Fishing Reel Help??

Question

What Brand is the best in a fishing reel Sharmono or Able Garcia would prefer an opinion on those two if not which other one do you think is the best of all of them ??? Thank alot in advance :)

Answer 1

I love a spinning reel. They cast real far and don't birds nest. Even the guys who can use a baitcasting reel very well get tangles when they cast.

I like the Abu Garcia reels. I had an earlier version of the Abu Garcia MX 130R and it gave me good service. I fished with it for 5 years and it is still hanging in there. I usually fish for 6 hours per day for 45 days each summer, casting and reeling the whole time. I pulled in lots of 3lb fish with ease and didn't have any trouble with the 5 & 6 lb walleye.

I am not sure if the MX 130R is available as new or if it is being sold as last years models but I am going to buy a few myself.
They are very inexpensive.

My Abu Garcia is a two bearing reel where some of the Shimano reels in the same price range are only one bearing.

The one thing you notice in the two bearing reels is you feel some flex inside the mechanism when you pull in a very large fish. The reel still performs but as it has a smaller amount of parts and less robust parts there will be some flex.

Some other spinning reels are rather heavy for their size and have five bearings. Some even have seven bearings. But I don't like the way some of them feel when I turn the handle. I doubt you would feel the flexing inside these reels. The best thing to do is look at the different price levels and features, and bearings then go to the store and examine and different models.

I like the balance and how my rear drag reel feels on my 7 foot medium fishing rod. Matching reel to fishing rod for size is important too.

Some people think a front drag reel has a smoother drag than the rear drag reels. But there probably isn't much of a difference on the lower priced reels. The difference probably starts at the $50 reels and up.

Handle type & size, front and rear drag, and the balance of the reel are things to consider.

You can spend a great deal of money on a reel but you don't really need to unless you are going after lots of big Steelhead or Salmon. In the $80 reels you are getting more bearings, some better parts, and a better drag system for long running fish.

I like my reel for the general bass and walleye fishing I do. If you are going to be getting 8lb Steelheads frequently I probably would look at a more sturdy and expensive reel.

I have a heavy duty spinning rod that I haven't used. So I might look at a higher priced reel for it. The only reason for that is I need to use a 6 ounce sinker so I need something sturdy that can pull in giant fish.

Answer 2

Wow, 6 minutes ago this was asked, looks like I get the first bite at the apple...or orange, because that's what we're talking about, apples and oranges. Really because the first thing we're talking about between those two reels is cost. A.G. are like Porshe's: Fine tuned machines that can be easily ruined in the hands of a 17 year old driver...whereby a Shimano (I've never heard of a Sharmono) is a little like a Volvo...looks like every reel out there, but you don't have to re-finance the boat to get one, and you can mishandle it and it will forgive you.

Now, I've been fishing for 26 years (I'm 29) and I've owned a ton of Shimano gear (and Zebco when I was a kid), and I'm pretty well expert without a boat...do you know how many Abu's I've owned? Not a one...my grandfather swears by them, but I just can't see myself dropping 300 bucks on a bait casting reel that's going to hang up in a birdsnest within five casts.

So I guess my advice is this...if you have the cheese to spend on the best, go buy the best...if you're looking to head out for a little catfish action with your kids with worms and bobbers, probably ought to head with a good Shimano, for my part they've never done me wrong, and always had the strength and constitution to pull in the big ones, the ones that memories are made of.

JMB

Answer 3

Well....the BEST brands for freshwater applications are pretty simple..... Spinning Reels - #1 Daiwa, better drags than the #2, Shimano. Round Baitcast Reels - Shimano, Abu Garcia, Daiwa Low Profile Baitcast Reels - Shimano, Abu Garcia, Daiwa Rods (baitcast & spinning) (in order) - G Loomis GLX, IMX Lamiglas CertifiedPRO, G Loomis GL3, ST Croix SCIV/V St. Croix SCIII and Fenwick HMX G Loomis GL2 Lamiglas G1000 These are not cheap products. High end products can run you a lot of money. eg. G Loomis GLX rods run in the $4-500 range. And Daiwa/Shimano Spinning reels can cost up to $500 as well.

Answer 4

Shimano baitrunner 4500B or the smaller reels are excellent. You could also try Shimano Sedona smaller reels. As far as Abu Garcia it's also a excellent reel, but I prefer Shimanos.

Answer 5

You should look at the reels from Okuma. I haven't received my reel yet but my Okuma Spinning Rod looks real good. You might even find last years models going cheap on the internet.

Answer 6

abu garcia is the better of those two. But i would have to say pflueger is the best in my opinion. The first guy described A.G. as a porsche and im going to describe pflueger as a 1970 camaro...pure muscle and can handle everything

Answer 7

Hi madison, Shimano, you cant go wrong, even tho Abu Garcia are good reels I'd stick with Shimano. ; )

Answer 8

Years ago I used shimano but I then chnged over to ABU and will never go back!A good abu baitcaster will run about 59 to 99 dollars yes some cost more! The abu spinning you can get a good one for 39 to 59 dollars!

Answer 9

to be honest shimano costs a lot more but whoops the heck out of abu garcia

Answer 10

Also look at Quantum's reels.