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Advice on selecting a reel

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MrRay

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I personally would go with a 6k spheros.  It's a hair larger than a BG 4k.  It is a little bit more than you wanted to spend, but if your fishing beaches, it will give you far less headaches than the other reels mentioned and it will last many times longer.  It's fully sealed, has a reliable drag, great line lay, a powerful gear ratio, and features forged aluminum gears.

 

Jump up to a saragosa for an extra bearing, better bail wire, stronger drag, and slightly faster retrieve.

 

I've owned the battle, bg, and clash.  I have a friend who owned the shield.  In my opinion they are not meant to touch sand, or water. 

 

For braid, standard power pro moss green works for me.  I'd go 30 lb for an all round setup.

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Penn Spinfisher — great reel for the money and has decent sealing. If you plan on fishing the beaches and or getting splashed on this is the way to go! You can go 4500 bailed or bailless too if you fancy something like that 

"I learned from Javier the Russian, that you never, never sit down while fishing a chunk. You gotta respect the fish, respect the bite."

 

 

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Possibly I already made a mistake...I read that the specs for the BG 4000 and in it recommends up to 14 lbs mono line. I decided I wanted to stick with mono for now, but should I not use 20 lb mono on it? I chose mono because I read braid might not be great for top water. I want something for all applications. 
 

Should I have gotten a bigger reel like the 4500 or 5000? 

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If you want to use 20lb mono I would go swap that out for a bigger reel. Or just use braid. Suffix 832 is good.

1 hour ago, MrRay said:

Possibly I already made a mistake...I read that the specs for the BG 4000 and in it recommends up to 14 lbs mono line. I decided I wanted to stick with mono for now, but should I not use 20 lb mono on it? I chose mono because I read braid might not be great for top water. I want something for all applications. 
 

Should I have gotten a bigger reel like the 4500 or 5000? 

 

(*member formerly known as 'Badtothebugs')

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I have always believed that a Penn 706 on a Lamiglas XS101MS is the best all around, one step past beginner, time to get serious, setup you can get. 

 

It can be found cheap in good used condition right here on the Buy Sell Trade

 

Can do everything pretty well, from jigging and plugging to properly working a pencil popper (the manual pickup isn't great for bait n wait, this is a plugging rig)

 

Super tough, you'll be handing this down to your grandkids one day

 

When you upgrade to the VS/ZB reel, Century/ODM rod .... this is the perfect backup setup.

 

I always have my 706 greenie packed in the truck just in case something goes wrong with my ZB, it's a cheap insurance policy.

I just wanta play everyday despite small nagging injuries --

and go home to a woman who appreciates how full of crap I truly am. ~ Crash Davis

 

Social Distancing since 1962

 

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BG. They are great. The Battle II is fine as well (I own two) but I think the latest BG is really hard to beat. Keep in mind that their sizes run big compared to other manufacturers. Check out Scoob's battle of the 100 dollar reel video on YT. He's on the money. Full disclosure I had the AR fail on my 3000 Battle II. The 4000 has been a tank for three years now fishing fairly moderately. Good luck! Buying gear is addictive...as I stare at my collection :witty:

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, we're going down

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BG is a solid choice, after watching Scooby’s review I do thymine it’s just a more quality reels then the Penn. that being said, I have heard some stories about it not taking saltwater as well as others. While great reel, keep it clean and don’t get it too wet. 
 

Spinfishers are great too. 

"It's funny how it's the little things in life that mean the most
Not where you live, what you drive or the price tag on your clothes" -Zac Brown Band

 

"A leader is someone who keeps their head when everyone else is losing theirs." -Bryant Wright

 

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25 mins ago, Slowwwride said:

BG. They are great. The Battle II is fine as well (I own two) but I think the latest BG is really hard to beat. Keep in mind that their sizes run big compared to other manufacturers. Check out Scoob's battle of the 100 dollar reel video on YT. He's on the money. Full disclosure I had the AR fail on my 3000 Battle II. The 4000 has been a tank for three years now fishing fairly moderately. Good luck! Buying gear is addictive...as I stare at my collection :witty:

I can’t help it... I NEED ONE MORE REEL! 

"It's funny how it's the little things in life that mean the most
Not where you live, what you drive or the price tag on your clothes" -Zac Brown Band

 

"A leader is someone who keeps their head when everyone else is losing theirs." -Bryant Wright

 

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32 mins ago, coastalfreak said:

I can’t help it... I NEED ONE MORE REEL! 

I have many reels... have sold, traded and gifted many... yet I still have five or six reels in the same size. I like variety I guess! I really like the Penn Clash II by the way.... but I think heads up I would still recommend the Stradic FK in that price range except if rate of retrieve is a sticking point. Love both had to have both. The OP could not go wrong with any of the above suggestions. If 100 or below I think either the BG or the Battle II are fine. Would lean toward the BG.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, we're going down

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If I want to go for an all around fishing rod, of which I only fish lures and no bait, and I use 20 lb mono, what size reel should I get? Unless braid does work well on topwaters....I'd like to have a rod and reel that can do it all.

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7 hours ago, MrRay said:

If I want to go for an all around fishing rod, of which I only fish lures and no bait, and I use 20 lb mono, what size reel should I get? Unless braid does work well on topwaters....I'd like to have a rod and reel that can do it all.

I would rethink the attachment to mono.  Braid works well on top water, as it does with jigs and swimmers.  99% of the experienced people I run into out there are using braid for plugging.  You have a decent all round setup.  I'd just get some 20-30 lb braid, some 30 lb mono for leaders, and maybe some TA type clips if you like.

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