20 Best Value Spinning Reels (2022 Updated)

Bought this reel from Amazon in August and have used it several times. Today while fishing with it, the screw that holds the bail on fell out during a cast. I was shore fishing and was able to pull the line in by hand.

The problem was that the screw and all of the other pieces fell into the grass. I found most of the pieces and was able to put it back together when i returned home and could look up the diagram online.

I checked all of the other screws on the reel and found some of them to be loose as well. I have been fishing for a lot of years and have never had this happen, even on cheaper reels. Buyers beware!.

I had ordered a rod/reel combo from another company. I received the rod (which is just what I wanted!) but no reel. The invoice said out of stock and the money refunded. (translation: tough luck). I saw this Pflueger President reel at the Guide, and decided to give it a try.

Got it in just a few days. I mounted it on the rod and it was a perfect balance. Taking it fishing a few days later, I could not believe the smoothness of operation and the ease at which the drag worked.

Lucky for me I DIDN’T get the original reel I wanted.

I’ve been a baitcaster my whole life. I’ve tried spinning setups a few times over the years but they never felt quite right for me and I’d end up returning them. In the last couple months, I got the bug to try it again with all the talk of finesse fishing, so I tried a few Lew’s and Shimano spinning reels in varying price points just because I was more familiar with the brands, but nothing felt quite right again and I came close to deciding AGAIN that spinning setups weren’t for me.

As a last ditch effort, I tried the Pflueger President based on the passionate recommendation of another angler. Most of my baitcasters are in the $200+ range, so I was worried I wasn’t spending enough, but I tentatively accepted his advice because he he was just so confident in this reel and had the same experience as I did with other reels.

This reel changed my mind and I am officially, and finally, a spinning rod guy. I love this reel. I’m not experienced enough with them yet to pretend I know the intricate differences between the other reels and this one, I just know this one felt better than the rest and it was much easier to get this reel to do what I wanted it to do.

Less tangles, snappier functions, and better looks to top it all off. I mightsay something like, “the quality is great for the price,” but really its just great quality regardless of price. Maybe one day I’ll figure out why I’d need to spend more money on a “better” reel, but for now I can’t imagine that I’ll ever need anything better than this.

If you’ve had the same experience as I did with other brands, don’t give up before you try this reel. It changed my mind and I’m betting it will change yours too.

I have been fishing Penn Slammer reels for years and have been pleased with the performance and durability of them. Many years ago I decided to purchase and use only Penn reels. Almost all of my fishing is done in salt water.

I share my gear with my sons and grandson. I had the need to purchase more reels, so naturally I went with the Slammer III series. There was a change in design that requires the spool to be shimmed for proper line lay on the Slammer III series.

I find this to be an annoying inconvenience especially since my reels get cleaned externally after every use. The shims sometimes come off with the spool and get misplaced. This is not the case with the older model Slammers.

I understand that the newer version Slammers have stronger drag systems and are sealed to prevent water from entering etc. , but I don’t understand why I should have to shim a reel that is considered to be a high quality reel.

Other than that, I am pleased with the Slammer III.

I love this reel and purchased a 6500 for the heavy drag option which works great, but there is a major design flaw in the bail arm, the bail arms are not strong enough to accommodate a tight drag setting and they become beveled out at the bail screw after only a few large fish fights resulting in a sloppy bail that wont close properly or lay line on the spool correctly and I am constantly replacing the arms.

If there was one major update that was needed for the new IV version its the bail arm material. Please guys come up with a solution for this, I cannot be the only person who experiences this problem as its a constant and recurring issue.

This is my favorite reel and have no desire to fish anything else but it needs bail arms that can handle the max 40lb of drag.

I have purchased many Penn reels and the reel life has gone in the crapper. I still have some old Conflict and Spinfishers that are working but all of the new reels have purchased in the last year are awful.

Especially the latest one a Penn Slammer 3. I used it for one weekend and now it is loud and when the handle is turned it grinds. Again, this was used for one weekend from a boat and was never dunked or even sprayed with saltwater.

