Need good spinning reel for Pike fishing

[danbo]

Edited April 15, 2008 by danbo

[trapshooter]

what are you going to do this wknd Bennie? the boat'll be loaded with Daiwa reels!

 

LOL! I'll make due

 

Debates like this can go on forever... Tiller vs. console, Ford vs. Chev, Diawa vs. shimano

 

It all comes down to what kind of expereinces you've had with certain brands and everyone will develope their own brand loyalty.

 

PS - TILLER, FORD and SHIMANO!! haha To each their own!

[danbo]

Agreed..

[Maverick]

I've had many types of reels. Abu, Quantum, Daiwa, and Shimano. With exception to the hypercast not working, all have worked well and never failed. The nicer ones were the ones that cost more, duh! You really get what you pay for. It is all personal preference. I own a Team Daiwa baitcaster that has been awesome, as well as my Shimano Stradic.

 

Go and try a few out on the rod you will be using. You want something that matches nicely with the rod weight and something that is going to be comfortable for a long day on the water. Just try a bunch of reels on your rod and you will find a nice one that fits perfect!

[Reef Runner]

I too have been using spinning gear for the longest time, actually this season will be my first with some real time put in on a bait caster.

 

My self I have a Shimano SEDONA 4000RB on a 7" MH for my bigger pike combo.

 

the reason I prefer this real as opposed to the stradic models is that the drag adjustment is located at the back of the reel. I find it easier to play a fish using that drag system rather than tootin around with the drag on the spool like on a stradic. Something to consider when looking for a spinning reel; it's hard to find a good spinning real with the drag system on the back.

 

reefrunner

[Reef Runner]

Oh, I bought it at BPS for 69.99 two years ago and have enjoyed it ever since. It should well be within your budget and you will not be dissappointed with its performance. Casts like a dream.

 

Be sure to get the 4000RB for bigger pike, I know you can pick up a 2500RB at CTC but its a small reel with not ba helluva lot of line capacity. The 4000RB can hold around 150 yards of 25# powerpro with a couple yards of mono backing.

 

Let us know how your search ends up. I was looking for a reliable baitcatser earlier this year and the kind folks on the board pointed me in the right direction.

 

Happy hunting,

 

reefrunner

[[email protected]]

Well luckily i have a Cabelas 20 minutes up the road from my house so i am going to take all the info from this thread and go take a look at a few different combos later today. I am pretty set on getting a Cabela brand Fish Eagle II rod in a 7' heavy action model,it is a good quality rod at a good price and i already have another Cabela rod at 6'6" MH that i am going to use as my walleye setup. I am not going to buy anything today because i have to wait for my next paycheck but i will report back on my findings.

[[email protected]]

Well i am a happy man! I decided to try and take my bait casting setup back to Cabelas and try and exchange it even though i bought it 3 months ago and it is used plus i don't have the receipt. Well much to my surprise they happily took my exchange for full credit and i was able to pick up my new setup today. The Shimanos were very nice but the price was just to high on them so the guy suggested the Cabelas Tournament ZX 3000A series which is basically a Daiwa Excelor 3000 but with an extra ball bearing and a little more metal instead of plastic on the reel. I am very happy with this reel,it is very smooth and seems very solidly built plus the fact that it is a Cabela's brand means i can bring it back at any time for a replacement if something goes wrong with it. I was also able to grab a Cabelas heavy action 7' Fish Eagle II rod which was marked at 80.00 which would of made it a total of 160 with tax but since i was buying a reel and rod together they gave me a combo price and i got both for 116.00 along with a 150 yard spool of red 50# Power Pro for 14 bucks more. So i was out the door fully spooled up and ready to fish for 14 bucks which is not bad at all considering i thought i was going to have to eat the cost of my bait casting setup and then drop another 100 plus dollars on new spinning gear. Thanks again for your help everyone and i hope i can post some good pics of some monster Pike and Walleye caught up at Angler's Kingdom this May.

[danbo]

[trapshooter]

Sounds like a great set-up!! Can't wait to see your report.

