Looking for a new spinning reel

[Legend]

I'm in the market for a new spinning reel to put on my 6' Ugly Stick. I fish mostly smallmouths, largemouths and walleyes. I mostly use stickbaits and crankbaits.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

MF

[The Rooster]

Pflueger Trion GX, model 4735GX.  It would be a good balance for an Ugly Stik as they are a bit heavy in my opinion.  The reel will hold 145 yards of 8 lb. test line.  If I had the rod you have, that's the reel I'd be getting.  Come to think of it, I have an Ugly Stik Lite Pro 6' rod that I am going to get a reel for and that's the EXACT one I plan to get.  Should be very similarl though my rod might be a tad lighter than yours if yours is the Ugly Stik Original.  

[ShawnCorreia]

Pflueger Trion GX, model 4735GX. It would be a good balance for an Ugly Stik as they are a bit heavy in my opinion. The reel will hold 145 yards of 8 lb. test line. If I had the rod you have, that's the reel I'd be getting. Come to think of it, I have an Ugly Stik Lite Pro 6' rod that I am going to get a reel for and that's the EXACT one I plan to get. Should be very similarl though my rod might be a tad lighter than yours if yours is the Ugly Stik Original.

Yeah, what he said 40 bucks @ basspro. Even better is the president 35 or 40 series for 60 (10 bearings as apposed to 7 woohoooo) I only use pflueger spinning reels and 9 of my rods are rigged with them! Hey, as a matter of fact this 6 1/2 came on that exact reel (Trion 4735gx)

[RoLo]

Shimano Symetre

Roger

[ShawnCorreia]

Shimano Symetre

Roger

:-?I have a pile of em in the garage! They all spin backwards because the antireverse pins break. No more for me.

[The Rooster]

Pflueger Trion GX, model 4735GX. It would be a good balance for an Ugly Stik as they are a bit heavy in my opinion. The reel will hold 145 yards of 8 lb. test line. If I had the rod you have, that's the reel I'd be getting. Come to think of it, I have an Ugly Stik Lite Pro 6' rod that I am going to get a reel for and that's the EXACT one I plan to get. Should be very similarl though my rod might be a tad lighter than yours if yours is the Ugly Stik Original.

Yeah, what he said 40 bucks @ basspro. Even better is the president 35 or 40 series for 60 (10 bearings as apposed to 7 woohoooo) I only use pflueger spinning reels and 9 of my rods are rigged with them! Hey, as a matter of fact this 6 1/2 came on that exact reel (Trion 4735gx)

You do get 10 bearings with the President.  I even own one myself.  The extra bearings are as follows.....2 in the handle to make it feel even slicker than it already is, and one under the spool on the spool shaft to allow the drag to perform a bit smoother.  Other than the super slick feel of the handle though, it's basically a glorified Trion GX.  The President also has an aluminum sideplate whereas the Trion is all graphite only.  

I've had two Presidents now though and both of mine have had a grinding to the gearing.  The second one is not nearly as bad as the first was (it was completely unenjoyable to use).  But even the new one still has a little bit and I'm wondering if it's going to get worse as time goes on.  I have a Trion and it's never had those problems.  Not sure if the President is made at a different factory than the Trion, could be some machining issues maybe (cause otherwise the Prez and the Trion should be virtually the same??).  

Anyway, all I can say is, after 2 Presidents and one Trion, the Trion is an awesome value for what you get.  The President would be even better if I could just seem to purchase one that was as smooth as it has the potential to be.

[SirSnookalot]

You neglected to mention price range.

The number of bearings may not mean the reel is smoother, for example a stradic has 5+1 bearings and many of the above mentioned reels have more but are not as smooth, I own most of them now including the stradic.

Without doubt my stradic is the best of the bunch but my medalist is the smoothest.

I like every reel I have, I think the technology is great on all of them and you probably won't go wrong on whatever you buy.

[Legend]

My price range is $100 or less. I have a gift card for Cabelas I need to use.

The Pflueger Trion GX and President may be the answer. I've never owned a Pflueger but they look pretty nice for the price.

What lb test are you guys using for smallies, bigmouths and walleyes?

Thanks

[RoLo]

Shimano Symetre

Roger

:-?I have a pile of em in the garage! They all spin backwards because the antireverse pins break. No more for me.

Why would you purchase an inferior product more than once?

I also own a pile of shimano symetres, but mine all function today the same as the day they were bought

and their durability is running abreast of my more expensive Stradics.

I fish my tackle hard, and though I engage and disengage the anti-reverse lever several hundred times a day,

I've never even heard of that complaint before.

Roger

[ChiCityBasser]

Shimano Symetre

Roger

:-?I have a pile of em in the garage! They all spin backwards because the antireverse pins break. No more for me.

I was thinking of adding a Shimano Symetre to my collection but think I'll pass on it for now.

The new Quantum Kinetic PTI-B is a great reel and with the weight reduction for the A to B it's even more solid. I have the KT20PTiB and its super smooth, 6 bearings and now weighs in at 10.5oz. Caught a couple of 3lb's on it and not one problem with the drag or anything. I know thats not really a true test of the drag but the reel performed great.

[Grey Wolf]

Shimano Symetre

Roger

:-?I have a pile of em in the garage! They all spin backwards because the antireverse pins break. No more for me.

How many is a pile and how did you break them all , I never heard anything about the problem you seemed to have with them.