I always wash and dry all of my reels at the end of each day. It’s not like these are an inexpensive investment.

I got the 500 size reel. It has been a solid ultralight reel for catching Crappie and small Largemouth Bass. Drag system works great, but there is not as much control as I would wish. The handle and bail will continue to move in the 12 o’clock position when let go.

This thing runs circles around every budget combo reel I’ve used though.

I bought the 1000 size to pair with a 6′ medium light rod and I love the combo. Nice and light, casts smoothly (using gliss line) and reels in very smoothly. No problems with the handle as one of the other reviewers noted.

I have more expensive reels, but I often grab this one since it’s nice and light. I’m usually fishing for walleye for reference.

This is my second and last Shimano reel. I reluctantly purchased this reel for crappie fishing. About every third cast the bail will clise while casting. This is very frustrating and it destroys the soft plastic jigs that I am using.

Going to return this reel tomorrow and never look back.

I purchased two Daiwa Fuego 3000 LT reels in December of 2021. As other reviewers have noted, there is a problem with the line distribution onto the spool. In my case, for both reels, the line laid down unevenly, with more line on the top of the spool than the bottom.

This required replacing the original “spacing” washer with one of the thinner washers included with the reel. The steps for replacing the washer are as follows: 1. remove the spool 2. remove the nearly invisible, ultra-thin washer that holds the bearing on the shaft.

To do so, use a very thin, micro-screwdriver and a well-manicured fingernail. Be prepared to cuss. 3. remove the metal bearing. 4. remove the ultrathin, metal washer. 5. remove the original “spacing” washer 6.

install a new washer (or washers). follow above instructions backwards to reassemble, then hope for the best. This procedure is trial and error. It is hard believe that Dawia cannot manufacture these reels with better tolerances.

I have dozens of reels and have only once before had to swap the washers on a new reel. I recommend you spend more $$ and buy the Daiwa ballistic. I have many of these and have never had to adjust them.

They are much better in several respects (e. g. magseal). NO, I do not work for Daiwa or Bass Pro.

Took a couple trips to get things dialed. It’s a smooth reel, but mine had a little clunk at a certain point in the rotation at first. The clunk went away after a day or two break in. It was harder to figure out how much line to have on.

The listed capacity, 240 yds of 0. 23mm line, e. g. , 8lb mono or 20lb braid, is way overstated. I put on some backing, then a 150 spool of 20 lb braid. It was obviously overfilling, so I stripped off 40 yds of braid.

Had all kinds of problems my first day out because that was still too much because of how the reel piles more line toward the top of spool for casting distance. Peeled off another 40 yds of braid. Now it works good.

Downside is I wasted a lot of line and only have about 70 yds of good braid on top of all the backing.

I’ve had this reel for a while and am very disappointed in it’s performance. It is light and the drag works well – however it flexes like crazy while reeling in fish. I have the 2500D-XH model and used it with 15 pound braid and a 12 pound fluoro leader.

Anytime I catch a fish over a pound or so the reel oscillates and flexes during the fight. It feels like the handle is loose or is bent. I couldn’t figure out the issue until I begin watching the reel specifically and observed it.

I also researched the issue and it appears fairly common. I contacted Daiwa and was told that the flex is not ideal but there is no harm to the reel or its internal components, so basically there is nothing they can do for me so I guess I need to avoid using it for better size fish? Their customer service was very responsive but I’m surprised they’d market a reel with a known issue and now I’m stuck with a reel that doesn’t work as it should.

Since this is the way they’re made warranty will not apply and I’ve had it too long to return to BPS. You cannot figure out the flex until you use it on the water – you want notice it in the store so buyer be ware.

Many of the LT series have the same Carbon Light frame so I would avoid these models. For $100 there are far better options, either a Daiwa with an aluminum frame or another brand all together. This reel is a miss.

I have one of these badass little reels filled up with 30lb powerpro. I use this reel every time I visit Florida for all of my inshore fishing needs. Snappers, snook, small tarpon, bonefish, redfish, making bait, spanish mackerel etc.

