These two reels share a lot in common. Including most of their internal parts. In my experience, the Shimano Sedona (and its enhanced brother the Sahara) are the most durable trout spinning reel on a budget. Until the release of the upgraded Shimano Sahara FJ the quality of the gearing and tolerances of these two reels…
For all the praise premium price reels like the Stradic and Vanford get, most of us fish with reels that cost under $100, it is likely the most competitive segment of the market. Earlier this year Shimano refreshed the Sahara line-up and released the FJ. The FJ represents a nice improvement over the older Sahara…
The Shimano Stradic is one of the best spinning reels ever made, and it has developed a cult like following of fans. It is simply a well-built reel that is not only smooth but extremely durable. If there is one complaint regarding the Stradic it is the price, at close to $200 it is a…
Penn is one of the biggest names in offshore reels, they built their reputation on classics like the Senator, International, and the Spinfisher. These are all heavy duty reels designed for catching powerful fighting fish in the salt. So whether you are a Penn loyalist, or just want to try something a little different, what…
In this article, I am going to discuss two very similar reels. These reels, almost have more in common than separates them. They are both excellent for their price point. If I had to describe both reels in just one sentence. The Stradic is a workhorse while the Vanford is all about finesse. For the…
(Editor note: For archival reasons I have republished this review from my main buyer’s guide. The MGXtreme is now difficult to find retail ) This is the flagship freshwater spinning reel from Abu Garcia. It does not come cheap with a recommended retail price of over $400. This makes it nearly doublethe price of excellent…
After extensive real world testing, and based on our own experiences, we rate what we consider to be the best performing spinning reels for trout fishing.
There seems to be quite some confusion regarding what size spinning reel to get for trout fishing. I am going to provide a method that can be used with any brand of spinning reel. This method uses the breaking strain of the line you use to decide what reel to get. When trout fishing, we…
Welcome. This guide aims to provide the best gear ratio for trout fishing. I will also give a brief explanation of the role which gear ratio plays in fishing. If you are new to fishing, and just want to know what is the best ultralight reel to buy then I have written a guide here…
The title of most powerful drag found on a readily available, ‘small size’ spinning reel belongs to the Kastking Sharky III which offers 33lb of drag on a 1000 size reel that weighs just 7.6oz. While the Sharky III has a powerful drag. It is not a reel I usually recommend. It is slightly larger…
