Best Spinning Reel For $80???????

[John G]

All I can add is another vote for the President (reel). They're hard to beat on a bang-for-your-buck basis.

Which President model for bass?

[eyedabassman]

Which President model for bass?

The 30 or 35 model.

[LgMouthGambler]

I dont want to be a product wh@re, but im gonna.......Shimano.

[Crookedneck]

I'll go against the grain and throw in my vote for a Mitchell 300. Yup. A 300. I've fished these reels for years and never had problems with anything from 4 lb up to 10 lb test. For ultralight, a 314 or a 308 but I prefer the 314. The plastic side on the 308 can be a problem unless you find one in excellent condition.

I know, they're not modern and fancy. Underneath it all, they're all descended from these reels with a reason. If you haven't had the experience yet, get one in good shape and try it out.

Good call on this!! I used Mitchell for years and yes it would be my second in the price range...

[Diablos]

President seems to be a solid choice.

Some under the radar reels that are pretty good

Lew's Tourney Speed Spin $79

Okuma Trio30S $75

[l3rd]

I went and bought the Carbonlite spinning reel and I need to take it back! It was REAL hard to get the bail to snap back. So I was thinking of going to a bit better reel. So what do you guys think? I don't want to go to a $ 100.00 reel, I want to stay around $80. I did spend alot at the classic,,,OH she is going to KILL me!!

Since you need to shut the bail by hand on spinning reels if you want to avoid birds nests, I'd keep the Carbonlite. I have a couple of Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning reels, a Shimano Saros, a Shimano Stradic, several Quantum Kinetics, and some REALLY old Shimanos. Traded my last Mitchell in on the Carbonlite you seem to be displeased with. When I went to get it, they were out and offered the more expensive Johnny Morris Signature Series reel as a substitute. Nice reel, but it's not a Carbonlite. If you want to use the handle to snap the bail back, buy a Wavespin from Cabelas, you'll have a LOT less issues with it than with standard reels.

[d3bf48]

Tournament ZX from cabelas. I have 2 symetres and a pflueger supreme and I wish they were all ZX's

[thehooligan]

Definitely a sahara, smoothest reel for $80.

[eyedabassman]

Since you need to shut the bail by hand on spinning reels if you want to avoid birds nests, I'd keep the Carbonlite. I have a couple of Pflueger Supreme XT Spinning reels, a Shimano Saros, a Shimano Stradic, several Quantum Kinetics, and some REALLY old Shimanos. Traded my last Mitchell in on the Carbonlite you seem to be displeased with. When I went to get it, they were out and offered the more expensive Johnny Morris Signature Series reel as a substitute. Nice reel, but it's not a Carbonlite. If you want to use the handle to snap the bail back, buy a Wavespin from Cabelas, you'll have a LOT less issues with it than with standard reels.

I agree with you! And i always close my bail by hand but, this reel should not preform like this ! So I did get a lemon, and maybe the next one will be better. I was jusk checking all other reels in case they were out of stock and if I could find a better reel. I have the Carbon lite BC reel and I like that alot.

[asgsevbserbgsre]

Interesting. I rarely get bird nests. I have a suspicion the problem lies in the line, how tight it's wound and the depth of the spool. I can't really speak for modern reels as the only sort of modern reel I use is a Shimano 10 spinning on occassion. I think you have to marry the line test and the spool depth to prevent bird nests and make sure the line is always wound tight. After a days fishing, the line can get loose. I got in the habit of sending out a few long casts with a heavy spoon (no hook) and a fast retrieve with a lot of rod motion to try and tighten up the line. Maybe it's an old habit from the no frills Mitchell reel days?

The other trick is to keep your fore finger ready when you are about to bring the bail in. The moment you hit the reel handle to flip the bail, catch the line gently against the rod to take up slack for a moment.

On a whole, I use shallow spools unless I'm in salt water. I rarely troll in any event. Just a guess on my part.

[l3rd]

I agree with you! And i always close my bail by hand but, this reel should not preform like this ! So I did get a lemon, and maybe the next one will be better. I was jusk checking all other reels in case they were out of stock and if I could find a better reel. I have the Carbon lite BC reel and I like that alot.