[danc]

Well luckily i have a Cabelas 20 minutes up the road from my house so i am going to take all the info from this thread and go take a look at a few different combos later today. I am pretty set on getting a Cabela brand Fish Eagle II rod in a 7' heavy action model,it is a good quality rod at a good price and i already have another Cabela rod at 6'6" MH that i am going to use as my walleye setup. I am not going to buy anything today because i have to wait for my next paycheck but i will report back on my findings.

 

Now there's a smart man. I own 5 Cabelas Fish Eagle II rods, and I have another one waiting for me just across the border in Minnesota that I'll be picking up tomorrow. I combo'ed my FE II with a Cabelas Prodigy reel, which is a top of the line Diawa for about 2/3rds the price. Except that is says Cabelas on it. But back to the Fish Eagle II's. $80.00 for your choice of rod. And it's a long, long choice. I've used $300.00 rods and I can't find a rod that I'd rather use than a FE II. I love them.

 

One bit of advice kinbud. Go with a lighter action, but longer rod. I've caught lots of 36 to 45 inch Pike on a FE 7 1/2 foot medium light action rod. No problems. The one that I'm picking up tomorrow is an 8 1/2 foot light action. That extra foot or so is not only lots more fun, but highly valuable when playing out a big fish.

 

Good luck Bud..

[Bernie]

Tried many different types of reels over the years. Shimano has the best reel-hands down for me. Smooth drags and quality built. Only have had one problem with one but fixed it with a hook and a pair of sidecutters I had in the boat. The biggest reason is I like the quickfire trigger for casting. No reaching over to open the bail. The front drag reel works the best I have found.

Kinbud....I tried baitcasters too but can't get used to them. I have one but it never gets used.

[danc]

Tried many different types of reels over the years. Shimano has the best reel-hands down for me. Smooth drags and quality built. Only have had one problem with one but fixed it with a hook and a pair of sidecutters I had in the boat. The biggest reason is I like the quickfire trigger for casting. No reaching over to open the bail. The front drag reel works the best I have found.

Kinbud....I tried baitcasters too but can't get used to them. I have one but it never gets used.

 

The front drag is the best quality drag simply because of physics. The quickfire trigger lacks the instant anti reverse. You can't have both. I prefer the instant anti reverse myself.

[Bernie]

Yes Dan thats true about the anti reverse. But when I get to a fishing spot I like to cast. It's surprising how tight the pickerel can be in a certain area. So I start casting in a circumference to locate them and either shift the boat over them or if by myself continue to cast to the same spot. The quickfire allows me to find them easier and faster. Backlash isn't an issue to me casting as I am usually are winding in most of the time anyway. I have a high quality anti Quantum spinning reel (can't remember the name of it) that sits in it's box as I couldn't get used to it. Thats why they make so many different types of fishing stuff I guess. To each their own.

[danc]

To each their own.

 

Absolutely Bernie. My fishing partner can't live without the trigger and I can't live without the instant anti reverse. But we both catch fish. As a matter of fact, he really gets under my skin sometimes.

 

[Moosebunk]

Crikey Dan... I've been trying all day to get those out of my head.

 

 

Anyway, agree with Ben back on the first page when he quoted someone else then added the 30-50lb PowerPro.

 

Been starting to use a baitcaster more, but for 3-4 years primarily been using a Shimano Symetre 4000 and it works great on a 7 foot G-loomis M-H Frontier rod. No signs of tiring yet and I do put alot of time in on pike. Prefer 30lb for casting but like the 50lb on a baitcaster for trolling. Most cases you could get away with even a 2500-3000 reel if you're casting and not getting into too much weed. My biggest soft and hardwater pike came on a 2500 reel. Not even big pike are really big reel peelers but they can test gear and drag so you're likely better with the 4000.

[danc]

Crikey Dan... I've been trying all day to get those out of my head.

 

That's from spot #5 Drew...

[Moosebunk]

LOL. Send me right to it's lair why don't ya. lol.