# New Reel for Steelhead



## BBD3393 (Apr 9, 2012)

I am looking to upgrade from my current reel that i have on my river steelhead set up. I am currently using a 9 1/2 foot rod with a cheap helix spining reel that has a good enough drag system to get the job done but im looking for a little more out of my reel. I am only looking to spend around $75-$100. If you could give me your reviews on a few reels that you may own or have tried in the past i would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

I'm a firm believer that if it doesn't say Shimano, then it "ain't worth s***." 

The Sedona's and/or Symetre 2500's are great reels in the price range you mentioned and can handle both kings and steel. Two thumbs up, five stars and a hell yeah on those reels. 

If you want to only target fish that are mentally challenged or tend to hang out in the underwater equivalent of a trailer park, then use a Diawa, Zebco or anything that says Abu Garcia. Real fish tend to be insulted if you come at them with anything other than a Shimano. :lol:


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## easler24 (Nov 29, 2010)

I knew you'd say that.

I personally like Pflueger Presidents as well. The new XL version comes with an extra spool. The extra $10 you pay for the XL version over the "normal" version is worth it.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Presidents are nice and on sale in the bargain cave right for like twenty bucks off last time i checked.


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

easler24 said:


> I knew you'd say that.
> 
> I personally like Pflueger Presidents as well. The new XL version comes with an extra spool. The extra $10 you pay for the XL version over the "normal" version is worth it.


See, this is what you need to watch out for. Other people are going to try and steer you in the wrong direction. Luckily, This is a "safe" suggestion since Pflueger's are an OK reel and I grabbed a couple off ebay once for guiding purposes and they've held up better than I thought they would. Besides...it's called a "president" and it's spelled with a "Pf," which indicates some level of prestige. 

Now, while reels that start with a "Pf" are safe, they're still not a Shimano. Trust me, it's always happy hour somewhere and if someone doesn't suggest a Shimano or a reel that starts with "Pf," then it's more than likely that they're under the influence of either heavy drink or prescription pain meds. Don't listen to them, don't read their posts. Buy a FRONT DRAG Shimano and don't look back. Now, since I've been fighting pnuemonia for the last two weeks, I'm gonna go take some of this kick *** cold medicine my doc prescribed and drool for awhile. I'll check back later and hope you make the right choice.


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## tannhd (Dec 3, 2010)

Daiwa SS 1300

Nothing better, not even Shimano.


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

easler24 said:


> I knew you'd say that.
> 
> I personally like Pflueger Presidents as well. The new XL version comes with an extra spool. The extra $10 you pay for the XL version over the "normal" version is worth it.


 the problem with all pfluegers is there drag is not water proof. They get wet you best just set them down and dry them out for the rest the day. They are not good steelhead reels. I like Shimano but I am already having problems with my new Stradic. Lines not going on the spool striaght anymore. Not even a few months old. Okuma makes some of the best salmon steelhead tough reels on the market. While the retrieve may not feel as smooth they are some work horses. I have 3 avengers one on my trout UL and 2 baitfeeders on pier rods. They handle getting wet and are cheap. I say get the Okuma Trio. Its was one of the first carbon fiber based reels on the market before everyone else jumped in on the trend. Its light weight, and durable, it has 9+1 BB and a smooth retrieve.


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

tannhd said:


> Daiwa SS 1300
> 
> Nothing better, not even Shimano.


 All the local drift fishing old timers use thos. The Stradic will out perform anyday.


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

tannhd said:


> Daiwa SS 1300
> 
> Nothing better, not even Shimano.


See what I mean about it being happy hour somewhere? Nobody sober says the above. Trust me, Tannhd will wake up tomorrow with a severe headache and he'll read his post and try to hit the delete button as quickly as possible. :lol:


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## BBD3393 (Apr 9, 2012)

Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to go to Gander and D&R to check a few reels out and i will keep these in mind. And i am also a huge fan of Shimano.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Hold the phone beiber. Okuma? I think you said it right When you said cheap.


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

thousandcasts said:


> See what I mean about it being happy hour somewhere? Nobody sober says the above. Trust me, Tannhd will wake up tomorrow with a severe headache and he'll read his post and try to hit the delete button as quickly as possible. :lol:


 wheres the like button?


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

troutguy26 said:


> Hold the phone beiber. Okuma? I think you said it right When you said cheap.


 I like Okuma products. Cheap and strong. Dont get no better.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Multispeciestamer said:


> I like Okuma products. Cheap and strong. Dont get no better.


Ok fair enough. I hear they are coming to a wal mart near you soon.


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

troutguy26 said:


> Ok fair enough. I hear they are coming to a wal mart near you soon.