I am not sure if it's a lemon or not. I tried several different ones here, and the Carbonlite is certainly a little stiff. My son's Daiwa Regal is much stiffer, and my OLD Shimano Magnumlite GT-X-2300SM is as stiff or perhaps stiffer. My larger Pflueger Supreme XT takes virtually no effort to close. I think it may just be a design decision. Most of the rest is ultralite so they just don't compare. The ones that are stiffer are likely going to have heavier springs so they may arguably be a little tougher and may withstand a little more abuse. I'd check it against other Carbonlites to be sure it's not damaged, and then decide if it's too stiff for you to live with, or if it's something you can get used to. It's your money, so if it really bothers you, get another reel.

My wife had a bail fail to close because it was ever so slightly bent, I mean I did not even realize it was bent. I paid to have it fixed, and that is the ONLY reel so far I have paid to have repaired. The springs for the bail were just so light that they could not close the bail. It was a $135 Daiwa, not just some junk. Anyway, stiff or not, I'll stick to my Carbonlite, and you'll have to decide for yourself what works best for you. I do know it sucks using something you just aren't happy with, so my best advice is to get something you like, life is too short to spend it wishing you have bought a different reel!

BTW, a few weeks back I decided to try a Wavespin... I just had to know... When it arrived and my wife saw me putting line on it, she asked me about it. When I told her about it's tendency to not birds nest, it became hers.... I had intended for it to be eventually anyway as she birds nests all the time, but I wanted a chance to play with it first. After she uses it a bit perhaps I'll post something about it. It's no Shimano, but it looks like a nice little reel.

[Chattahoochee]

I love my Shimano Sahara 2500

[KYntucky Warmouth]

<$100...Pflueger President

[Canga]

for under $80, as many have said, its hard to beat a Pflueger President, for 2012 its all new, and a bit lighter than the previous model, plus it got rid of that aweful wooden knob, and got a nice soft touch knob in its place. i cant say how the drag works on it, for 2 reasons: i havent bee able to have it out on the water yet, and i had a junked gold supreme xt laying around and the spool from that fits perfectly on the president (same size reel, of course).

i cant say that the president is as good as the patriarch or fuegos i have, but for the money its a VERY solid performer.

[VolFan]

Shimano Sahara. I have had 6, 2 of them for 5+ years, and never had a problem with any of them. Great drag, smooth reel, widely available parts if needed. I'm not against the Pflueger President either, I just don't have a track record with them like the Saharas.

[Daniel My Brother]

Another vote for the Pfluger President, then use the extra $20 to take your wife out for pizza. It's a win, win.

[eyedabassman]

Another vote for the Pfluger President, then use the extra $20 to take your wife out for pizza. It's a win, win.

The extra $20.00 I think would go towards hooks and weights. This is my slush found we are taliking about.LOL I will take her to the movies !

[Dakota wendt]

I like the bps tournament specials and pros for the money. I have an older tournament pro that was my truck rod and reel just in case I wanted to stop and throw a senko I found it in the garage the other day and after all the rain sand and mud it's still smooth!

[Darren.]

If you haven't already made your decision, another vote for Sahara @ $80.

Tried the BPS models, tempted by the carbon, but chose Sahara. My experience with Shimano spinning reels (Stradics are my fav) is they are reliable, use quality parts, smooth, rated for salt/fresh, and for my hands, they feel the best.

Now I'm also a guy who prefers smaller spinning reels for bass - the 1000 size is my favorite. I have one 2500 size Shimano Spirex that I use for crank baits.

[Pantera61]

Daiwa Whisker 1300SS ... the only drawback is the lack of infinite anti-reverse.

[coachdog]

I have 5 sarahas (500, 2-2500, 3000 & 4000) & no complaints. Good reel for me. I believe pfluger comes with spare spool where the shirmano do not. Spare spool gives you more options and makes it more versitile especially if this is your only combo.

[eyedabassman]

Just as I was ready to pull the pin on the President something happened! A rep for another reel company and I started talking about reels and he told me about this great reel ( not from his reel sponsor ) called the Wavespin. So I checked it out and he sold me. But the bad thing BPS did not have the model I want so I may have to order one!

[ww2farmer]

It's your $$.

[eyedabassman]

It's your $$.

Ok what do you know of the wavespin Farmer? I would like your input.

[Phranchise1213]

Theres likely nothing wrong with the wavespin. I've actually heard that it works in terms of staying birdsnest free but...Personally, I would never buy a reel that was marketed via a corny infomercial.