What spinning reel?

[Jmill88]

I need a new spinning reel for a finesse setup.  I got a good deal on a St. Croix Triumph and am leaning towards the Shimano Sedona to go along with it.  Has anyone used the Sedona.  Any other suggestions.  Thanks!

[Alex D]

I just picked up an Okuma Avenger 30A - not the bait feeder model.

9.7oz, 160 yds 8#, retails for about $40.

I've fished it twice and been very happy with it. Never used Okumas before, but I think for spinning reels I might try another one.

[OutdoorFrontiers]

The Sedona is all right.  I have a couple of them.  However, I found that the Sahara is better from a cost/durability/quality standpoint and the Stradic is even better yet.

Steve

[coldfront]

I need a new spinning reel for a finesse setup.  I got a good deal on a St. Croix Triumph and am leaning towards the Shimano Sedona to go along with it.  Has anyone used the Sedona.  Any other suggestions.  Thanks!

I've jused Sedonas and Saharas both reels work very well...I personally don't think you can go wrong with Shimano reels...

that said, I've changed over to BPS pro qualifiers (two of them) that I've put on 7 foot MH spinning rods for finesse fishing largemouth...6 lb test on one rod...8 lb test on the other...

I like the extra wide/large spool of these models a  lot...and wish Shimano would add that technology...

both reels have drags that work exceedingly well for the fishing I do...don't know how they'd fare against one of those 100 yard burner species like bonefish...but for bass,the drags are more than good...

for bass fishing there are a lot of excellent reels out there for reasonable $$...  much as my EGO wants a Stella, my intellectual side has won out and I've yet to spend more than $60 on a spinning reel...and have not had any negative issues with fishing based on the reels I use...

anyway, my $ 0.02 worth...

[Pro Reel]

Allmost all of the spinning reels on the market will work very well, if you take care of them. My father has a sedona, and it is very smooth. The key to getting some life out of your spinning reel is CLOSE THE BAIL MANUALY. I can't stress that enough. All spinning reels have some sort of ramp and trip lever that will wear out if you let the reel close the bail by cranking the handle. When this starts to happen, the reel will get very difficult to close the bail. We can replace some of the parts involved, but the ramp is the main culprit and it is part of the reel body. That is very expensive and most of the time it would be cheaper to replace the reel. If line twist and bird nests have been a problem for you, you might won't to consider the Doug Hannon Wave Spin reels. Prices start in the $60 range. The unique design of the spool lip traps the loop that starts the birdnest problem. It then casts the loop off with out causing bird nests. I have seen them in action and when the time comes to replace my current reels, I will be switching to wave spin reels.

[OutdoorFrontiers]

I used to guide quite a bit, so my reels saw more use in one season than most reels would see in three years.  So for me, having a smooth reel, as well as one that held up to use/abuse was very important to me,  unless I wanted to replace spinning reels annually.

While price isn't always an indicator of quality, it does help.  I have yet to have a $40 (or less) spinning reel last an entire season without needing repairs and yes, I have tried them all, Mitchell, Okuma, BPS/Pflueger, Cabela's, Tica, Quantum and others.  The Shimano Sahara offered the best quality/durability to price ratio of all the reels.  I've got a couple that are still chugging away quite nicely even though they've been used for over a decade!

[Jmill88]

Thanks for all of the input guys/gals.  I think I am going to give the Sahara a try.  I am probably going to use 10 lb fluro line.  Is the 2500 ok for this or shoud I go with the 4000?  Thanks again.

[mauro]

Thanks for all of the input guys/gals.  I think I am going to give the Sahara a try.  I am probably going to use 10 lb fluro line.  Is the 2500 ok for this or shoud I go with the 4000?  Thanks again.

The 2500 is more than enough reel, it's a nice balance between size and capacity.  The 4000 is massive and would not balance well on a light tackle rod.
M.

[OutdoorFrontiers]

I agree with Mauro.  Get the 2500 series.  Unless you're fishing salmon or salt water, there's no need for that large of a line capacity reel.

Steve

[TrailerHook]

Agree with most everyone else here.  You absolutely cannot go wrong with Shimano reels.  I own at least five Shimano reels (spinning and baitcasting).  I just recently purchased a Sahara and so far, I love it.  I also own a couple of the less expensive and more compact Spyrex reels that I have mounted on light action rods mainly for panfish but they also work great for throwing smaller finesse style baits for bass.

[North Branch]

I have several Shimano Stradic's. They are good reels.

With that said, we have guide near us who has only used Pflueger Supreme spinning reels for the last couple of years with great success. My son and I both picked one up, and so far... pretty darn nice.

[OutdoorFrontiers]

Having been one for a long time, and having many guide friends, I've found there are two schools of thought among guides on their equipment.  One is along my line of thinking.  Get the best tackle a guide can afford so that the client has the best possible chance to catch fish, and by buying good tackle, it'll last longer.

The other is one that many guides do subscribe to, Buy the cheapest that will get the job done because (A) it's only a client and (B) they'll probably screw it up anyway because many guides don't want to risk having an expensive rig thrown overboard....  

After sixteen years of guiding, I can see the validity of both schools of thought.

Steve

[North Branch]

Good point Steve.

The verdict is still out on the Supremes for my son and I... but so far so good.

[goodrat79]

I use nothing but Energys and I'd say for durability, go with that. 

[OutdoorFrontiers]

I use nothing but Energys and I'd say for durability, go with that. 

I had heard such good reports about Energy reels that when I found some on sale, I bought three spinners and a bait caster.

And for me, the Energy reels were nothing but a thorn in my side.  The drags either tightened up on their own, loosened up on their own, bails would only partially close or I had such terrible line twist that when all these factors were considered, I gave them away.  I could have understood getting one lemon, but it wasn't just one reel, it was all of them that I ended up getting rid of for one problem or another.

Steve