 My walmart already has some Okuma products. :evil:


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## BBD3393 (Apr 9, 2012)

Hahaha


multispeciestamer said:


> my walmart already has some okuma products. :evil:


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Nice. I hope they are combos otherwise that aint right. Lol


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

troutguy26 said:


> Nice. I hope they are combos otherwise that aint right. Lol


 lol no they sell Avenger reels I think, not sure. I am just buying rapalas most the time.


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## diztortion (Sep 6, 2009)

I like my Mitchell 300XE.

Though, if I were to buy it again, I'd purchase a 300XGe.

Ball bearings don't always define a reel.


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## jerrob (Aug 6, 2011)

troutguy26 said:


> Hold the phone beiber. Okuma? I think you said it right When you said cheap.


C you're killin' me here! I own SEVERAL Okuma Trios, great reels. Like said in earlier post, 10bb, carbon/ aluminum body and rotor, heavy bail wire and 18 lbs of available finite drag. $59-$79. They work wet too!


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## JigginRod (Dec 29, 2010)

I've been using a Daiwa SS1300 for more than 20 years without a single problem.If I was going to buy a new reel I would try to find one made in America.I think Ardent reels are made here.Anyone have any experience or knowledge of their quality?


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

JigginRod said:


> I've been using a Daiwa SS1300 for more than 20 years without a single problem.If I was going to buy a new reel I would try to find one made in America.I think Ardent reels are made here.Anyone have any experience or knowledge of their quality?


 They make an awesome looking spinning reel, but ive never seen one in person to play with to see if I like it.


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## easler24 (Nov 29, 2010)

I have a Avenger too. It's the loudest reel I've ever used. Drag is good. Everything works ok on it, but it has always made a strange noise while reeling and also I had had to take it apart a few times as a small screw had come lose inside. Loctite cured that. 

I bought an Okuma Trio (orange one) and I like it. Very light. Smooth to reel. Too new to give a thumbs up though. I need to battle a salmon with it before I have a verdict.


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## swaprat (Oct 1, 2011)

diztortion said:


> It was bought a few years ago. It's just a cheaply built reel.
> 
> It serves the purpose, but I wouldn't buy it again.
> 
> ...


 
i hear you there my shimano ix4000r's held up better to slamon then my abu did to crappie. see enclosed pic. 











here is a link to the cheaps shimao the ix 4000r and they hold up to salmon lol's any thing above it will be 100times better 

http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/reels/spinning/IX.html


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## tannhd (Dec 3, 2010)

JigginRod said:


> I've been using a Daiwa SS1300 for more than 20 years without a single problem.If I was going to buy a new reel I would try to find one made in America.I think Ardent reels are made here.Anyone have any experience or knowledge of their quality?


That's right SS1300!

I went to the Ardent site, and I am intrigued now. Too bad they only have 1 distributor in Michigan.


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

Shimano has improved a lil bit, back in the mid 70's when I used them doing Pier stuff for Eppinger I could melt one down in a weekend, it took almost two weeks to melt the Stella I had a few years back.......


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## RAD FISH (Oct 17, 2006)

tannhd said:


> That's right SS1300!.




:: I own 2 love em small, light and dependable. I am not a ****mono fan at all. Multitamer the old time locals got it right on this one. The Stradic ( knuckle buster ) can't hold a candle to the SS1300. Thats just my opinion anyways.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Before the high tech reels were invented I got alot of miles out of mitchell 300's and they handeled steelhead and salmon just fine. I have seen big fish caught on the zebco 202, 404, & 808. On the other hand I have seen the drag system on those reels get smoked quite often too. During salmon season on the AuSable you could pick up the burned up reels and have a ton of parts for fixing your reels. For a few years I was an expert at fixing them and keeping them going. Now you can buy a pretty good reel for $40 that will do a great job on salmon and steelhead if it lasts 3 or 4 years you got your $$$$ moneys worth out of it.


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

tannhd said:


> That's right SS1300!
> 
> I went to the Ardent site, and I am intrigued now. Too bad they only have 1 distributor in Michigan.


 just order from bass pro or cabelas you dont like it send it back


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

METTLEFISH said:


> Shimano has improved a lil bit, back in the mid 70's when I used them doing Pier stuff for Eppinger I could melt one down in a weekend, it took almost two weeks to melt the Stella I had a few years back.......


 When my stradic is running right it is by far the best reel I have ever owned. Keyword when its running right :evil:.


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## no lead (Jul 28, 2005)

i stepped up to shimano symerte 1500's for salmon and steelies and couldn't be happier. i fish rivers only and haven't many problems. any i did have were covered under warranty. 

an all around good reel for kings and chrome.


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## TDI (Dec 29, 2008)

Git'er done.... :evil:


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

TDI said:


> Git'er done.... :evil:


 The problem with this model is taking the time to put the line back on the roller after everycast. The other problem for river fishing is the large holes leading to sediment getting where it shouldnt be.


