[MathGeek]

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.