What is a good spinning reel for the money

Question

i want a spinning reel that i can use for both saltwater and fresh water and cant be over 120$ i want a medium or small sized one but i cant decide what reel to go with

Answer 1

save yourself some money and get a shakespeare dimension. I havent had any complaints about mine, and it was only $45

Answer 2

I checked around and a friend told me about the quantum Catylyst spinning reel. they go for just over 100 bucks and he swears by the quantum name. Personally I go for Diawa or Shimano which also make good "inshore" reels which are good for both fresh and salt water. I found  the quantum at cabelas.com I'll put a link at the bottom so you can check it out

Answer 3

if i were trying to et a reel that would be good in both fresh water and salt water, I'd be looking at one with a sealed drag and a decent gear train.  

For the money, Symetre is one of the best reels out there.  however I haven't yet tried the new 2009 version.  The Symetre FI series is, in my opinion, one of the best for the money.  It's about 65-75 and carries many of the features of the Stradic FH, which costed about 40-50 more.  I know there's another answerer on here that said he didn't like the Symetre, but I've put the 1500FI to the test enough times, and It's never failed me yet.  I've landed my largest King Salmon (53lb+) on that reel, and never had a hitch during the whole 55 minute fight.  Feeling a reel in the store isn't everything.  

Many times, reels will feel tight and even slightly "grindy" in the store, but when you fish with them, they get "broken in" and begin to perform differently.  The oil/greaase/lube has had the chance to be worked in to the gears and other parts, causing the reel performance to improve.  That's what I just experienced with my Shimano Saros.  I was less than thrilled with it in the store, but broke down and bought it anyway.  Now, that thing performs flawlessly every time out.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It's not always easy to make the decision based on what's in the store - it's not always the most accurate way to test a reel.  What if the particular reel you're looking at was dropped, has been handled 5000 times by people handling it wrongly, or maybe you're the first person to even touch it?  How you do you know - you don't.  So, don't think that what you "see" in the store is what you get in the box....sometimes better, sometimes worse.  

Basically, if I were you, I'd pick these reels, in this order.....(All are close or under your price range)

Shimano Saros (120)

Daiwa Advantage A (125 on eBay - VERY nice reel for the price)

Quantum Calayst PT (110)

St. Croix Avid (built off the ORIGINAL Daiwa Capricorn A reel - AWESOME reels - 110)

Shimano Symetre FI (60-70)

Daiwa Exceler (60)

Shimano Spirex (60)

Pflueger President (60)

Answer 4

All of my reels except one is a Shimano. I recommend the Shimano Sahara(size 1500). It has 4 ball bearings. It is a smooth running reel for a good price. ($60)

Another reel I recommend is the Shimano Sedona(size 1500). It is also pretty smooth. I think it has 3 or 4 ball bearings. Have had one for 6 years and it still works. ($40)

Answer 5

Garcia MItchell 408

http://cgi.ebay.com/REEL-COLLECTOR-VINTA...

Garcia Mitchell 308

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-GARCIA-MITCH...

Garcia Mitchell 300

http://cgi.ebay.com/Garcia-Mitchell-COLL...

They aren't made anymore but a classic never dies...I've had a GM 300 for more than 15 years and a 308 & 408 for more than twenty years

Can't go wrong...difference between a 308 & 408 is that the 408 is a fast retrieve reel...

Answer 6

I have a couple (well, 4) Shimano Sedona reels.  They're well under your $120, but I've only used them in fresh water.  I'm not sure how they would hold up in salt.

Answer 7

$120 for a spinning reel is quite a nice budget! I tend to spend money like that, and then some, more so on baitcasters than spinning reels.

I say you look into Shimano or Quantum for spinning reels. I have the Sidestab for my spinning reel applications, and have been pleased with it. I also have an old Rhino RPS 3 spinning reel that does just as well, and landed my best 6.59 lb. bass that resides on my wall. :D

My thinking is that all spinning reels do the same thing, and really haven't evolved over the years to anything new and innovative, they just keep shaving and drilling the spools, and changing materials to lighten them up.

I say you go try out a few "hands on", because even the best hyped Symetre from Shimano was a let down for me in the store, while the Sidestab was much smoother on bail closure, and had just as good a drag.

Funny thing is, I do tournaments and still take my Rhino along as my only spin gear, because that little reel is tough and light, and I know it can haul in lunkers with no flex or hiccups in the drag.

Spend $30-$40 on the spinning reel, get a good rod, some great line and plenty of lures with the money instead.