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

TDI said:


> Git'er done.... :evil:


 I was going to pose that question this morning, do you fish a Van Staal and do you like it if you do. I notice they are all slow ratio'd and wonder if the big spool compensates for that....


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## mark (Feb 4, 2000)

although my personal stash of shimano reels(3 symetres, 4 saharas, and 2 stradics) has had ZERO issues, i had many a friend that destroyed gears, blown their drags, heck one friend snapped the stem that connects to the reel seat while fighting a fish all with shimanos and not just entry level to mid range either(sustains and stradics). lately my nod goes to abu garcia. their revo low pro baitcaster series is nothing short of amazing. use the stx and soon to have an inshore as well for bobber fishing. surely my next purchase in that line will be revo toros for my backbouncer setups. as much as i love my daiwa tourney SS 1600's, i was informed that daiwa was discountinuing them. to be frank about daiwa, recently they have decided to discountinue alot of what i thought made them who they are(tourney SS, and team advantage, Fuego). in regards to their trolling reels, ive had no issues with their 27's, and 47's in both sealines and accudepths. but in their 17 sizes ive had nothing but troubles. bought a set of 4 and currently only 2 of the 4 reel's clickers work. one sealine 17 just one day decided to blow up the anti reverse and freespool with the handle spinning backwards. probably moving to okuma convectors for my plug rods as every big lake troller i talk to about those convectors love them. 

hope info helps


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Robert Holmes said:


> Before the high tech reels were invented I got alot of miles out of mitchell 300's and they handeled steelhead and salmon just fine......


Although I now own a couple of older well maintained Shimano's () the old made in France 300/300A's are still my go to reels for Steelheading and Walleyes on the Ausable.


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## jatc (Oct 24, 2008)

METTLEFISH said:


> I was going to pose that question this morning, do you fish a Van Staal and do you like it if you do. I notice they are all slow ratio'd and wonder if the big spool compensates for that....


 
My Uncle bought one of these a few years ago. It's OK, but NO WAY is it worth the $700 he paid for it if you are fishing freshwater. The reel is really out of it's element for steelie fishing as that's not what it is designed for. It is a bulletproof spinning reel designed for light salt water applications. The price is high because of what materials go into its construction, ie I bet you could throw the thing into a bucket of salt water brine for a year and then pull it out and land a 50 pound striper without any failure.

As a steelhead/salmon reel I'd rate it OK. Fairly slow retrieve rate and definitely not anywhere as smooth as the Quantum Energy I use, probably due to the fact a salty reel is graded on toughness and not smoothness.

Everybody asks about having to flip the line over the roller each cast. I found after about twenty casts it just becomes automatic and you just do it without even thinking about it. Of course if it really bugs you another $125 will buy you one with a bail. The main gripe I had is the fact that for $700 the thing didn't even come with an extra spool.


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## samsteel (Oct 6, 2008)

mark said:


> although my personal stash of shimano reels(3 symetres, 4 saharas, and 2 stradics) has had ZERO issues


same here, own many of the same models....zero problems with Shimano



mark said:


> to be frank about daiwa, recently they have decided to discountinue alot of what i thought made them who they are(tourney SS, and team advantage, Fuego)


I LOVE the old Daiwa Team Advantages, I have 3 of them and they are bullet proof, smooth drags, great salmon/steelhead spinning reels!


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Robert Holmes said:


> I have seen big fish caught on the zebco 202, 404, & 808. On the other hand I have seen the drag system on those reels get smoked quite often too.


I saw a guy use one at the mouth of the Au Sable probably 15 years ago for steelhead. That 202 held fine on the hookset, then the fish took off; zzzzzt-zzzzzzt-zzzzzzt-BOOM, it blew right apart, snapping that chromer off instantly! The dude just stood there with a blank face, staring at his reel for several seconds:lol:.


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## METTLEFISH (Jan 31, 2009)

ausable_steelhead said:


> I saw a guy use one at the mouth of the Au Sable probably 15 years ago for steelhead. That 202 held fine on the hookset, then the fish took off; zzzzzt-zzzzzzt-zzzzzzt-BOOM, it blew right apart, snapping that chromer off instantly! The dude just stood there with a blank face, staring at his reel for several seconds:lol:.


There was a lot of that in the early days, there was not a lot of quality equipment to be had. Mitchell 300's were about the most reliable and common. Ambassadeurs of course were a staple. Rods snapping were regularly heard, then Eagle Claw introduced the yellow rods that were so prevelant. Then came Dick Swan and the rest followed, if I'm not mistaken Down Riggers were invented for use in the Great Lakes.


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