fishing reel suggestions

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JohnPaul
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fishing reel suggestions

Post by JohnPaul »

20 some years ago I bought a couple shimano reels and have been using them ever since with no problems. Thought they were the greatest reels ever made. Couple weeks ago they finally broke down needing parts no longer available. So I went to Bass Pro and bought two Shimano Sahara 2500, What a disappointment. They look great in the box until I used them. When cranking in your bait, [CANJIN THUNDER CORK AND JIG] for example, it feels like your pulling in a cement block. Handle very hard to turn. Don't know if Shimano lost there quality or if this is just a bad reel. Either way they are going back. Being old school fisherman (74) I usually keep things forever if it is worth while. These are not. Having had reels that worked so well for so long I am out of touch with the new equipment available today and wonder what kind of reels you fellows use for trout and reds. I would very much appreciate any suggestion and advise you might have. Thank you ahead of time and God Bless.
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WannaDoDat
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by WannaDoDat »

JohnPaul, I too had the same experience with Shimano Symmetre reels. They were very stiff, impossible to walk the dog with and were quite inferior to the same model I had from a couple of years ago. I thought I had a bad reel and ended up purchasing the same reel again with the same results. I finally broke down and spent the extra money and bought the Stradic Ci4 and it has been the best purchase I've ever made! Very smooth and very light. A joy to fish all day with. I have the 3000 size.

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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by GoodCall »

I own a few different levels of Shimano's and love them all (Sedona, Saros, Stradic). IMHO, the Sedona is the best value for your money. Obviously reels like the Stradic and Symmetre are going to be nicer at almost $200 than the Sedona is at about $65, but it's not $135 nicer IMO. Seems like the price doesn't go up proportionate to the quality...I think the guts of the reel is basically the same, only the number of bearings and perhaps the handle material being rubber vs plastic is the only difference. But what I'm getting at here is it's hard to go wrong with a Shimano reel. Perhaps you got a lemon or something. Maybe try to take it back and exchange for another one?
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by fishshooter99 »

I've been a Stradic fan got years. I have FH's, FI'S, FJ's, and CI's. I agree with Jean, my CI'S are my favorite.
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by Part-Time Gypsy »

A Stradic FJ3000 is my go to reel. The 4000 is excellent as well. I'm waiting for my Abu Garcia Revo S to bite the dust or fall overboard so I have an excuse to buy the newer Shimano CIs, as previously acclaimed by others.
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cotton
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by cotton »

I'm agree with everyone else. The Shimano I wouldn't buy is the symetre. Its crap. From the $29 Siena to the $200 stradic you usually can't go wrong.

I use the $29 Siena 1000s for crappy fishing and love them for that purpose. It gets heavy in the larger sizes. Watch for sales and you can usually move up a class or 2 over what you might buy.
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kikstand454
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by kikstand454 »

I fish almost exclusively baitcasters nowadays, but the shimano sienna in the 2500 size is an awesome reel/deal in the $40 range. Can't beat it. Love mine.
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cotton
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by cotton »

kikstand454 wrote:I fish almost exclusively baitcasters nowadays, but the shimano sienna in the 2500 size is an awesome reel/deal in the $40 range. Can't beat it. Love mine.
I just bought a new Siena 2500 for $19.99 in MO today. They had 4. I almost bought them all. I wonder why the Siena holds up better than some of there more expensive reels.

I don't normally buy this low end of Shimano for the bigger sizes. But at that price, You can throw them away after a year or two and its still worth it.

They had the 1000 that I like for crappie for $39.99. They wouldn't sell it to me for $19.99. To bad. I only have a dozen rod/reels. I could have used a few more.

Back on the subject. I have a couple of stradics and everything in between. I sure like using the good stuff. But when I lose one, I'll wish I was using one of my cheap reels.

My obsession right now is finding a cheap 7 ft spinning rod that can cast a 1/32 oz crappie jig a mile. I never dreamed going small is just as expensive as going big. It seems you get what you pay for in every situation. But, you can find some steals sometimes.
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jonthesnook
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Re: fishing reel suggestions

Post by jonthesnook »

If you're willing to go up to a 3500 series, then the penn spinfisher has a sealed drag system, and will last years and years with heavy use. If you're willing to spend a ton then a shimano sustain is a great reel that has even more to offer in the salt.
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