I was given a Walmart gift card. After buying the usual assortment of hooks, line and lures, I had about $20.00 left on the card. Just for fun I decided to buy an Ozark Trail spinning reel (about $15.00) to keep on a cheap rod in the truck for spur of the moment fishing stops. I was not expecting much for that kind of money. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the reel. When I first got it, I loaded it up with 8lb test mono. While filling the reel, I noticed that it was very smooth reeling. It is a bit (about 1/3 ounce) heavier than a similar sized Pfluger President reel I have, but still not as heavy as a lot of cheap reels. I don't find the weight to be a problem. I have now been using the reel for about a month. So far, the reel has been flawless. In fact, I like it so much I have moved it over to my "regular" spinning set-ups. The drag is very smooth and is consistent in function. The reel is still as smooth reeling as when I took it out of the package. Time will tell if it stays this good after an extended amount of use, but so far so good. If you are looking for a decent cheap reel, you may want to check one out.  Now I have to buy another one for my "truck" rod. d**n bait monkey.....

4 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

Now I have to buy another one for my "truck" rod. d**n bait monkey.....

Haha I was just at Walmart looking at Ozark rods for my truck rig, but all they had left was spinning rods. 

BTW, my fishing buddy bought an Ozark Trail baitcasting reel. It is pure crap. One of those $20.00 Temu reels would be a better reel than the Ozark Trail bait caster.

 

I've got the Grit Stik spinning combo for $20 which is sort of an Ugly Stick knock off. So far so good. Also have the Ozark Trail Baitcasting combo for $40. It's worked well for me. Alex on Realistic Fishing Youtube channel has that same baitcasting combo. Said he used it 5 days a week for two years before he started having issues with it. A pretty good run for $40.

The only walmart fishing thing I recommend is some of the rods there.  Don't buy any of the reels.  As far as the ozark trail goes I hear their gravel bike and ridge mountain bike are pretty good for the $.  

They are like every reel at that price point....hit or miss.  I bought the $9 Walmart spinning combo 2 years ago to test it and got almost 2 years of white bass and perch off of it.  Then I donated it to my church's kids' fishing pond, and it was in pieces after just a week.