Geez...

Where did this Abbadabbadoo/ Flooger talk come from?

The new challenger is the Pinnacle Performa XT for $99.99

http://www.pinnaclefishing.com/shop/p-83-performa-xt-spinning.aspx#page=page-1

Otherwise the Symetre for around $89 or for another $100,

the Stradic CI4.

The Stradic is an incredible reel. Just bulletproof and buttery smooth...

+1... although I can't comment on the FJs..except I am not favorable to the Okumaesq white..

Bang for your buck, any Pflueger product falls into that category. For freshwater bass fishing most reels priced under $100 will easily meet the demands for freshwater bass fishing. If you plan on doing double duty with some light inshore fishing IMO the ante should be raised a bit.

As a kid did your mother ever put veggies on your plate that made you want to vomit, even though you never tasted them? That's what happens to me every time I see a Symetre, I just wanna puke. Not knocking the reel, I never had one in my hands, I'm sure it's a decent reel. The stradics are really nice reels, I love the ones I have, but IMO I wouldn't spend that much $$ for a light duty freshwater reel.

Lots of good reels in that price range, really hard to pick a bad one. But the President and Symetre are two of the top ones.