How to choose a spinning reel for spinning?

You walk into a shop. In front of you, on the display, there are lots of different spinning reels. They look almost identical, but their prices can differ several times over. How do you figure out the reason for that?

How do you tell whether a reel's high price is a sign of its high class? After all, a high price may mean that the model incorporates new technological solutions that make fishing easier and that it is made of durable materials — or it may simply be the result of greed on the part of an intermediary firm selling reels in Russia. How do you find your way around the range on offer if you know exactly what fish you are going to catch and where?

Spinning anglers loosely divide reels into power reels and speed reels. Power reels, or heavy-duty reels, are designed for catching large, strong fish. They are built for heavy loads, for a long fight with the fish, for exhausting playing.

Speed reels are more sensitive; the angler feels the ease of rotation and the balance with his fingertips. Fig.1 shows, as an example, two reels that look almost the same. On the right is the Quick Exquisite 550 by D.A.M — a fairly typical example of a power reel. The reel has five bearings: two of them are in the drag assembly, under the spool (fig.2), so that it can rotate fairly freely while playing a fish. The front ball-bearing drag is designed precisely for a long and hard fight with the fish; it loses almost nothing to friction, it is reliable and compact, and it won't jam when a fish makes a sudden run.

1. Speed reel and power reel.
2. Front drag ball bearings on the shaft.

Another sign of a power reel is a reinforced handle with a long arm, on a thickened special stem and with a sturdy knob (fig.3, centre). The angler can bear down on the handle without worry — it won't break under any load.

Note the heavy-duty line roller (fig.4, left): it has a large diameter and has to withstand considerable loads while still rotating. The angler's effort spent overcoming friction must be kept to a minimum. For this, the roller is fitted with either a ball bearing or a PTFE bushing (the latter is preferable if you fish in murky water, since dirt and suspended particles that get into the roller with the line can quickly ruin a ball bearing).

3. Handle options: left — for a speed reel; centre — for a power reel; right — double.
4. Line rollers: left — on a power reel; right — on a speed reel.

Power reels usually have a large-capacity metal spool designed for spooling thick line (fig.5, left). The spool may be made of aluminium alloy, graphite composite (fig.5, top) or another material that gives the part high strength and wear resistance.

The spool usually carries a marking showing how many metres of line of what thickness it holds (fig.6). On the Quick Exquisite 550, for example, you can read that it holds 180 metres of 0.35 millimetre line; 140 metres of 0.40 millimetre line; 100 metres of 0.50 millimetre line. We advise you not to spool the thickest line listed on the spool — this protects the reel from overloading, and then it will last longer.

5. Spools of different designs and from different materials.
6. Spool line-capacity marking.

It is better to buy reels with a spare spool (fig.7). Its design sometimes differs from the main one: it may be tapered, low-capacity (for long casting) or intended for line of a different diameter. On a fishing trip it is very handy to have different spools with you, so that if needed you can quickly put on line of a different thickness or replace a broken one.

7. Reel with an extra spool for long casting.
8. Reel with a spare double handle.

Another generally accepted reel characteristic is the gear ratio, written as a proportion. It means the number of turns the rotor makes around the spool for one full turn of the handle. The smaller the first number of the gear ratio, the more pulling power the reel can develop. That is why spinning anglers loosely consider reels with a gear ratio below 5:1 to be power reels, and above 5:1 to be speed reels.

Speed reels are needed for fast retrieves, when the lure has to move at high speed and with good manoeuvrability as well — that is, they are meant for more refined fishing.

The 5010 Aero GT XT-7 by Shimano (fig.1, left) looks similar to the Quick Exquisite 550 at first glance, yet it is a typical speed reel with a gear ratio of 5.2:1. It is carefully balanced and does not vibrate when reeling in. It is designed for long casting, so it is equipped with a special Long Cast mechanism that lays the line in a perfectly even layer — this makes long casts possible. It should be noted that in high-end long-casting reels Long Cast includes a special worm-gear oscillation mechanism, while cheap models have an ordinary crank one.

