I have a 50-80lb conventional rod and I need a decent reel for it that won't break the bank. I currently live in Colorado, but I go down to Florida a couple times a year to fish so I can't justify a super expensive reel at this time. That said, I'm looking for a left hand retrieve lever drag reel and I'm trying to keep it under $200, but I could probably spend $225ish on the right reel. I'll mostly be using it to pull larger fish from under piers and I might take it out in my kayak to get towed by some sharks every now and then. Currently I'm looking at the Omoto GTR 25II and the Penn Fathom FTH15 first gen reels. Both are on sale for $180. There isn't a whole lot on info on the Omoto reel, but from what I've read its actually an excellent well built reel that punches well above its weight. It's a 2 speed with 3.8:1/1.5:1 gearing. It has 28lbs of drag and it also has level-wind which I like. The Penn is also a 2 speed with higher 5.5:1/2.7:1 gearing. It has 33lbs of max drag, but no level wind. Which one would you choose and why?

Hey, not a new angler just someone without many experience haha, what’s the difference between a bait caster and a spinning reel? I’ve always used a spinning because I never knew that bait caster was even a thing and when I discovered I just didn’t understand the purpose of it

I need a new saltwater spinning reel for an 8’ 8 surf rod. Would like to spool it with 20-30 pound braid. The most important thing I’m looking for is the ability to keep the drag really low and then instantly tighten the drag a lot (either by reeling or pressing something). The thing I want to avoid is to have to twist the drag knob 4-5 rotations to fully tighten the drag. This is mainly for a fish finder rig. Any recommendations?

If you had to pick which one would it be. I’m going to put it on a 7ft 2in Medium Heavy Rod and mostly going to throw chatterbaits on it with braided line. Might also use for skipping under docks and cover.

Hey guys, so I’m not a really beginner in fishing i have been using a spinning reel and rod fishing for about 6 months now but just as you read i want to choose a rod and a reel specifically a bait casting rod And a bait caster reel, i am going to be fishing in a gulf (salty water) in kuwait, i want the reel to be good with casting,smooth and- also be able to handle some big fish but not- huge, i am going to be filing it with 0.40mm 8x braid, what things i should be getting in that reel ? What bearing balls, what gear ratio also what size also what brand (not a pricey one but also not cheap). the rod i want it to be about 2 (6ft) to 2.4 (7ft) meters (the main casting one i have is 2.4m) and i want it to be used for artificial baits of course lite ones and some heavy ones, i want it to be medium or medium heavy power and medium action. What should i get ? (Also not a pricey one but not cheap). Note: all this was gathered using my information from yt and googling, if you have any suggestions or anything you want to say go ahead, and if possible to explain everything go ahead please and do.

Hey reddit need your help setting up basic fishing gear. Growing up I always just used what my dad had or got me. So cheap Walmart stuff on sale and it worked ok but now I'm trying to get a better versatile selection of gear.

Anyway I am back in lower MI and trying to fish again. So I am trying to put together what to get.

I have an optrix from like 10 years ago when in the military and fished the gulf(worked great) but it's obviously too big for lake/river fish unless lake michigan or something.i think it has 20lb test line.

This summer I borrowed my Dad's shakespear guide reel and rod with 10-12 line for bass and such . I also picked up a shakespeare micro setup with 4lb line used.

The micro I really like since it's small and light and easier to use from kyak and the shore and areas with a lot of brush and stuff where the bigger rod doesn't have the room.

So I am keeping an eye out for sales and such to get better stuff.

I just picked up a daiwa regal 3000 today, I planned to put on a small rod with 6lb line to catch pan fish and maybe small bass and trout etc (possibly have a long rod to swap onto also) to replace the micro, and keep the shakespeare with 10-12 line for bigger fish like bass and if fishing from a boat or bigger lake.

But I just noticed the regal seems to want bigger line 8-12 I think. Will it work with 6 on a small rod? Or should I replace the shakespeare with it and put 10lb line on it to use for bass etc and look for a 1000-2000 size rod for smaller fish?

Would having 2 rods be enough to cover most bases? In the past I just used cheap rods and probably will still do that for now. Invest in better basic reels first and go with medium or light action walmart specials. Would a light and medium action rod cover most fishing?

Most fishing I can do now is shore fishing so mostly gravel pits/small lakes and river fishing(its pretty crappy here. Grand river is the usual river, so shallow and fast moving.)

Sometimes I can get the kyak out to get to a lake and deeper water, but it's not a fishing one so it's a bit of a pain to fish from, especially with the longer rods and means a bit of a drive.

Hi Fellow Fishing Friends, I’m looking for help in selecting a rig. I’m somewhat of a novice to fresh water fishing but grew up salt water fishing (docks, surf mostly).

I live on a lake and catch bass, pan fish in my backyard but want to start to target the big boys from my boat.

I have a ~6’ ultra light spinning rig from LLBeane that is a blast to fish with and can cast quite far compared to a 7’ MH kastking collapsible rod. However next season I want a bait caster to get the distance but also to move quicker through locations.

What would you recommend for a starter rod and reel? Length, power, sensitivity, etc...

Cost isn’t so much a concern but I don’t want to spend much more than $200-$300 total knowing I’ll want more if I continue to get into it.

Do I go with LLBeane to start? Less fun but happy with the first one.

Thanks!

I recently purchased this Daiwa N'zon 12ft feeder rod. The reel I currently have is second hand and bought 3 years ago. I don't know the line strength on it, how old the line is etc. so looking for a new reel to go with this rod but need recommendations please. I did look at the Daiwa N'zon reels but read some people didn't think much of them. Someone recommended the Preston Extremity but just looking for more opinions.

Thanks in advance.

*edit: added more details.