On the west coast I exclusively use it to throw light surface lures like waxwings and stickbaits to schoolie yellowtails and calico bass. I did one local half day trip out of Long Beach last year and landed 4 15-20 lb yellowtail on it.

The deckies were casting heavy irons and each got one but just couldn’t get the distance or accuracy to present to the breezing fish that I was able to with the light spinning gear. I had a sea lion grab one yellow by the tail and i fought him for it for about 15 minutes.

I got the fish back from him after another sea lion came up and bit the fishes face, they proceeded to fight each other as I cranked that yellow in across the surface as fast as I could. A couple holes in the head and a couple in the tail with the meat perfectly intact.

This little reel stood up to a 500+lb sea lion and didn’t skip a beat! Couldn’t ask for more, I disassembled the whole reel afterwards and I couldn’t see any wear marks on any of the gears or anything like that.

Put it back together and its still operating at 100%.

We fish in Alaska, one of the best places for testing durability endurance in power of any fishing reel. 6000 and 8000 are my favorite versatile fishing reels. Most of the time we use the same setup with 100 lb braided line.

130 lb spinning jigging Penn rod. Just changing lure and presentation allowed us to use for: jigging for monster halibut, cod and rockfish. Also we use it for trolling for Kings or silver salmon. It is much faster to drop fishing lure 5, 7 or 9 oz to 200 ft of water then conventional open face real.

Indirectly your lure action and presentation is 50% faster. Coolest thing about jigging for rockfish in Alaska, sometime School of king or silver w will show up and you can just cast, Target them directly around your boat just below surface.

Enjoy fishing it is great fishing reel.

I switched to Penn after using another brand for over 30 years. What attracted me to Penn was the website (excellent product information) and the value for the money Penn reels deliver. My first Penn was the Fierce III liveliner, I quickly followed up with the Battle II for my other rods.

I fish only freshwater, great lakes salmonid species and used the Battle II on my rods for pier fishing with spoons. The Battle II has performed extremely well for me, the HT-100 drag system is extremely smooth and more than capable of handling the quick long runs of salmonid species.

The reel is well made with an all metal construction and is very durable with a smooth retrieve when casting my favorite spoons. The line capacity rings are a great feature, when I first spooled the reel with line I over filled the spool not understanding how the capacity rings worked.

I had as a result a few tangles occur when I cast, once I realized my error and removed the excess line filling the spool to only the last ring, I have had no issues with casting this reel. The 4000 model has plenty of capacity for 10 lb line (over 200 yards) which I require when pier fishing for salmonids.

In summary a high performance reel for a very reasonable price.

I bought a Daiwa BG 4000 about six months after the “new” model came out back around 2016. I’m not sure if David Warner got some knock-offs or used BG’s but I (and it seems like the majority of people) have had no problems with the reel.

I too fish in the surf, I stand waist deep in the surf and the reel gets splashed a couple times per outing and has been partially dunked once or twice over the years. My Daiwa BG has held up great, the bearings are the originals it came with and they’re still quiet and smooth.

I don’t have any problems with the bail, but it may be because I close it manually after every cast, I never use automatic bails. I don’t see how the weight of a lure would affect a reel, but my reel has been able to handle 1/8oz bullet weighted Carolina rigs, 5/8oz jerk baits, 1oz drop shots, 2oz hi-lo rigs, 8oz deep sea dropper loop setups etc.

and it’s held up fine. If there’s one thing I don’t like about the Daiwa BG I would have to say the drag clicker is a little too quiet, that does not at all affect the performance of the reel though.

For the money I have to say the Daiwa BG is one of, if not THE best reels for the money. I’ve actually been using a cheaper reel (Shimano Sedona) because the Daiwa BG 4000 is a little too big, I’m probably going to get another BG in the 2000-2500 size, but I also want to look at the Shimano Spheros, Nasci, Ultegra, Stradic FL, or the Vanford before buying.

