Reels

[JEBar]

what type of reel do you prefer .... closed face, open face, or bait caster .... I have and use all three but the older I get, the more I like an open face spinning reel .... my preference is for those with Shimano's Quick Fire feature .... my Shimano reels were all purchased in the late '70's so the models I use have long been out of production .... while I still have a pretty good collection of other types, I use open face spinning reels for every thing from fresh water pan fish/bass/walleye to salt water surf casting/boat rods .... being right handed, my reels are set up for left hand cranking so that my right hand stays on the rod (I rig my closed face and spinning reels the same way)

Jim

 

[dingbat]

Re: Reels

I have forty or so conventional reels (Penn and Abu), one bait caster (Quantum)and three open spinning reels (Penn). The baitcaster has not been fished in 15 years. Two of the three open facing spinning reels are on the kids rods. The third is on my bait catching rig.

It seems I have a preference for conventional reels

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Reels

I using spinning reels for all the reasons the OP mentioned. I use bait casters for muskies.....

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Reels

I swing towards Diawa and Shimano. I have a sweet little Shimano Core 50/51 that is a great little bait caster and a Diawa Steeze that I use mainly for crank baits. I also have a Diawa Luna 300 and a Shimano 300 (Cant remember the model off hand). I've sort of changed my selection process to doing the research and then trying them and if I like it I buy. The model hype and the price tag is less of a concern. I recently bought a Diawa Balistic 2500 over a Stella 2500 because for some reason it felt like it was what I really wanted in a reel.

I tend to gravitate towards reels that won't confuse me. If there are too many bells and whistles I tend to walk away no matter what the consumer rating is. Diawa and Shimano seem to have decent quality and are lasting well for me.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Reels

Use spinning reels (open face) for everything except trolling. Haven't figured out how to easily set trolling rods with the spinning reels, including downriggers, planer boards, dipsey's etc or I would use spinning for everything. Put reel in free spool, engage the clicker and thumb it while downrigger is going down, try that with a spinning reel.

 

[catfish58]

Re: Reels

I use ultralight spinning reels to catch bluegills for bait and Abu baitcasting for the big cats.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Reels

what type of reel do you prefer .... closed face, open face, or bait caster .... I have and use all three but the older I get, the more I like an open face spinning reel .... my preference is for those with Shimano's Quick Fire feature .... my Shimano reels were all purchased in the late '70's so the models I use have long been out of production .... while I still have a pretty good collection of other types, I use open face spinning reels for every thing from fresh water pan fish/bass/walleye to salt water surf casting/boat rods .... being right handed, my reels are set up for left hand cranking so that my right hand stays on the rod (I rig my closed face and spinning reels the same way)

Jim

Jim, Where are you catching Walleyes in central N.C.? I heard there were some in Mayo.

 

[2 Eagles]

Re: Reels

I have some of all kinds. It just depends on what I'm fishing for & where I'm fishing. On what gear I take with me.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Reels

I have some of all kinds. It just depends on what I'm fishing for & where I'm fishing. On what gear I take with me.

I'm pretty much the same way, it's sort of what I decide to take with me. Sometimes I'll use a setup for something completely different than what it's intended for. It works most of the time. Heck sometimes a piece of bamboo and a spool of kite thread would be all I really need.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Reels

Spinning reels only for me for open water & ice fishing.

Shimano, Pflueger and HT have served me well.

 

[JEBar]

Re: Reels

Jim, Where are you catching Walleyes in central N.C.? I heard there were some in Mayo.

I really wish I was but unfortunately, the answer is no .... being retired we are fortunate to have time to travel in our camper .... my wife is from eastern South Dakota and we spend 2 - 3 months out there each summer .... while we are out there, I enjoy fishing any of several lakes within a few minutes of her home town .... my hope is to down the road move our boat out there from central NC and to upgrade it specifically for walleye trolling and for cruising on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers .... while arthritis has made casting for bass much less enjoyable, trolling has become something I can still enjoy

Jim

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Reels

Depends on what line size I'm using, spinners up to 10# test, baitcasters 12-25# test, conventional over 25# test,,, or somewhere there about. I bought my son Pflueger and Penn (same thing) heavy spinners for big striper fishing, they work nice, smooth drag. I'm not hung up on 1 brand, most of my reels are Penn and Daiwa, couple Shimano's, couple Pflueger's, and an Avet

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Reels

OK- thank you for the clarification on where/what you fish. Now I have an opinion to offer I have several setups for different types of fishing and use a combination depending on what the target species is.

