Longest lasting reels

[antoniolopez944]

A lot of people here talk about how shimano and daiwa make quality reels that will last a life time but how long has your reels last with maintenance of course

[Bogman]

I have a curado 101d I got in 07 that was my first decent baitcaster. It's a little scuffed up but the internals are fine and I've put that thing through hell, using it for fishing real thick cover (without maintenance for a while I'm afraid ). Not that old but I've fished with it everyday during the summer since I got it so it's well used. Still holdin up great!(with maintenance)

[tywithay]

I have a Daiwa Capricorn spinner that's nearly 10 years and has been dunked, dragged through mud, bounced on rocks, on and on and it still works good as new. I went a good 5 years without even cleaning it. I have plenty of other Shimano and Daiwa reels and I have never had an issue with any of them. I normally clean them every winter, but I'm not too meticulous. Can't speak much for other brands as I rarely use them. I have a couple Abu Ambassadeurs that are still going strong after 15 years though.

[JWR075]

I still have a Daiwa SP1000 that I use on occasions for shallow crankbaits. This particular reel belonged to my father and was the first baitcaster I ever used. I know that this particular reel is at least 23 to 25 years old.

[Smalleyez]

I've gat an Abu Garcia 6500C I bought in 1977 and it's still chunkin' baits.

[Big Al]

Years ago I had a Chronarch 100A, pearl one first with the 6 pin brake, and I had that reel for 8 yrs. I sold it to a guy who does reel repair and he said it was still like new. I never opened the gear box in the 8 yrs I had it.
Can't say much about other reels I've had except that I've owned many Shimanos and Daiwas, a few Revos and a couple of Lews and never had any problems with any of them. I just don't keep them long enough

[John Puckett]

The two oldest reels I have are a Chronarch 101A and an Abu Ambassadeur 5601 C4. Both still fish great today, can't say I've had any trouble out of either one. Of the two the Chronny has been fished way more, and shows the signs in its finish to prove it. As a matter of fact I just ordered a Carbontex drag, Orangle Seals, & ceramic pawl so I can upgrade the ole 101A a bit. The only parts I've received so far are the Orange Seals.

On a different note, the 5601 C4 spent two weeks on the bottom of the lake about a month after I bought it. It was my very first baitcaster experience ever, so after around 3 to 4 weeks "practice" my buddy and I thought it would be a good idea to try night fishing for the first time. We asked the local tackle shop owner what would be a good lure for our first night trip and he suggested 1/2oz black & purple colorado blade spinnerbaits so that's what we got. We made it to our first spot of the night, made sure the boat was far enough from the bank so we wouldn't cast into the bushes and lose our baits right off the bat and started fishing. I can't remember now if it was my very first cast or the second but either way you already know what happened, I tried to make a long cast which resulted in a huge backlash and when the lure suddenly "stopped" it jerked the rod right out of my hand and into the lake.

Lucky for me I knew exactly where we were so a couple weeks later when we could use his dads boat again we went back with huge treble hooks and dragged the bottom and I was able to get it back. I took it to the nearest Abu repair shop and the fixed it up for me (being completely new to the fishing game then I wouldn't have dreamed of servicing my own gear ). When I went to pick it up the service guy told me it needed very few new parts for being on the bottom of the lake for two weeks, I think it needed a new worm gear and a few other small odds and ends but that's the only time this reel has been apart and this was at least 10 years ago now.

Sorry for going on so long there, it took me waaayyy to long to make my point, I trust Shimano and Abu wholeheartedly. Can't say a bad thing about Daiwa either.

[cndbasshunter]

has to be any of the round shimano reels, calcutta, conquest, etc...

[Native]

Have to be the ABU 5000C and 5000D reels that were passed on to me by some ole codger that needed the bucks. Some of the best casting reels I've ever owned.

[treadwellpat]

totally agree with basshunter. i dont think that you can compare to shimano's round reels.

[brokeneye]

browning lew's bb1-ng...25 years old, iirc, and still kickin'.

boychild still has the abu 4600 that he bought with his allowance when he was 14...he's now 34 and the reel is still just as good.

and, trust me, that boy could tear up an anvil.

[Lawaia]

I have several Shimano Calcutta’s 150’s and 250’s from 1999. I fished them mostly in SF Bay, Northern Cal coastline, lakes and rivers. I’ve even fished them in Hawaii for a few seasons basically they’ve been fished in salt water tossing lures in the surf so they have been used constantly every season since. When I first bought them I upgraded the drags via Alan Tani and since then they have been wet by the surf and been through a lot of stripers, they’ve battled halibut, salmon, lings,leopard sharks and rays, Papio (jack trevally), Ono (wahoo), false albies, LMB, steelhead. I’m glad to say thru general up keep, basic lube and making sure the interior has grease to keep salt water exposure to a minimum I have not had one failure, not one and I’m telling you they’ve been fished really hard for 10+ years.The only thing I’ve had to replace was a few casting control caps that I lost somehow. It’s funny because I still have a few Calcutta B series that are BNIB because I’m still using the 150’s and 250’s.

[Johnny A]

My friend has his Abu 5500C from age 13. He's going to be 52 in a month. I had the same reel from the same time but swapped it for a different reel, which is long gone.

[lpquick]

Nothing compares to them round reels, I love em, easy to work on, quality components and built to last a few lifetimes (20+yrs).

[njbasscat]

I just sold my last Daiwa Millionaire CVZ203A. I had it for 15 years and it was still as smooth as the day I purchased it. Its hard to beat a round reel for durability.