I bought a 3000 over 3 years ago and shortly after that bought a 2500. I’ve caught everything under the sun on them from dinky croakers in the surf to 25” stripers with plenty of 20+ inch trout and upper slot redfish in between.

The biggest thing I like about this reel is the durability. I’ve owned several shimanos in the same price range and none of them have lasted me as long as these bgs. The drag adjustment is up there with reels 200$ above its class.

I’ve dunked it in saltwater on a few occasions and just made sure to take the spool off when rinsing it off and had no issues. All around great reel. 2500 pairs well with my fenwick hmg medium light and 3000 does great on my fenwick hmg medium.

I’ve swapped with a friends Penn battle which fits in the same class and price range I preferred the bg and he was regretting his brand new purchase of the battle.

I got this reel before Daiwa stops making them in preference to their BG-MQ. I know there are pros to the MQ series but I am old school and like to be able to service my own reel. This reel is fully serviceable when it needs being cleaned and re-lubed.

I also like this reel over Shimanos that have a bearing in their line roller. I’ll take a bushing that can be easily cleaned and lubed over a bearing that fails with the slightest bit of sand which is ever-present on the beach.

I was spooled twice fishing for speckled trout when a cow-nosed ray decided to get foul hooked. Drag, bail, and reel are amazing even after pulling off over 200 yards each time. Love Daiwas!.

These are cheap (in price), but they are phenomenal. They’re completely hassle free work flawlessly and great value. I’ve had spinning reels that last for less than a day. I’ve abused the shot out of this reel; mud, rocks, sand whatever.

Still works flawlessly and casts a mile. It’s like if you find a Mercedes Benz and you pay for a used Fiat. I’ve changed lines 4 times on my original and running braided on the other which I bought last year.

Probably going to add a third. They’re relentless and flawless. Great gear. Buy your first and catch some hogs.

I first got the C-10, but realized it was smaller than I thought. I exchanged it for the C-30 which is perfect for my river fishing from the banks of the Merrimac River in Mass. I filled it with Power Max 20 lb test line and have it matched with a light action 7′ rod for striped bass in the 20 – 28 inch range.

Fishing from the river bank with the small swim shads in the spring is perfect for this combination. With the 20 lb test Max I can get about 100 yds on the reel. with a little backing and can land small bass in a pretty good moving tide without much trouble.

a great little reel! Frank D.

Great reel, fairly smooth and has caught lots of fish. If it gets wet, however, it’s a pain to service and the retrieve will forever be clunky. It’s not a saltwater or anything so thats more or less forgivable, but geeze it doesn’t hold up after a bath.

3 stars, because it was amazing pre-soaking.

I have two of these reels, a 3000 and 4000. This reel is an excellent inshore reel. It can handle flounder in the back and out front, weakfish, striper and tog (if using a tog jig on a spinning rod).

Nice and robust and not as heavy as some other Penn reels. The 3000 is paired with a 7foot st. croix triumph medium power fast action, and the 4000 is on a older 7foot medium heavy star stellar lite nickelite rod.

Two things that are not great is that the smaller models do not come with a power handle like the dx version does. That being said, it is a pain to put an after market knob on it i. e. Gomexus. The paddle handles are riveted, so in order to change to a knob you have to drill out the paddle and bore out the handle to accept the new knob.

Second thing is in cold weather the anti-reverse clutch has a tendency to slip, the absolute worst thing you want to have happen when setting the hook on a white chin while jigging in December.

Been looking to buy a conventional or spinning reel for fishing a popper for these local tuna. After doing some reel shopping and getting some intel on the feel and price ranges, i decided on getting a penn battle.

I also checked couple online stores and when i checked Bass pro, i couldn’t believe they had the reel that I’ve been shopping for at a great sale price. I couldn’t get my credit card out fast enough to make the purchase.

The reel also came in sooner than was predicted. I can’t wait to try it out. Thank you Bass Pro Shop, another satisfied customer.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my 14 years old son, who is in his fourth season on an Illinois Bassmaster Jr team. I’d say he’s an experienced fisherman. Last season he really got into cat fishing, and asked for the PENN Battle III 6000.

