thought it was unbelievably smooth, and it felt really good just on the demo handle they had at the store, so I'm sure it will feel even better once I get it on a rod. I'm looking to pair it with a St. Croix Tournament Series Elite 6'6" MF rod. Can this reel handle braid? And the only reason I'm thinking about running braid is for the sensitivity. The fish have become light biters and it's getting hard to detect strikes  >

[ChiCityBasser]

Glad I could offer my help and hope you enjoy your choice for a long time to come. I have the Shimano Sahara 1000 paired with a Cabelas XML 6'6" ML and its a great combo.

[zbigbadaaron]

try a mitchell 308xge

[adclem]

Thank you all for your opinions and input, it really helped me in my decision. I went to Bass Pro and got my hands on the Pfluegers, Quantums, Brownings, Johnny Morris Signature Series, Pro Qualifier, and a few Shimanos. The overall winner ended up being the Shimano Symetre 2500. I thought it was unbelievably smooth, and it felt really good just on the demo handle they had at the store, so I'm sure it will feel even better once I get it on a rod. I'm looking to pair it with a St. Croix Tournament Series Elite 6'6" MF rod. Can this reel handle braid? And the only reason I'm thinking about running braid is for the sensitivity. The fish have become light biters and it's getting hard to detect strikes >

That is the same setup I have and I love it.  The rod will handle braid, I would go with probably Daiwa Samurai braid in 40lbs test(mono equivalent 8lbs), I am using fluorocarbon line with mine and I can feel every single little tap.  You will love this etup no matter what line you decide to put on it.

Later,