A double handle lets the reel work in good balance — it doesn't shake while turning and doesn't wobble (fig.8). This is very important when fishing with fine line and small lures.

Speed reels usually have a rear drag. It is quite comfortable to use, although it is designed for lighter loads. The 5010 Aero GT XT-7 also has an additional lever that lets you sharply reduce the drag pressure (fig.9,10). When needed (playing a big fish, badly worn line, etc.), flip this lever, the drag will easily pay line off the spool with minimal load, and you can resume playing the fish without any risk. This system is also handy for bottom fishing.

9. Lever that releases drag pressure.
10. Lever that releases drag pressure.

After the cast the drag is disengaged, so the angler can let a fish that is testing the lure freely take as much line as it needs, and then he returns the auxiliary lever to its place and sets the hook.

In general, it must be said that high-speed reels are convenient and responsive; they are designed so that they can be easily controlled with just the fingertips, using simple movements. On power reels, removing the spare spool usually requires unscrewing the adjusting nut, since it is very sturdy, whereas on high-speed reels the spool comes off at the simple push of a button (fig.11).

Now let us turn to another example - two Silstar reels: the FRB-30 and the XRS-35 (fig.12). At first glance they are almost the same size, yet one of them can loosely be classed as a budget reel and the other as a mid-priced reel. The fundamental difference in design lies in the number of ball bearings: the XRS-35 has four (left), while the FRB-30 has one (right).

11. Quick-release spool on the Prestige 20 front-drag reel (Mitchell).
12. Reels of different classes.

Ball bearings, as we know, are needed for smoother rotation of the components and give the reel its 'velvety' action; in the XRS-35 one sits in the rotor, two in the side supports (under the handle), and one in the line roller. TheFRB-30 has only one bearing - in the rotor. For spinning, reels with at least one ball bearing are recommended - it is usually fitted in the rotor, which spins fast during the retrieve and must be built for long-term use. Reels with no ball bearings at all can be recommended only to beginner spinning anglers, to those who rarely go fishing, and to bottom-rig anglers.

Another difference between an expensive and a cheap reel: the former has a fluoroplastic bearing bushing that makes the roller turn more easily and withstands loads; the latter has a line roller without a bearing, albeit with an oxidized coating (fig.13).

Some reel technical data sheets include drawings showing the internal mechanism. The more reliable reel is the one whose large main drive gear has a wide toothed rim with fairly large teeth. Another important feature is an additional support journal on the small pinion gear, which protects the reel from overloads.

13. Roller with an oxidized coating.
14. Open rotors with the spools removed (the material of the small pinion gear is visible under the nuts).

Durability, quality and, accordingly, price depend largely on the material the small pinion gear of the main drive is made of. If you remove the spool, you will see a metal rim on the shaft under the nut -this is the 'tail' of the small pinion gear (fig.14). Its colour tells you what metal the gear is made of: yellow (left) is brass or bronze; white (right) is a zinc-aluminium alloy, inferior in strength and wear resistance to the 'yellow' metals. One more point: 'white' gears are, as a rule, cast together with their teeth, while in 'yellow' ones the teeth are specially cut, so the whole part comes out better made and longer-lasting.

Many products carry a 'return address' that often disappoints buyers. They come to the shop to buy tackle from the German company Silstar or the Swedish Abu Garcia, and on the reels or boxes they read: Korea, China, Malaysia. Let us say right away - an honest 'return address' is better than none at all. In the companies' 'home' countries, as a rule, only components are produced, while assembly is most often done in Asia, where labour is cheaper. It is worth bearing in mind that the price of such a reel is also lower than if it were assembled in Europe, and for the Russian buyer this matters a lot. The quality of reels assembled in the East is usually monitored by experts from the parent companies, who guard their reputation. It should also be remembered that many reel series are not produced in their 'homeland' at all.

Source: http://www.holmfish.net