I have never fished with a reel this big and didn’t know what to expect from PENN Fishing. All I can say is, WOW! The first thing that stands out is the metal construction, and sleek look and feel. His reel has the round handle and feels amazing when reeling in.

It’s currently lined with 30lbs of monofilament tied to 30lbs of braided line. The reel does have a rubber ring to prevent braided line from slipping but he still used mono to be safe. Overall, I am very happy with the purchase and feel this reel will be used for many many years.

If I remember, I will provide an update after he uses it for a season.

I grew up fishing freshwater with a spinning reel in my hands, and for 3 decades I have purchased/used all manner of spin outfits. When you walk up to the reel counter at any retailer there is one reel company that immediately stands out from all others to the discriminating consumer, Pflueger.

Their family of reels at reasonable price points like the Supreme and Supreme XT come out of the box with the butter smoothness only a Pflueger does, a beautifully crisp bail, lightweight, perfectly balanced/zero wobble rotor, all in addition to a design and look that is like a sports car in a lot full of mini vans which make the purchasing decision a no-brainer.

that said… I have now been burned by my third and last Pflueger. As I have recently come to learn it is fairly well known that the upper end Pfluegers like the Supreme (but not limited to) are subject to a flawed anti-reverse.

This feature will randomly fail (in any temperature) as my fishing partner and I have both experienced with our Supremes as well as the XT, and of course this usually happens when fighting fish. If that weren’t bad enough, the other day when reeling on a modest sized fish the drive gear on my newest Supreme temporarily disengaged from the pinion gear which of course caused the handle to momentarily stop working.

Once I got home I took the body cover off hoping to find a non-design related and therefore simple fix for this occurrence, which I am very sorry to say was not the case. Over the course of another 2 or 3 outings this irreparable problem has only gotten worse and worse, and I am afraid this reel has been reduced to a $100 paper weight.

I would add that this specific Supreme has only seen 2 seasons of moderate use before this issue and I am one who takes care of my gear. I do not claim to be any expert on the reason or reasons for these problems, however with what I have read it would appear that these issues are likely due to the very cutting edge magnesium parts that Pflueger champions in this reel, which may reduce weight but in this case drastically compromises reliability.

As a lifelong Pflueger customer I am more than just disappointed by these short-comings, the design failures I have mentioned are not acceptable for a reel that retails for $100 (or more), especially one with the reputation that precedes the name ‘Pflueger’ amongst anglers.

For that reason I have chosen to give them the lowest rating of one star and to take the time to write this review. To those reading this, DO NOT BUY A PFLUEGER if you care about reliability in your next fishing reel.

Pflueger, you broke my heart for the last time.

1st off I bought this supreme over a decade ago. I’ve never owned any pflueger product until that day. Pls read all of this review. I tend to buy high end gear. This seemed to be good quality at a good price.

Smooth n precise like my other $200+ reels. This rod/reel combo stays in my truck bed (which is usually dirty from using it) from spring till late fall for quick after work fishing trips. It was retrieved from the muddy bottom of a pond.

Was left outdoors an entire New England winter. Pulled from a sand dune ( I live on the ocean). And just two weeks ago submerged in ocean water for a whole day (my basement flooded with 3. 5′ of salt water).

To say I abused this reel is an understatement. It’s been violated in every way my other gear has not. This reel works n works good to this day as I’ve cleaned n lubed it every few seasons. Is it smooth n precise like before? Nope.

Does it work reliably? You bet ur butt. I’ve owned every reel imaginable on many different boats. it’s outlasted all 3 trucks it lived in. Has outlasted 3 rods. This has easily been the best reel I’ve owned.

And for the money? No brainer.

Absolutely love this reel. It is so light, when I received it, I thought the box was empty! Really good flow from open bail to closure and has a good line retrieval system. I look forward to many years of fun with this reel.

