Best spinning reel

[KyCarl]

Several guys trying for line class records use Van Staal reels.
Several of them don't have bails just a roller you hook and un-hook the line.
Not flip the bail.
I use Daiwa Steez bait-casters and they are expensive enough!

 

[Salmonchaser]

Several guys trying for line class records use Van Staal reels.
I use Daiwa Steez bait-casters and they are expensive enough!

I can understand why they would, impressive reels from my reading.

 

[KyCarl]

I could never be a guide! I have no patience! Guys that really fish are different it's more like sharing information? Hand a rookie a piece of Floro and tell him to tie it to the braid with a Uni to Uni ..and watch the looks you get.

 

[Pmacc60]

I ran Shimano for years, still have several at home. I like the folks I'm guiding to be able to run good equipment that probably won't fail, but I don't want to spend more than $100. I buy my gear from a boat shop north of Seattle. Good guys, outfit a large number of northwest guides. I typically go with what they are selling more of to the guides.
i don't have time to work on reels at night. They are an expendable throw away item if they quit. So far I haven't been able to make the battles quit. I may have to look into those Van Staals for my personal use.

Salmonchaser I hear you and the Penns are perfect for what you are using them for. I don't guide and though I fish hard the bottom line for you is profit. You make total sense. As you see we also have some good inland fishing. This is my son with a spring cow striper.

 

[Salmonchaser]

View attachment 126129
Salmonchaser I hear you and the Penns are perfect for what you are using them for. I don't guide and though I fish hard the bottom line for you is profit. You make total sense. As you see we also have some good inland fishing. This is my son with a spring cow striper.

That's a dandy fish, never fished for striper. Need to rectify that.

 

[Pmacc60]

That's a dandy fish, never fished for striper. Need to rectify that.

I'm sure your not missing much when your fishing for salmon !!

 

[Salmonchaser]

I'm sure your not missing much when your fishing for salmon !!

Salmon are fun, the adventures are better. Our goal is to give everyone a great adventure.

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

Was a past Penn guy then switched to shimano when I bought my first sustain. Now ever since i got my first Diawa Steez spinner i am ALL DIAWA. Saltigas Now that's the cats meow and imho the best i have used

 

[Oi.223]

For me, when I upgraded to spinning reels in the $180 price range (Quantum) it was because they hold up much better than the less expensive reels I had been using. I've been very happy with my Quantum Energy and now Quantum Smoke models. My first Energy was over 10 years old ($140 then) before it started to wear down and get noisy. I'd never had reel last me more than 3 or 4 years before that. Higher end reels are generally lighter than less expensive models. If weight is an issue for you, spending more money will buy you a lighter reel (so will getting a smaller one).

 

[Taco John]

360° Tuna dot com


Check out what those chaps are using.

 

[26Reload]

Guided steelhead on coastal river in Oregon for 20 years.....great learning experience of how to deal with the public......leave the bad ones at the boat ramp.......
Fishing steelhead with spinning gear...smaller reels...last reels I worked with were okumas(which were okay for a year)got burnt out drags after a good season of fishing)....
Shimano statics were really smooth drag systems....
But one HUGE fault those and newer reals have.....the noise of the drag when fiwh are running.....the louder the drag the more the client loves the fish fight......a drag even a deaf man could hear would be best.....
So as to best spin reels I ever fished......Abu Garcia Cardinal C3 and C4...
Awesome drags and enough noise to wake the dead......mainly because the guys fighting he steelhead were laughing their butts off because the fish was ripping line from the reel.....and the drags clicker was very audible....
Then someone stole them out of my boat......ba-tards........nevr did get them back.....and they haven't made that real in nearly 35 years........bummer....

 

[Salmonchaser]

Guided steelhead on coastal river in Oregon for 20 years.....great learning experience of how to deal with the public......leave the bad ones at the boat ramp.......
Fishing steelhead with spinning gear...smaller reels...last reels I worked with were okumas(which were okay for a year)got burnt out drags after a good season of fishing)....
Shimano statics were really smooth drag systems....
But one HUGE fault those and newer reals have.....the noise of the drag when fiwh are running.....the louder the drag the more the client loves the fish fight......a drag even a deaf man could hear would be best.....
So as to best spin reels I ever fished......Abu Garcia Cardinal C3 and C4...
Awesome drags and enough noise to wake the dead......mainly because the guys fighting he steelhead were laughing their butts off because the fish was ripping line from the reel.....and the drags clicker was very audible....
Then someone stole them out of my boat......ba-tards........nevr did get them back.....and they haven't made that real in nearly 35 years........bummer....

Had the same experience with the Okumas. I agree the C4 cardinal was probably the best reel I ever owned

 

[JessicaAdams]

I personally prefer to sink more money into a quality rod when possible than sink that kind of money into a reel. I have two Pflueger Presidents 6730's that perform flawlessly. I have one on a G-Loomis ILX rod that's a real sweet set up.
I bought a new Shimano Sahara 2500 last year that I paired with a St Croix Avid. That Sahara cost $49.99 on sale at Cabela's and is soooo smooth…both the retrieve and the drag…that I wonder how much better a $250 reel can be? Time will tell how durable it is but it got quite a workout on some big pike and a few sturgeon while fishing the river on several trips last year.

 

[Capt RB]

Best spinning reel for heavy use is which brand your going to like
The dogfight from Diawa has the caught the largest bluefin local to me at 670#. Last year we caught a swordfish on a Shimanno stella and that same reel landed a bluefin last year that 530#. One of the bluefin pop n jig charters uses VS others use the Penn Torque 9. I own both the 9 and the 7 for tuna.
Accurate is not popular local to me because they seem to need more maintenance sooner in this fishery.
ZeeBass is another bail less option not good for tuna imho but good for fish without that kind of speed.
The reels are in 2 catagories. The Van Staal method uses the least amount of parts and removes bearings for bushings. Slightly more drag is felt through the hndle when in use. The Penn Torque ZeeBass and another I cannot remember the name of also use this theory/method to lengthen service life.
The Stella and Dogfight both use more/higher quality bearings to achieve it's strength. I'm not a fan of the stella due to Shimanno's lack of support once they change the reel. I have an old stella I can no longer get parts for. Basically a $900 paper weight. My first penn torque broke 3 times in the first season on 4 fish. After alot of discussion nd feed back they improved the reels and now I have over 100 fish over the 100# mark with the biggest bluefin at 395#.
All of these reels will handle severe use under heavy drag. All will break or need to be rebuilt after x amount of time of severe use. All are quite expensive.
I bought penn because of their history with parts. I have older penns that still run like a fine watch. I use Avet for my offshore trolling gear and penn and quantum for my spinning gear in a commercial operation.
If it is casting I look hard at the Avet mag cast reels. They cast like crazy and for the customers that can use them will last longer than a coffee grinder of any brand. For the clients who want or need a spinner Penn torque Van Staal has the least amount of parts to fail.
You can get into most guide programs if you have a charter history. Penn still handles some guys but because of the abuse of some captains and I use that term lightly they are not like years past when a phone call would get it done