For walleye trolling, I mostly use bottom bouncers with cheaters along with leadcore and some flatlines for plugs. Setups are these:

I have an inexpensive Berkely 8' Medium-heavy spinning rod and open face reel combo that does most of the dirty work for bottom bouncing harnesses and sticks for walleye. It is spooled with 30# powerpro braid terminated to a 50# snap/swivel that clips to the bottom bouncer. This has handled up to 5 ounces of weight but usually I use 2.5 oz. or 3 oz on this rod with a crawler harness on the bottom and some sort of cheater. The other bouncer rod is a medium fiberglass 6'6" Shimano with a smaller '1500' spinning reel also with 30# power pro and a snap-swivel. The lighter rod usually runs 1.5 to 2.5 ounces. Having two "different" setups for the same tactic lets me keep "stagger" in the water so the that two lines don't even cross.

Along with that I have a 10.5' 6-weight fiberglass fly blank I epoxied into a trolling rod handle with a spinning reel which runs a Big Jon mini diver disk behind power pro which keeps me running at a controllable depth and as much as 30' off the side of the boat. I also have a 10'6" "steelhead" rod by quantum with 30# power pro running to a Slide Diver Lite Bite from a line-counter Daiwa reel, and I occasionally use one of two 6' spinning rods I always have on hand. Two Eagle Claw downrigger rods with line counter reels round out the mix for walleye.

I say all that to show that you need tactic-specific rods to cover different approaches and one isn't "better" than another

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Reels

Mark, you are so correct in that last statement. On any given day applies so well. I'm curious was that 1500 spinner a typo. Around my neck of the woods a 1500 is a ultralight reel. I love ultralight and have G-Loomis ultralight downrigger rod with a Shimano Core 50/51 on it. I spool it with 10lb test because I'm still new to UL gear. I've had a 4lb Lahontan Cuthroat on it and it was a blase. My Diawa Balistic is a 2500 and I have it one a G-Loomis trout spinning rod. Nice rig for a lot more than just Trout. I spool it with 12lb because I fish in a lot of overhanging trees and get hung up often. It flips just like a my 7' Loomis crank bait rod with the Diawa Steeze on it. Too much money for that reel, I actually like the Core 50/51 better. My steel head and often lead core or down rigger rods are Lamiglass and Lommis 8'6" rods with sensitive tips. I also have a absolutely too much fun Lamiglass back bouncer that I have a nostalgic Shakespear (my dads) direct drive knuckle buster on. It has a leather thumb drag and I've had Steelies smoke it. I only use it when I feel like saying hi to my dad. O.K. so I use it a lot... LOL...

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Reels

I think it matters what you are planning on slinging around. I use a bait caster for throwing heavy baits and lures and the click comes in handy for still fishing. An open face for heavy lures that I cast a lot of times. Closed face for panfishing with light baits and lures. We just bought some of the bigger swim baits so I tried power pro 30# line on an open face reel and it works pretty good. My wife surprised me and picked up the open face with the 6" swim bait on it and asked "How do you cast this thing." I showed her and she did okay. She didn't cast far but all of her casts were in the direction she was trying to cast to. I think we are going to catch some fish this fall.

 

[catfishcarl99]

Re: Reels

well for bass and catfish baitcasters hands down. i have about 25. abu shakespherare and ming yang. pfleugers for bass. have some shimano spinners for panfishing ect.. i primarily catfish though.

 

[JEBar]

Re: Reels

My wife surprised me and picked up the open face with the 6" swim bait on it and asked "How do you cast this thing." I showed her and she did okay. She didn't cast far but all of her casts were in the direction she was trying to cast to. I think we are going to catch some fish this fall.

OUTSTANDING .... I sure hope someone is around to quickly dial 911 the day my wife does that, I'll be passed out in the bottom of the boat ..

Jim

 

[angelo1369]

Re: Reels

I have used spinning reels for the longest time. I want to get a baitcaster for larger fish. I'm looking for something to cast medium to large suckers, fishing for bass, northern pike ect. I'm looking to spend about $100 on the reel itself. Any sugestions?

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: Reels

@angelo1369, if you can spend around $129, i really like the abu revo sx:
http://www.basspro.com/Abu-Garcia-R...3398&SST=45f926f5-9349-a6c9-ab24-000004d7a589

in general, i like the revo series for bait casters. i have the above (7.0 gear ratio) and i also have the revo toro HS ($270ish) that i use for muskies. another musky reel i like for about $100 is the bass pro shops house brand: http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Muskie-Angler-Conventional-Reels/product/10205090/37670 - it comes in low gear ratio which is great for big bucktails.

for spinning reals, i usually get gander mountains house brand (which i understand are actually pfleuger reels). their $59 & $79 reels are both nice and smooth.

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Reels

My favorite (by far) is a Curado (200B?) that I bought about a month ago (used) from Craigslist for $50. New they list at $159 (although a friend just got two from Gander for $100 ea on clearance). I am relatively new to bait casters, but the Curado is awesome. BTW, I prefer left hand crank, even though I am a right handed person.

TerryMSU

I have used spinning reels for the longest time. I want to get a baitcaster for larger fish. I'm looking for something to cast medium to large suckers, fishing for bass, northern pike ect. I'm looking to spend about $100 on the reel itself. Any sugestions?