I bought the Penn Fierce Live Liner last January and was not able to use the reel until the weather warmed up in the summer. After unboxing the reel it immediately felt of poor quality and was extremely janky, it also had very poor gear meshing worse than even my lowest budget reel.

To make the situation even worse my reel also arrived without a bearing cap which would leave the inside of the reel unprotected, this was however not a huge issue as being an avid fishermen and having owned over a dozen penn spinning reels in the past 5 years and used a extra bearing cap from one of those.

Despite the ever growing list of red flags from this reel I still decided to try out this reel on some small bluefish in the 6-8lb range. After the very first fish the reels drag immediately gave out and I was unable to switch the reel off of the LIve Liner mode, once the fish was in I gave the reel a few cranks and fidgeted with the live liner, and the issue resolved itself however after the second fish something even worse happens, the reel became extremely hard to crank when the spool was at the top of the rotation which made reeling in a 5 oz weight a laborious task and a small fish impossible, rendering the reel totally useless.

Overall I have owned over a dozen penn reels recently, from the old senators to the newer slammers, and currently own many baitrunners style reels that perform flawlessly. I also understand that this reel was a budget reel but for 120+ dollars I expected it to last for more than a day.

I am extremely disappointed in the quality and craftsmanship of this product and would no longer feel comfortable using a Fierce on a large fish. I hope that my next reel is of typical Penn quality and that Penn can help me resolve the issue of me now having an mostly unfishable reel.

I own a pair of the 2500, 4000 and 8000 Penn Fierce III. I fish salt water with them. I have owned my 8000 for less than a year and the spool started spinning freely while fishing. After taking it apart and doing some YouTube research, I discovered that some of the parts that keep the main shaft from spinning had failed.

When I looked up the replacement parts on the Penn website, I discovered that these parts are the same as the 6000 reels. Keep in mind that the 8000 is rated, on the spool, for line up to 80lb braided line.

Mine is spoiled with 50lb. These reels can not handle this pressure because of these weak parts that keep the main shaft from spinning. I suggest a different reel if you are going to use heavy line with big gamefish.

I tried to contact Penn to return it for warranty work but cannot get a RA number by following their instructions. I am very disappointed with them and their customer service. All Fierce III reels must be lubricated inside and out prior to use in salt water or they will fail quickly.

I recently caught a small, 10Lb, tuna on my 4000. It started locking up after a long run. I landed the fish but had to stop using the reel until I could service it. Keep in mind, I lubricated this reel just prior to this trip.

But I didn’t remove the bail assembly to lubricate the anti reverse mechanism. This is where that problem came from. I have since lubricated the anti reverse and it is working again. But, it has a rough sound to it now.

I imagine the anti reverse bearing is shot. We will see how long this one lasts. I am sad to say that I have an Okuma version of the live liner that has been more reliable than the Penn Fierce III reels.

I changed to the Fierce III reels because of the metal body. The metal body makes them feel better when you have a big fish but the quality inside is lacking. These are definitely not the Penn reels I had when I was a guide.

I’ve bought 4 penn fierce 3 live liners. 3 – 6000ll models and 1 – 4000ll model. Out of the box all reels worked flawless. After 2 trips with one of the 6000ll, the live liner feature would lock up under pressure.

Had to wiggle the spool to disengage the live liner. When freespooling, a noticeable pause would happen with every rotation. The second 6000ll has no “click” sound when the front/main drag is being pulled by a fish.

The third 6000ll has a very loud “click” sound when the front/ main drag is being pulled by a fish. The sensitivity of the live liner between all three 6000ll’s are different at their lowest setting.

Now the 4000ll. the rear drag for the live liner has no “click” sound. The anti reverse slips 40% of the time when reeling a fish/under pressure. I feel like the quality control is not being implemented 100% of the time.

Too much discrepancies between the same model reels. I do love Penn products, but am surely leaning towards Shimano or Daiwa brands. I also have to mention that I’ve had almost the same problems with the fierce 2 live liners.

