Hey Leaky, you have already gotten some good stuff from Tomegun and other esteemed forum rats. I will just toss in that I too have been on an eternal (infernal) quest for the perfect reel…high quality, but affordable. In my search, I have scored some good ones and blown good money on bad reels. I found out a long time ago that the most expensive reel is one that doesn’t work well, even if it didn’t cost much.
I have to echo the sentiments of others in saying that I have always been happy with the Shimano spinning reels I have acquired. I am still actively using 4 of the light model 1000 Custom ST spinners I bought in the mid 80’s. I keep them cleaned and lubed…and have replaced a few bail springs…but they still work like swiss watches for the light fishing I prefer. And I have landed fish over 20 pounds on them.
It scares the heck out of me when I look at the prices on the higher quality (price) reels anymore. I recently spent time bugging the heck out of the reps at both the Shimano and Daiwa booths at a sports show and saw some SWEET reels…both spinning and baitcasting. It finally dawned on me that for $300, a reel better be sweet.
I do appreciate quality, but not just to show off to my fishing buddies. I want a reel that casts smoothly and retrieves effortlessly…and that has a smooth drag system. If I can get that in a reel under $50 dollars, then I go for it. I ain’t no snob. Unfortunately, when it comes to reels, the old addage that you get what you pay for is often true.
A few years ago, quantum had a bad reputation for making lousy reels…all plastic and no finesse. They have made some real (reel) improvements, but the upscale pricing has kept pace with the engineering. Same with Daiwa. The rep I talked to admitted that up until a couple of years ago he could not have repped Daiwa. But, some of the new reels…especially the super small baitcast models…are as good as you can buy anywhere.
Me, I still whine about them discontinuing the old Mitchell 408 and some of the other Garcia reels. They used to make a pretty good reel at a price affordable to the average angler. Yeah, you had to replace a lot of bail springs and anti-reverse pawls, but I made my own and always had spares with me.
I have a hard time keeping up with all the new stuff on the market. I wish I was independently wealthy and didn’t have to worry about how much to spend on tackle. But, if wishes were fishes I would be strictly catch and release.
Hey Leakey, from what I know of your preferred fishing activities, I am suggesting you stay on the light side. get a reel rated for 4 or six pound line, with two spools…one with 4 and one with six or eight. If the spools hold 200 yards of line, fill the first 1/2 or 2/3 with the cheapest stuff you can get, or some old leftover line off another spool. Then “topshot” the last 60 to 100 yards with good quality mono, joined with a good blood knot. When you have used the line down to where you are getting to the blood knot on long casts, it is time to cut off the topshot and fill up with a new one. That forces you to replace your line more often and you really only use the last 60 yards or so unless you are hooking into some big carp that make long runs.
That’s the best (and worst) I can offer. I guess you know that asking for personal opinions on reels is one of those questions to which there is really no absolute right answer. It is always a matter of opinion.