Thread: High quality ultralight spinning reels

Originally Posted by s_v

You can look at Vanquish 1000SSSPG and Luvias Airity FC LT1000S-P. Both check all points on your list except the price (+ 50-100$). I have both reels and they are both excellent, and different at the same time. From here, the only way up is Stella and Exist and they are priced accordingly.

I'm not in the business of trying to convince anyone that they need an expensive reel.

I appreciate you chiming in here on this thread.

Do you also have an Abu Garcia Theta? If you do, are you able to ascertain any noticeable difference between it and those two? Those are fine reels. I am just wondering if I could tell any difference, as the Theta... I'm wondering what could a reel do better than this? Other than the Theta has a retrieve speed of 5.2:1. I am also not sure I could tell the difference between 4.8:1 and 5.2:1. I just don't know.

(The only 'high end' ultralight reel I have at this time is the Theta. And it's not super high end, it's kind of lower high end. But it's very nice.)

High quality is what you say it is! I think there are a boat load of good reels out there today. What most people seem to be looking for is the perfect reel, it only exists in the eye's of the user. My favorite ultra light was a Mitchell 308, pretty hard to find today. Now I have an Ocuma Ignite, dainty little thing on a 5' Ocuma rod. have some other small spinning reels, my crappie rigs. My little Ocuma with the rod cost less than $50 so maybe I could have got better, if I'd have wanted to spend more. This reel is on it's third year and if it implodes on me, oh well, I'll go find another just like it if I can. I think something fishermen seem to have done is concern themselves more with the equipment they are using than the fish they are catching! I Have several ABU round baitcaster. They are old and I got them new, great reels. But ya know what, I've got a few other brands also that I like really well and if they break down tomorrow I'd replace them with the same thing! Human beings seem to have this built in more that nothing but the best will do and are more than willing to change their product into something else by changing part's, most notably seems to different drag disc's. If ya don't like how someone makes the drag, why did you but the thing in the first place? The fact that you can get different disc's would indicate to me that someone is making reel with those disc's in them. Like the disc's but not the reel's? Well buy a bunch of disc's then look for a reel you like they will work in! The quality of equipment out there today is amazing, you can find about anything you want if you look and can afford to pay for it. Guy on the classified on another site has a couple round level wind reels for sale for well over $400! They are used! I'm pretty sure he's gonna find someone that thinks they are a great deal even though they could have got just as good a deal for far less money. Who knows, maybe they have the drag disc's in them he wants.

I know we talk about how long this reel or that last's but how many guys buy one fishing reel to use for the rest of their life? My ABU's are very old and perfect working order and are my favorite reel's but, since getting them I have bought ten or twelve more that are different brand and they work fine. Don't care if they last as long as the ABU's or not, I'm probably gonna get more before I wear them out anyway!

Originally Posted by livemusic

I appreciate you chiming in here on this thread.

Do you also have an Abu Garcia Theta? If you do, are you able to ascertain any noticeable difference between it and those two? Those are fine reels. I am just wondering if I could tell any difference, as the Theta... I'm wondering what could a reel do better than this? Other than the Theta has a retrieve speed of 5.2:1. I am also not sure I could tell the difference between 4.8:1 and 5.2:1. I just don't know.

(The only 'high end' ultralight reel I have at this time is the Theta. And it's not super high end, it's kind of lower high end. But it's very nice.)

I do not have the Theta, so I cannot compare. I have an admittedly very flawed preconceived notion that Shimano and Daiwa make the best reels, so I stick with them. But this might change. I have no doubt the Theta is one of the finest reels – I can hardly imagine it being anything but at $260. My experience with Abu Japan has been nothing but excellent so far.

I completely agree with Don that high quality is what you say it is. Again, I'm not in the business of trying to convince anyone what is better or worse – the only sure way is to find out for oneself. To me, Luvias Airity LT is as smooth as Certate LT – and that's SMOOTH. It is not better than the Certate, it is just lighter and comes in smaller sizes. The Vanquish has a lower start-up inertia than the Airity, but I wonder how noticeable it would be to others. Alphahawk mentioned a Japanese angler who'd rated the Airity at 6-7 while giving the Vanquish a 10 in start-up inertia – I wouldn't say there was that much of a difference, but I'm no expert. I will say that my Soare Ci4+ C2000SSPG has as low or maybe even lower start-up inertia than my Vanquish, but it is not as smooth when winding and feels a bit "geary".

I think the retrieve ratio will only be important to those who like very slow presentations. Most of my reels have the highest gear available. Ballistic FW 1000S-P and Luvias FC LT2000S have come up in this discussion – they seem to be great reels, with the Ballistic FW having some of the lowest start-up inertia among LT reels, according to many aji anglers from Japan. Lack of Magseal in FW models is likely the reason. Only Steez Type I and Presso Limited seem to beat the Ballistic FW in that department, again according to the same sources. I do not have the Ballistic FW, the Steez, or the Presso, but I do have the Luvias LT. But I certainly would like to try them all.