I’ve also bought 2 spinfisher VI live liners and had issues with that style of rear drag for the live liner. Had to return those. I recently bought the new fathom low profile baitcaster reels and am starting to have an issue with line lay on the retrieve.

Penn, what’s going on? My shimano baitrunners and my shimano baitcasters have never had these issues and it’s been yrs fishing with those. I don’t want a response. I just want you guys to read and listen.

Step it up because you’re falling behind.

Came for 2 days in Moscow, ordered from the Russian warehouse. The coil is made neatly, the stroke is smooth. Winding the fishing line so-so (in the photo re 2. 5). The size of the coil seemed too small, took 4000, and looks 2500, if on the dive.

The roller of the storekeeper was twitched and did not rotate, it is necessary to loosen the screw. The coil took 110-130mm for the wobblers. The balance at the spinning with the coil is good. In general, the coil of its money is worth.

Seller recommend! I recommend to the seller to add a spare spool in the kit!.

Visual comparison between KastKing Speed Demon 3000 and SeaKnight WR3 4000 which are good and completely different in their details. The Deamon is producing a little bit more noise than WR3 against theirs speed ratio.

I like them both and hope they will last forever. The Deamon is elegant and looks amazing! I hope to have a chance for a spare spool. The reel was packed perfectly and shipped fast. Thank You!.

Right out of the box I knew that I was going to love this reel. This reel is smooth as silk and light as a feather. I paired it up with a new KastKing rod- 7 Foot, 2 piece, Heavy model. The value is unbeatable.

I purchased both the rod and reel right here and received them in two days. This is going to be primarily for saltwater but it’s very versatile and can be used in just about every scenario with the right braid line.

I’ve had the 6000LL for a good 7 months setup on piers, bridges, and the surf. I’ve battled from massive Gag/Red Groupers, Sharks, Jacks, Snook, Redfish and other species. I’ve definitely put this thing through a trial.

I’ve been excited on this new design, full metal body, and especially the Liveliner feature. I own the previous Fierce II for years and hasn’t failed me, but I wanted to try this new design. I do feel it a bit smoother from the cast to the retrieve.

But what the money is about this reel is the Liveliner. I really love this feature especially dealing with multiple rods. I love the fact if you use an active rod, and have that liveliner rod to have no drag or some drag serves similar like a conventional reel on the clicker.

once you hear that drag scream. you pick it up, crank the reel, and bam!!! hook set when the full drag set kicks in. I always hated on regular reels having to loosen the drag enough that when a fish hits you have to tighten.

all so you avoid losing your rod. I suggest buying a digital scale to set your drag on the non liveliner setting. I like this reel so much, I even bought the 4000LL. The only con I would just say about this reel would be just the drag wish it’s louder.

It’s a bit too quiet especially on windy days.

I purchased this reel in June, 2 months ago and from day one the reel sounded like it was extremely scratchy. The salesman in the fishing reel department said it was the noise of the braided line going through the bail roller.

I knew better but still took the reel. After 2 trips the reel is completely locked up. Unfortunately I can’t find my receipt but I am going to attempt to return it to Bass Pro this weekend. This reel wasn’t cheap and I expected so much more.

I own many reels I’ve purchased from Bass Pro from A Stella to a couple Saltiests. This one is a big disappointment.

Here is the deal, if you are thinking of getting the Fuego LT 2500 or the Vanford 2500, go for the Fuego LT. I have both, and I love the Fuego more, holding it, it is solid, the Vanford felt like a cheap toy, cheap looking, flimsy Shimano bail wire, reeling it the Fuego is smoother, and just generally a more solid feeling reel.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Shimano reels, but in this case the Fuego is just a better reel for the money $99 vs $239, save yourself some money, the Vanford doesn’t feel like a $200 reel. Have been using my Fuego for a year in the salt, and it is still 90% as smooth as when I first fish with it, Wonderful reel.

I’m a professional guide & I own 8 of these spinning reels in different sizes. When I bought them they were marketed as fresh or salt capable though I now see no reference is made of saltwater on their site.