Just curious.

[Muddy]

Depends on what type of pile we are talking here

[Jeff H]

If you are buying at Cabela's, consider the Prodigy 2500.  It is a heckuva nice reel for $70 (on sale)  AFAIK, it is a house-branded Daiwa Tierra.  I have one and would take it over my President anyday.  The Prez is fine but I seem to get more line twist with it.

[The Rooster]

If you are buying at Cabela's, consider the Prodigy 2500. It is a heckuva nice reel for $70 (on sale) AFAIK, it is a house-branded Daiwa Tierra. I have one and would take it over my President anyday. The Prez is fine but I seem to get more line twist with it.

Funny you should say that about line twist, I've noticed my President has the worst line twist problem of any reel I've ever owned.  The Trion I own isn't as bad but I have a smaller version of it, the 4730GX, and also only 8 lb. line on it (maybe those two factors effect it for the better somehow).  The President is the 6735 size and has 10 lb. line and it's horribly twisted after a few trips.

[CRANKSTER]

Just picked up an Abu-Garcia Cardinal 200 series.  Pretty reasonable and smooth.  May want to look into the cardinals.

[tutle]

Check out a Shimano Spheros if you get a chance.  It might be heavier than some in a similar size ,but they are tougher than most in the $100 ballpark.

[ShawnCorreia]

Shimano Symetre

Roger

:-?I have a pile of em in the garage! They all spin backwards because the antireverse pins break. No more for me.

How many is a pile and how did you break them all , I never heard anything about the problem you seemed to have with them.

Just curious.

A pile of Shimano's which is a few ix/ 3 tx/ 2 symmetre/ 1 stradic an 2 sonora. In answer 2 the question why would I keep buying them......I thought I would buy my way away from the problem by spending more money ..not so. Don't feel bad Shimano I have a few Cardinals in that pile. And 1 cheap Diawa oh yeah and a Quantum Optix. The main reason I bought Shimanos was for the Quickfire then I just moved on from there. Plus I used to love their baitcasters so it was kind of a loyalty issue

[DINK WHISPERER]

Abu Garcia Cardinal

[ShawnCorreia]

My price range is $100 or less. I have a gift card for Cabelas I need to use.

The Pflueger Trion GX and President may be the answer. I've never owned a Pflueger but they look pretty nice for the price.

What lb test are you guys using for smallies, bigmouths and walleyes?

Thanks

Ther is not enough room here to decribe my line choices. Simply put , mostly 8# fluoro or 10# copolymer. I take 9 rods to every Tournament and the only two with the same line are my jig rods One 40 series Pflueger trion for skipping jigs and One Quantum Energy B/C for flipping/pitching jigs. Both loaded with 40# PP Spectre Braid. Hope that helps.

[Jeff H]

Funny you should say that about line twist, I've noticed my President has the worst line twist problem of any reel I've ever owned. The Trion I own isn't as bad but I have a smaller version of it, the 4730GX, and also only 8 lb. line on it (maybe those two factors effect it for the better somehow). The President is the 6735 size and has 10 lb. line and it's horribly twisted after a few trips.

Mine are opposite of yours.  Trion is a xx35 and Prez is a xx30.  My Trion is smoother than my Prez but I haven't used it in 2 yrs now.  It's just kind of big but I don't remember the twist issues with the Trion either???

Another odd problem my Prez seems to have is it spools the line more toward the rear of the spool.  It just kind of builds up on the back edge a little bit.  It's not a big deal but it irritates me.  

I've switched to Cabela's Tourney ZX and Prodigy spinning reels (Daiwa's) and LOVE them.  I'm not knocking Pflueger's, I just like the Daiwa's a bit better.

[ShawnCorreia]

I used to have a lot of problems with line twist on all of my reels while skipping gitzits or senko till I started using swivels. (Thanks Davy Hite!) Any time you fish something fast on spinning gear that turns in the water the line gets twisted. (from the bait rotating not the reel)

[Jeff H]

I realize line twist is par for the course with spinning reels, but what I'm talking about is "excessive" compared to my other reels.  My Prez gives me fits vs my Daiwa's.  I also remember having excessive twist with my old Shimano Spirex.

Are you related to Danny?

[Muddy]

If you are buying at Cabela's, consider the Prodigy 2500. It is a heckuva nice reel for $70 (on sale) AFAIK, it is a house-branded Daiwa Tierra. I have one and would take it over my President anyday. The Prez is fine but I seem to get more line twist with it.

Funny you should say that about line twist, I've noticed my President has the worst line twist problem of any reel I've ever owned. The Trion I own isn't as bad but I have a smaller version of it, the 4730GX, and also only 8 lb. line on it (maybe those two factors effect it for the better somehow). The President is the 6735 size and has 10 lb. line and it's horribly twisted after a few trips.

Used this reel for years ; this is what I do with any spinning gear: It works 100% of the time

1. make sure your line goes onto the reel spool , in the same direction it comes off the feeder spool

2.Never, ever reel while the fish is taking drag

3. Use a swivel on the tag end of your line. A good quality swivel ( no snaps! JUST SWIVELS) at the tag end of your line with at least a 12 inch leader to the bait.

[Bryce Hagar]

My vote is for the new ABU GARCIA 300i

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0071469124735a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=0800502&cm_ite=0071469124735a

[SirSnookalot]

The picture is the 400 i, not the 300 as mentioned.

Which one do you own?