I went and bought the Carbonlite spinning reel and I need to take it back! It was REAL hard to get the bail to snap back. So I was thinking of going to a bit better reel. So what do you guys think? I don't want to go to a $ 100.00 reel, I want to stay around $80. I did spend alot at the classic,,,OH she is going to KILL me!!

I really like my Quantom KVD Spinning reel i picked up from bass pro. I know its more than $80 but not much more, i ordered a couple Daiwa Fuegos from the ***. Normally $300 , but i got myne for $123 a peice. Ive heard nothing but good reviews on them so i figured hell i might try a couple. Can not wait to get them on the water!

OH she is going to KILL me!!

Lmao!!!

look at the shimano sedona 60.00 and the shimano sahara 80.00 both are very good.

yeah, I have an old Sedona from about 5 years ago, the gold reel. Worked great! Also maybe a Pfluger President, I think that is in your price range, not 100% sure.

I had a Carbon Lite reel and had to take it back as well b/c it was gritty and made a bad clicking/poping sound. For $80 or so you can get a lot of good reels. Look at Abu Garcia Orra S, Pfueger President, Daiwa Aird, and BPS Pro Qualifier.

I had a Carbon Lite reel and had to take it back as well b/c it was gritty and made a bad clicking/poping sound. For $80 or so you can get a lot of good reels. Look at Abu Garcia Orra S, Pfueger President, Daiwa Aird, and BPS Pro Qualifier.

I will be going back to BPS next weekend. I will take a good look at these, Orra,Aird,KVD. I have a few of the President reels, and I like them I just wanted to try another reel. Thanks for the input.

Best bang for your buck in my opinion is a Pflueger spinning reel. The President is right around $60. Smooth, casts great. For the price the best reel out there.

I have the sahara solid reel. IMO if im spending $80 thats the reel.

I will be going back to BPS next weekend. I will take a good look at these, Orra,Aird,KVD. I have a few of the President reels, and I like them I just wanted to try another reel. Thanks for the input.

I was in a similar boat as you this weekend and after looking at the reels I listed I picked the Aird 2000.

The President was a little smoother then all the others but it just didn't reel squared away and something was missing. My next choice was going to be the Orra S but they only had the display model and I didn't really want that one so I was going to get the Pro Qualifier since I already have one but was looking for a lighter reel and that is when I saw the Aird. I was told by an employee that it was the only one they had it was on hold for another customer so I headed home and was going to wait and see if they got anymore in before the trade in ended. When I stopped by near closing on my way to a movie it was still there so the employee said I could have it. Glad I stopped by and can't wait to get on the water with it.

cant go wrong with a shimano..dont own anything lower than a saros but the sahara is a fine reel for the money.

I'm not a big fan of spending alot of money on spinning reels. Basically all they do is hold the line. I understand that more expensive reels have a better drag system, yet I can honestly say I've never lost a fish because of any drag malfunction. Any fish I've lost on spinning tackle can be chalked up to operator error. I own a few Shimano Spirex reels, I'm happy with them and they cost me around $50. A coulple of years ago, Rogers Lures in Liberty had the US Reels Supercasters on sale for around $40. I bought a couple of them and I held one in reserve and used the other one for throwing soft swimbaits (1/2 to3/4 oz) , using 14 lb Fireline and a 20 lb flurorcarbon leader. I've had no issues with the reel, casting distance seems to be unlimited and they've easily handled every fish I've caught on them. No really big fish but several quality keepers in the 18 to 20 inch range. This season I'll probably bench one of the Spirex reels and pull the other Supercaster out of the box. Just saying,in my experience spending $80 for a spinning reel is overkill.

If I had unlimited funds, I'd have several Shimano Stellas, just because they say Shimano on the side, but I don't.

Spinning reels are probably the only fishing item I use that doesn't have to be just right, I can get by with a cheap one but prefer not to. If you're commited to BPS well I can't help much but the old model Cabelas Tounament ZX is on sale still for $49.99. I got one last year at $39.99 and I was mad because I should have got 3, these are notmally $69,99-79.99 and are basically the same as as a Diawa Tierra with the difference in the ZX having all normal ball bearings were the Siawa has 2 corrosian resistant ball bearings, but I can live with that. The biggest thing for me is the reel is all metal, aluminum body and rotor, that is important for me and after using the reel a good bit I can tell you it is smooth and lot more refined than I would have thought you could get for a reel under $100.

dicks sportin goods has the quantumn escalade for 80 i have one and think its a good reel 10 bearings and smooth

look at the shimano sedona 60.00 and the shimano sahara 80.00 both are very good.

i have a sedona and its a good solid reel

Symetre 2500FJ if you can find a deal.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/90755-shimano-symetre-2500-fj-review/

i own 2 Presidents and both have performed excellent for the past 5 years. no worries/no problems.

a great value. imo

This is all good input, and that is what I was looking for! If anyone has anymore please do.

I was looking at the Wright & McGill Skeet Reese Victory spinning reel in the BPS catalog any info on this reel would help alot, I don't have a clue about this reel. It looks like a good reel but a tad heavy compared to the others but in my price range.

All I can add is another vote for the President (reel). They're hard to beat on a bang-for-your-buck basis.

I bought a Sahara with my $80...haven't had any problems out of it.

I own almost a Shimano reels, But I agree with previous posts. The "President" is hard to beat for the $$$. Mine has been well worth the money I paid for it.

This is all good input, and that is what I was looking for! If anyone has anymore please do.

I was looking at the Wright & McGill Skeet Reese Victory spinning reel in the BPS catalog any info on this reel would help alot, I don't have a clue about this reel. It looks like a good reel but a tad heavy compared to the others but in my price range.

I think you would be better off with shimano or pfleuger IMO. I have picked up a W&M spinning reel before and it felt pretty good, but I have heard the drag performance is subpar. If in doubt, stick to a brand that has proved itself time and time again. A president or sahara/symetre will work just fine in that price range and will last you for years to come if you take care of it.

I'll go against the grain and throw in my vote for a Mitchell 300. Yup. A 300. I've fished these reels for years and never had problems with anything from 4 lb up to 10 lb test. For ultralight, a 314 or a 308 but I prefer the 314. The plastic side on the 308 can be a problem unless you find one in excellent condition.

I know, they're not modern and fancy. Underneath it all, they're all descended from these reels with a reason. If you haven't had the experience yet, get one in good shape and try it out.

Interesting, the "original spinning reel" introduced in 1948.

I wonder why they gave up their lead in engineering and innovation?

The newer reels seem to be lesser reels than the original. I might

make some effort to find a '48.

Originally Conolon fiberglass was developed for military purposes, then ported over to sports. Then came bad management and bad judgement at the end of the 1960's. They made decisions to branch out instead of concentrating on what they did best, ran out of capital, started farming out manufacturing by the 1970's, I think, and moved assembly to Asia and that was the end of the story.

The 1960's era reels with Planamatic gearing are the best by far. I have a stash of parts reels and when something needs replacing, which is rare, I just fix it. These reels are built like tanks. The excellent drag components pretty much prevents busted innards if you handle it correctly. It's people who don't understand that the reel is just a line holder who destroy the reel.

The really early reels are expensive collector's items meaning, some people pay way too much for them. That's my opinion.