I really liked them until I brought them to a salt environment last summer. Like other reviewers, mine started “locking up”. They all did it before it was over with. I clean my equipment religiously after use in saltwater, and I pay a professional reel maintenance /repair facility to service my equipment, because frankly these reels are too complicated for my skills & patience.

But it seems even the pros can’t prevent this corrosion or whatever causes these problems. I’ve pretty much given up on them, getting ready to scrap $1200 worth of reels after <2 years service. Not what I call quality or value.

I had an older President spinning reel around a 30, 35 size & was really impressed. I replaced 4 spinning reels with 4 Supreme XT 35 size— Absolutely love them!! I won’t consider any other spinning reel.

Silky smooth, good line capacity, feather light, good drag, Also super simple to break them down, clean & lube up again. I’m actually ordering 2 more today because they’re on sale @ $50 off for a short window that I do not want to miss out on.

I purchased the 25-size reel in May 2020 and have used it frequently as my go-to ultralite setup. It is now December 2020 (less than 1 year from purchase). The reel is smooth as silk until it is under strain from a fish or a heavier jig head (1/16th – 1/8 oz).

Then you can feel and hear it grinding. The bail spring is worn out so that when you flip the bail open and cast, the forward momentum of the cast causes it to snap shut, preventing the cast. I have found that by pressing forcefully or jiggling the bail I can get the spring to click into the open position.

This is unacceptable wear and tear after only 8 months.

I liked the 2000 series for sucker fishing. I used this reel with 4lb test to reel in great lakes tributary suckers weighing in from 2-5lbs. The reel was instant on the drag, not jerky, but smooth. Several fish had runs through current, and functioned perfectly.

Like a reel costing much more. If in 6 months this reel works well, I’ll give it another star.

I’ve owned the 2000 size for 18 months now and use it for light sea fishing – float and lure work. The reel is undeniably Shimano despite its budget price tag, offering smooth retrieve and reliable function of all key parts: drag, bail, handle.

It won’t win any beauty contests in its plain, unpainted carbon garb, but if you’re tackling fish on the sub 10lb bracket like bass, pollack, codling and mackerel, you won’t regret your choice or feel you haven’t had value for the small amount of cash you’ve splashed.

I have fancy reels too but it saddens me to scrape them on rocks, so often the FX will be handed the “stuntman” role and will invariably fill in admirably!.

Excellent quality,and built like a tank. I don’t know why others are having issues,but I’ve a couple of the FX 2500 as well as a couple of the FX 4000 reels,and zero issues. Everything is built rock solid,lays line precisionly,and the drag is buttery smooth.

I fish ALOT,and target bowfin, largemouth and gar. and these reels do everything they need to. They work just as great as my Shimano Sahara’s,and cost 1/4 the price. Actually,I prefer using these more than my Sahara reels.

And for $20 at Wally world. it’s a no brainer!.

Nice-looking helmet that does not slide around. However, there is a pressure point on the back of your head that I find a bit annoying – this may just be me getting used to a different style of hat though! I had a size S, which is snug, but the M is enormous so try before you buy as the sizing is odd.

My first decent reel, I loved my okuma jaw 20 but this is another level, came recommend by too many folk to ignore. Smooth as silk, the drag is incredible. Highly highly recommend.

Shimano Stradic is one of the best reels in the market, is not cheap but is well worth it. Very smooth and silent rotation for all day spinning for pike.

Moulinet parfait pour la pêche aux bras. Dommage une seule bobine et conditionnement au plus simple.

Je l’utilise en mer il est vraiment de très bonne qualité

Trés bon moulinet … le must ..

Bought right at two months ago but had not used, spooled on some 15lb braid for trip to Florida and noted that the anti-reverse intermittently failed right out of the box. Took back to Cabelas with receipt ,box, and all materials.

They exchanged for another even though was a few days past the 60 day return period as it was unused. Cabelas has GREAT customer sevice. We will see how reel does from here on. Must say I’ve never had a Penn or Shimano fail right out of the box.