A low ratio reel puts more fish in my boat using micro jigs and soft plastics. As to the discussion of high quality reels. One can have a high quality reel and it not be high end. In the UL spinning reel world you have Daiwa Exist and Shimano Stella. I would also put the Vanquish and Presso in that category. It might be worth your while to read up on why the Japanese Masters…and from what I gather that title is not just thrown around lightly…..have to say about the smoothness….lightness of rotation……balance of the handle during rotation…thus that is where the double handle comes in. They will take even a high end reel and have it tuned with the best bearings…..use synthetic oils and grease…..to make these reels feel like you are just turning air. I use polyester line for just about all my fishing. It never occurred to me that the roller bearings may not be turning as I do a retrieve with just the weight of a 1/2 gram jig head. The ester lines and PE lines are so fine that in all likelihood you need an after market line roller setup so the line roller will actually rotate with just the weight of those fine lines going over it. They don’t do this so they can say “ Look at what I have”. They do it to catch more fish and make fishing more enjoyable. Whether one agrees or disagrees with their thinking one thing I don’t think anyone can deny is they take equipment to a level that few here can imagine.

Regards


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Originally Posted by Alphahawk

It never occurred to me that the roller bearings may not be turning as I do a retrieve with just the weight of a 1/2 gram jig head. The ester lines and PE lines are so fine that in all likelihood you need an after market line roller setup so the line roller will actually rotate with just the weight of those fine lines going over it.

As it happens, just ordered my IOS line rollers...

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

It might be worth your while to read up on why the Japanese Masters…and from what I gather that title is not just thrown around lightly…..have to say about the smoothness….lightness of rotation……balance of the handle during rotation…thus that is where the double handle comes in. They will take even a high end reel and have it tuned with the best bearings…..use synthetic oils and grease…..to make these reels feel like you are just turning air...
...They do it to catch more fish and make fishing more enjoyable. Whether one agrees or disagrees with their thinking one thing I don’t think anyone can deny is they take equipment to a level that few here can imagine.

Have done plenty of that, thanks to COVID and working from home. And more, and am amazed at how far ahead some are in fishing, and also learned a great deal from poorly translated subtitles and blogposts.

As for agreeing and disagreeing with Japanese masters – I admire their ability to appreciate the differences in top-notch tackles that sometimes appears a bit exaggerated to me. I'd like to reach that level, I bet it makes fishing even more fun. But I'm just not there. I suspect many here are in a similar boat, and a perspective from an eager non-expert might be helpful.

Originally Posted by s_v

...I suspect many here are in a similar boat, and a perspective from an eager non-expert might be helpful.

Some good info in this thread!

I don't know if anything I write is worthwhile or not but I can say that I am eager and I am a non-expert! And at this time, here's my take.

Fatigue factor isn't very important in my analysis because 7 hours fishing is long for me these days. My main lake is 25 minutes away and other lakes are 30 to 50 minutes away and I just do not fish all day anymore. Seven hours is a long session.

So, what's important to me? Cast length of small jigs and enjoying the fight. I have a frugal streak due to some past hard times and I buy nothing without some research but I am willing to spend on good stuff. And if something does not merit a higher price tag according to what I perceive, I just won't buy it. OTOH, sometimes (or all times?), the only way you can know is you have to experience it.

This year, I am using bluegill as the test. Crappie have, so far, been elusive for the most part. But I have caught heck out of big coppernose bluegill. And they really pull. They are all big as far as bluegill go, probably averaging 3/4 pound. Every now and then, one which weighs 1 lb. and my best this year is one of 1.2 lbs. For a month now, say, 4 days/wk that I fish, I catch 'em good. Meaning, I catch 25 or so (a limit) and go back to bass fishing or cruising with sonar. All of this being done testing this and that rod or reel or jig or line. (Even if I catch n release, I often stop at catching 25 to give the fish a rest. I also do not catch but, say, 6-12 per bream bed and I move to another one.)

What is interesting to me is that I now have two "high end" rods, one on the way and a few low end rods. One higher end reel and a few mid-range to low end reels. Thus far, I am not convinced that the high end makes a substantial difference TO ME. Sure, the high end equipment is great, it's very nice. It probably will cast farther. And that matters. But I just have to fish more to come to a reliable conclusion. Thus far, a common jig pole with a spinning reel seat/handle is the most enjoyable of the bunch in playing the big bream. As for my reels, is the Abu Garcia Theta reel better? Yes. But does it matter? Not sure. More fishing and I'll report!

I tend to think I will come to appreciate the better equipment. A case in point is a bass rig I have, a St. Croix spinning rod and a Shimano Stradic reel. That's not high end but it's not cheap (close to $400 total) and it is dang good. OTOH, I have other bass rigs that are actually pretty cheap... Basspro reel on a cheap rod, for instance. And they work just fine. But the better stuff is def a little better!

Wanna see some guys spend some bucks go look into fly fishing!

Originally Posted by livemusic

Wanna see some guys spend some bucks go look into fly fishing!

... and the same questions come up on fly fishing boards:

"Is the $900 fly rod worth it? Is it really better than the $200 fly rod?"

Of course it's better, but the difference may not be worth it to you.