Recommend inshore spinning reel
 

I outfit my boat like a guide. I've got 8 Daiwa SG27LCA level winds on 6 ft heavy action Ugly Sticks and 8 Shakespeare spinning reels on 7 to 8 ft medium heavy Ugly Sticks. The spinning reels are $40 Walmart jobs. They held up to heavy use in our 2010 and earlier trips (back to 2003), but the 2011 trip to Fourchon and Calcasieu started to see some failures. I need to select a new, more robust model for 2012 and beyond. I'm hoping to get a decade of use from these 8 reels, so I am trying to select a model that is both hardy and likely to continue in production for many years.

Preliminary research suggests that the Daiwa BG-15 and BG-20 are good candidates. They are a bit heavier than the more modern designs, but have a reputation for being stout. My kids and I fish more live bait than lures, so we are not constantly casting, and it seems that these should meet our requirements of minimal maintenance other than a good rinsing each day after use.

I expect to be spooling them up with 30 or 40 lb Power Pro and these should catch everything from sub-legal Specks to 40 inch Redfish.

Please let me know what you think of the BG-15 and BG-20 in this role and if you think there are much better candidates out there.

Thanks.

I stick to Diawa for baitcaster and Shimano for spinning. Any 4500 should do it

I like Penn and Okuma, the Penn Battle for $99 is really nice. Do a search on spinning reels and you should find a lot of info.

Penn for spinning. They hold up a good while

i like the Okumas.

Wow. Thanks for all the suggestions. I've reviewed the suggestions and there are certainly some better choices out there. I'd appreciate if you could suggest specific models in the Okuma and Shimano lines, with a focus on durability rather than features.

I also wonder whether the line capacity of the 4000/4500 is really needed or if a 3000 would be sufficient. I really favor the castability of the smaller spools and the last decade or so we've put a lot of 30-40 lb fish in the boat and never run out of line with 120 yards of 30-40 lb power pro. Is needing 170-200 yards of line a realistic proposition? Can the better spinning reels cast as far with the bigger spools as the cheaper reels with the smaller spools?

3000 is plenty IMO

The 2500 is more than enough for trout n reds

I'm a 2500 series fan and they will handle both just fine that's what I have for my sports
Shimano Sedona 2500 on a Shimano Clarus Worm and Jig 6'8" Medium/Fast rod
Reels run about $50-$60 rods are $70-$80 I believe
Great setups IMO but I'm a big time shimano fan

Yep 2500 sahara
Or
260 penn slammers

Both very durable , the penn a little more durable but heavier as well

Any shimano....I like the 3000 series. Same weight as the 2500 but holds more line.

i have all kinds of reel and i just bought a new shimano stradic 2500 and it quite simply the finest real i ever used. its made specifically for power pro

Why would u need that much line for trout fishing? It's a waste of line IMO

He mentioned catching bull reds....need all the line you can get.

I've got sedona 2500, symrtre 2500 , and stradic 6000 spinning reels. My favorite is the cheapest. I've had this sedona a good 10cause years and still cranking in the fish. Its brought in plenty of reds. Bulls are a bit much for it, that's why I said 4500 series.

Awwww that's the fun part .... Almost getting spooled , having to tighten down on em n risk loosing it , heart racing, you start making progress, then boo another drag peelin run ......

Would stay away from the Okumas. We gave em a whirl a while back and from my experience they do not hold up. Had a baitcaster sieze and the bail flew off my spinning reel.

The Penn Battles are fantastic but my next spinning reel will be a Shimano Stradic CI4.

I bought a 260 slammer last year, and it is the only spinner I own. I've caught everything fron bream to bull reds to spanish mackerel and red snapper with it. First class reel all the way. I paid $100 on amazon for it. I put it on a cast-a-way light-medium action rod. I forget the model # of the rod, but all of the writing on the rod is in red lettering. Great set-up for anybody, if you gotta hava a spinner.

Shimano Stradics are smooth workhorses. I have the 2500s and the 3000s for inshore. And a couple of 6000H Stradics for dragging mangroves out of the rigs.

That's really disappointing to hear.
I fished with them with a guide down in Leeville and was VERY impressed.
I've had Stradics for years now and have gotten great success.

Was thinking of adding a couple Okuma's ........now you have me thinking

Guides use the Okumas because Okuma provides a swap out for any reel that is trashed, or broken. Or they upgrade for a few $s to a better Okuma. Call Chags in NOLA, he does a lot of Okuma biz.

Great discussion. I appreciate everyone's contributions.

Even though our reels only hold 120 or so yards of 30 lb power pro, we've never been spooled on a bull redfish or drum. When it becomes clear that there's a big fish on, everyone gets all the other lines out of the water, and we get ready to pull the anchor if the angler is close to getting spooled. We've only had to pull the anchor once or twice, usually the fish turns, especially of the drag gets tightened early enough so the fish starts to tire. I even carry a spare anchor just in case we need to cut the anchor line to follow the fish before the spool runs out.

Most of our bull reds and drum are caught on the level winds with 300 yards of 50 lb power pro, because these are our preferred lines for fishing crabs, sand trout, and croaker. The spinning reels usually fish smaller bait closer to structure so are more likely to catch smaller reds and specks. When the occasional bull hits one of these the drag gets tightened quickly to keep the fish out of the structure.

shimano symetres I have had a couple for a bout 4 years and all I ever do is rinse em off. Still work like new

I vote for the Shimano Stradic 3000's. I like the extra line capacity. Never know when your going to hook into a Jack. They will strip you down to the spool in no time. When one of the kids hook a Jack I start up the big motor and follow them. No way your going to catch a big one on light tackle if you don't. Big Reds will fight and are fun but I don't think anything else inshore will fight like a big Jack Cravelle.

I love my Okuma inspira. Sitka c14 also bad arse. Anything you get just remember you get what you pay for

Stratic CI4 is lighter weight. YOu don't know how light, until You fish with one then swap back to a regular Stratic. I like the 2500 with 15 lb. braid.

Good point on the Jack Cravelle's. We've never landed one, but something kept hitting on pogies last summer when we were sitting just off the western jetty at Bell Pass. It would rip off a lot of line and then spit it out when I got the rod out of the holder into my hands. I had a 12" (dead) pogie on a 11/0 Mustad hook. A bull redfish or drum could have gotten the hook and pogie into its mouth, but a Jack Cravelle could probably pull out drag that fast yet not really have the point of the big hook inside its mouth. This set up was on a level wind with 300 yards of 50 lb power pro rather than a spinning rod with 120 yards of 30 lb line, but if they're swimming around in the mix, they can hit any line.

We'll definitely be going with a 3000 or similar reel with comparable capacity just to give the angler enough time to react, tighten the drag and give us a chance to pull the anchor and get the boat moving if spooling is imminent. I also like the retrieve speed of the Shimanos a bit better than the Penns. When you need to get the lines in quickly to avoid tangling with a big fish on, the 35 in per turn for the Shimanos will beat the 25 in per turn of the Penns. It will be nice to have some higher end spinning reels in the boat. I appreciate all the advice.

I'll probably be going with the Symetre 3000 FJ rather than the Stradic. I don't quite see how the added benefits of the Stradic justify the extra dough, and when you're buying 6-8 reels to outfit the whole boat the price difference adds up. The Symetre has also been on the market a bit longer so it has a longer track record for durability. I think I can swing the $600-$800 price tag to outfit the boat with the Symetre, but going over a grand for the Stradic might get some marital resistance.

I have a few Okuma spinning reels and have been very pleased. Frankly, I stopped buying anything else.