best reel

[RalphL]

what is the best medium size open face spinning reel. Not big saltwater reels or the mini ultra compacts, just a a medium frame for up to ,,say ,,12lb line. I'm in the market and very dissapointed in my last two buys. A couple of seasons and they wind up not worth fixing. Would like one built to last. Opinions???

 

[Tater Salad]

Pflueger President series.

55 to 60 bucks, 10 ball bearings, drag is nice and smooth.

I have about 12 of these reels. I have mostly used the "25" model for ultralight trout fishing.

 

[Juice]

I been been a big fan of the Pfueger President for years great reels. But now I,m jumping ship to the Okuma Trio. They have one sweet drag system. If you're looking for a new reel be sure to give the trio the once over. And the all black makes it look nice

 

[trollmonkey]

I like old Mitchell reels 308's,300's,and 410's. Unfortunately they stopped making them years ago. I've had some of my reels over thirty years ,and hope they last thirty more. Sometimes you can find decent old reels at junk stores or pawn shops,it just takes looking.As far as new stuff I will probably get a Penn or Shimano if my old Mitchells croak.101chromefish101

 

[bob r]

We used penns for years but have had problems with the one-way bearing that elliminates the reverse button, freezes up in cold weater fishing and then will turn backwards even though that's exactly what they are not supposed to do, switched to the pfluger (sp'?) president series, never looked back, although I washed out the grease from that penn bearing and use it that way in the winter and then replace bearing with greased one in warm weather. Does anyone know a GOOD lightweight grease that won't get thick and sluggish in winter?Bob R

 

[RalphL]

How does the President series numbering system relate to reel size. Which is the medium spool/reel size??

 

[rebelsportsman]

i like the penn z710. i can fish for most species with it. fresh and saltwater.

 

[bob r]

I loved the Z series, have two diff. ones, best reel penn made, unfortunatly hasn't been available for over 9 years. Sorrry, bob r

 

[lowe1648mt]

I use a Shimano Spirex 52000 FG as my main open face reel. It has worked well for every thing from Macs. too Koks. That includes, Walleyes, Sockeye,Pinks, and Rainbow to 24". I like the front drag, but my wife uses a Shimano TX120. She likes the rear drag. My backup reel is a QVI 120 (Quantum).
Bait casters I use an old Quantum Iron. It works nice. I also use an old Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6000C as a backup.
I have some newer reels, but I like these two old timers.

 

[johnny1954]

i use a caiman gt101 with a jared johnson kokanee special rod.....)

 

[SuperD]

Another vote for Pflueger President series. Smooth as silk and you can get the extra spool so you have a couple different line weights available at the pop of a button.

 

[mrmike]

Last season I purchased four new Daiwa's ICV 15 with line counters I put 8 lb max ultra green on all 4 of them. I do know some other serious Kokanee fisherman that went the same route with the same reels. They are spendieee I am very happy with there performance especially there drag systems

 

[SuperD]

Last season I purchased four new Daiwa's ICV 15 with line counters I put 8 lb max ultra green on all 4 of them. I do know some other serious Kokanee fisherman that went the same route with the same reels. They are spendieee I am very happy with there performance especially there drag systems

OP asked for advice on an open faced reel, think that means spinning reel.

 

[devil boat]

Rear Drag Spinning Reel

I like rear drag spinning reels. You can tighten or loosen the drag without getting your fingers in the way of your line when a fish is on. Some models also have a lever on the back to tighten or loosen the drag up real quick. That gives you the flexibility to keep your drag very light for Kokes and tighten it up quick for a big trout or mac. You can also adjust your drag easily as you play the fish .... just one more way to have fun.

 

[SuperD]

bob r, have you tried white grease? It never seems to be thick at all to me.

 

[Kokaholic]

OP asked for advice on an open faced reel, think that means spinning reel.

Dave,

Really? C'mon man,

 

[Propnut69]

dave,

really? C'mon man,

lmao!!!!!!!

 

[jacksonlaker]

I just purchased a WaveSpin reel. I used it for the first time last weekend and I was really impressed. It's big feature is notches on the spool which prevents line loops. And if you do get a loop it will come out the next time you cast. I was wary of this but I did not have one line loop in 4 hours of throwing lures on a trout stream. The drag is also excellent. I researched the heck out of this product and I can't find any negative reviews. It cost around $80.00