Spinning reels

[Mdhacker123]

Just sold my older ci4’s that had some years on them and only negative was the shallow spool. Gonna use for bass fishing 1/8-1/2oz weight and price range $150-$300 what should I be looking at.

So far I have handled the revo s, Daiwa tatula, shimano vanford. Tatula felt cheap and hand decent wobble, revo x felt solid and vanford felt the best. I still need to locate and handle Daiwa ballistic, lews custom speed spool spin, Daiwa fuego(a lot of good reviews) and Stradic do.

I am looking for 3 reels to use for shaky heads, drop shots, wacky rig, Ned rigs. Any opinions or recommendations to try

[ftl1951]

The Shimano Vanford is a really nice reel. Super smooth and a good drag. A great replacement to the Stradic Ci4. If you’re willing to look at other reels not made for the US market, then I recommend taking a look at the Daiwa Ballistic FW, the Shimano Cardiff Ci4, and the Abu Garcia MGX Theta reels. These are super nice. I do, however, highly recommend the Daiwa Certate over any other choices currently in the market. You can find them for between $330 to $360 on eBay and well worth stretching the budget to get these. I cannot stress how much these reels are the best value out there. They are absolutely unmatched in what they offer in engineering, durability, and fishability at their price point. There are a lot of very good YouTube videos on the Certate that provide really good data. My favorite spinning reels for bass fishing are the Shimano 17 Exsense 3000 (close to $500 each) and the Daiwa Certate 2500. The Certate is as smooth and solid as the much more expensive Shimano, and so far just as durable. Think about it, I don’t think you would be disappointed if you stretch the budget a little...

[DenhamBruce]

Stradic FL is probably the nicest of the bunch. If you want something lighter tho I'd say Vanford or Ballistic LT

[Kurt L]

I would shy away from anything other than Daiwa or Shimano just for the service sake if you plan to keep them long term, Who knows where the other brands are made and by whom and how long parts will be available? I own a lot of upper end spinning reels and so far the Certate LT is the best bang for my buck and even not considering cost, they are spectacular reels. But I will say this... I bought Fuego for a beater reel and have been pleasantly surprised! I like it so much I put a lot of miles on it and it has held up and just flat works great. I would guess my Fuego 3000 LT has put well over 40 Salmon on the bank without a single issue. Like all the LT Daiwa's they are solid, butter smooth and have great drags! I have to ask myself buy a fourth Certate or... A Fuego in every size and some extra tackle for the same price

Kurt

[jerkbait22]

I'm in the market for a Certate 2500 but they seem to be out of stock everywhere right now. I'd rather avoid ebay as I seem to be running into more issues with new reels these days.

Looking to use it for drop shot, neko rig and shaky head. I was originally considering the Exsence but from everything I've heard and read the Certate is the better buy. It will be going on a Conquest 842S.

[clemsondds]

Just reviving this thread...I'm in the market for a reel for one of my nrx rods. curious what everyone's thoughts are on mid- range reels (eg vanford) vs higher end (eg exsence). Is it worth double the price? Vanford (and tatula lt) is only 6.3 and it takes up to a exsence at $570 to get approximately that same weight. I know there's alot of differences between the reels...just curious what everyone thinks and if you feel it's worth the added cost. thanks

[Kurt L]

Consider looking at the JDM Daiwa Luvias LT, it's lighter than the Vanford and the build quality is noticeably better and the cost is roughly the same...

Kurt

[Real]

Take a look at the new Shimano Miravel.