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Your favorite reel ?

16K views 105 replies 49 participants last post by  chillydigits 
G
#1 ·
Planning on getting a new reel. Probably go with a bait-caster for a couple reasons. I want a clicker and a free line drag. Main use will be from a small dock, and a boat at anchor. Plan on hitting the holes and setting anchor. Then for the most part just sit there until decide to try the next hole. Medium size river with mostly slow water. Medium size channel cats is my focus. I have done quite a bit of reading on all the pros and cons of various reels. I get so confused as to which way to go, I then get an idea of what looks good, and check the price. Several hundreds of dollars. Ouch, start over. --- Anyway - which one, and why - works best for you? Would like to stay mid range on price tag. --- Suggestions ??? Tnx
 
#32 ·
Maybe my Ming will last. What you guys said is what I have heard in my research on them. Like I said, had to try it for the money. I totally agree about the Abu, Penn and Shimanos be superior! I think this reel might be a good starter value if it lasts even a couple of years. Lots of people are not interested in putting $100-$170 in a catfish reel. Buy the best you can justify and put it to work.
 
#33 ·
The fit and finish of the 6500 c3 ($119) with a power handle ($20) is definitely better than my Ming yang mc600 ($75). The Mingyang has both handles with it. For the money I like the mc600. The kastking rover 60 looks very similar to the mc600, like a bearing holding the pinion gear and a bearing in The right side spool tension knob. The only real difference is the mc600 has magnetic brakes and a live spindle. The spool shaft spins with the spool on the kastking.
 
#41 ·
If you want some good reels that you could eventually hand down to your grandkids, start collecting some 5000, 5500, 6000, or 6500 Swedish ambassaduers. A 6500 has the same drag as a 55500, but a wider spool and more line capacity. 6000& 6500 also has the clicker if you like them, I never use the clickers anyway. Either one will work great for channels and will cast a mile. The last 6500C3 I bought at a flea market for $40.00.
Ebay is your friend. Always check the newly listed search, as some folks will list an item with a very good buy it now price. Be patient and look at a bunch of them on there to see what you like. It may take a while, but you can get a really nice set of reels worth the money. Once you find what you like, I would try and only get the nicer ones that match. My favorites are the older ones with the spool tension knob on the left side. Parts are still available for any of them.
The Shakespeare white rods are a good match.
 
#44 ·
Abu C3 or C4 5000-6600.
I have 20+ of them at this point. They are the easiest reels to service I’ve ever worked on. Simple, efficient, durable design. Parts and upgrades are widely available. I’ve found them in good condition for a little as $30. I won’t buy another reel for catting, other than maybe a Record or Pro Rocket.
 
#45 ·
Another vote for the Penn 109. I love it for vertical fishing because when you are dropping your bait down to the bottom you can see the handle turning backwards and especially at night it's a big help.
 
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#52 · (Edited)
I have 4 ugly Stik catfish in my kit. Two of them are 8 footers and I really like them I bought this style of rod for the coast rivers and creeks years ago and sill use them today. You can buy new for around 35.00 or used for 25.00. I can attest that they handle a 40 lb Flat Head or a 36 lb blue because the same rod caught those fish this week. I'd like to get a few new rods but the brands I want are one piece and I want two piece. If I was buying more reels today, I'd buy KK River 60's and pair them with rod of choosing. My favorite rods now are two piece tiger stiks...they are around 59.00 to 69.00....you can go with KK and ugly stik catfish for less than 100.00 and have solid castable gear..jmho

Derek
 
#54 ·
I got another 109 yesterday. The two I already have are red and have green knobs.
This one is brown and has creme colored knobs.
I love 109s the light clicking sound they make when retrieving is heavenly. Kinda like the ol zebco 33s
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Funny story one time I was drifting with old Penn reels and one of the lines got hung. So I reeled in the other lines and fired up the boat to circle around and pull it loose from the other direction. Well the retrieve is so slow on the old Penn's it was all I could do to reel in the slack fast enough to catch up with the boat. :biggrin1:
 
#58 ·
My favorite catfish reel is my old abu 5500 c3 (Swedish) it has a clicking side plate off of a 6500? So it's black on one side and silver on the other. It's missing a couple of brake blocks. The ones that remain are turned off anyway. The levelwind gears offer plenty of braking. This reel looks terrible but it just plain works. It can cast a long distance and the only time i have ever backlashed it is if i throw it into a tree.

My favorite reel of any i own wild be my Daiwa tatula it's light fits my hand well and just plane easier to use if I'm casting and cranking all day looking for bass.
 
#60 ·
Probably. China can be setup for manufacturing a lot different from most countries. Example - one city in china makes socks. The whole town makes socks and nothing else. The two reels in question are very close in comparison that I would believe they are made in the same factory. More efficient that way.
 
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