Introduction: Solstace, Symetre, Stradic : Such was the Shimano spinning reel hierarchy that existed when I stepped from box-store fishing tackle aisles to an actual retail establishment that specialized in fishing gear in the hunt for my tackle. Symetre was the reel that fit comfortably in my budget at the time but Stradic was always the goal. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $100 on a fishing reel at that time; can you believe that?
When my budget finally did match my taste, Daiwa's Tournament SS Whisker became the prize instead. Yet somehow, that white bodied reel with the distinctive wooden knob was always on my mind. Then Shimano changed the reel's motif, introduced Sustain and eventually Stella, Daiwa debuted the Certate, and I was forever distracted as my tastes leapfrogged over Stradic.
Fast forward to early 2020, poking around the "what's new" section of the virtual tackle shop, TackleWarehouse, an what do I see? A bright, shiny, sleek looking, brand new Shimano Stradic, the FL. It wasn't white with a wooden knob, but a very clean looking silver with dark blue or gray highlights and I had a hole in my review queue that needed to be filled. Two day's later, thanks to an excellent shipping department at TackleWarehouse, the Stradic FL C3000-XG was mine - finally.
Complete Article: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanostradicfl.html