Junk Ice Reels

[thedeadsea]

Are any of the reels that come as a combo with ice rods worth a darn?

I had to literally throw away the reels that came on a couple of HT rods I got for the kids, and even the higher end combos seem to have reels that are of substantially lower quality than the rods.

Bought a Diawa Sweepfire for $11.99 and that is of higher quality than any of the "ice" reels that I have tried out.

Steve

[zamboni]

I have bought a few combos that I really didn't mind the reels on them. St Croix, Gander Mntn Guide Series and Jig A Whopper.

[Supercrew]

Panfish poppers combo's from Gander have held up well for me, in my third season with four of them, the spring bobbers are take or leave um. They have two lengths.

[thedeadsea]

I totally spaced Gander. Usually anything they put a Guide Series label on is pretty good.

I looked at the higher end HT reels sold separately and they didn't seem very good either. Nor did the Northland combos. Sweet rod, not so good reel.

At this point I'm pretty good in the rod department, but need about 4 more good reels to round out the arsenal.

I will say I am impressed with the $9.99 Shakespeare and $11.99 Diawa reels I bought. No infinite anti-reverse but they are pretty good for the price. Was hoping the Cabelas Fish Eagle Ultra light reels go on sale again like they did last winter, they are really nice.

[mrfish1991]

I have had no problems with the reel that came on my bro combo, drag is good, smooth, and overall pretty quality combo

[thedeadsea]

Just looked on Cabelas and they have the XML ice rod with Fish eagle reel for the same price as the reel alone!

[HandySpence]

Right when the "Buzz Stick" craze happened I bought 2 of these crafty little poles, then a year later I bought 2 more. The first two still work good til around 0degrees, but the newer ones get very stiff, and the drags arent as good on the new ones as the first ones. I also picked up 2 of the guide series ones and they seem to be better than all I have so far, smooth running at 0 degrees, only problem I've had with them is that I keep twisting the top eye off when I try to keep the ice out of the eye.

[Zoob]

I wasn't impressed with the HTs at all. They get sluggy in colder temps. I was pleased with Ganders.

[Duffman]

I've never bought a combo. Find a reel you like, and then find a rod that you like for it. You want a rig that will not give you that much frustration, spend more than $20 for a combo. Spending more money doesn't always mean better, but it will increase your odds at not being dissatisfied. Cheap carp is cheap carp.

[Supercrew]

Good for you. Nice to have $$$$$ and get what you want. Say, can I hit you up for a ten, pay you back later...Not trying to dis you, but some people may have a limit to their spending and can't just replace things at will. Sorry these were for his kids.

[Shack]

Good for you. Nice to have $$$$$ and get what you want. Say, can I hit you up for a ten, pay you back later...Not trying to dis you, but some people may have a limit to their spending and can't just replace things at will. Sorry these were for his kids.

More of the reason to buy a good reel. I tend to buy cheaper stuff for the kids and as they grow, I have found I would have been better off buying them good stuff to start. The money spent on 3-4 combos over a 3-4 year period add up to something nice that would last. I let my kids use the $10.00 combo summer specials for casting practice now in the front yard.

I bought a Shimano spinning reel (forget what model) back in my teens and I spent huge money on it at the time. I still have it today and it works great.

[LPCrowRiverFisherman]

When it comes to panfish, the HT combo reels work just fine for me. You really don't need too much of a quality reel to bring up an 8" sunfish.

[Shack]

You really do not. The difference is having a reel or combo that will reel up an 8" sunfish for 15-20 years.

I will admit. I was (am still working on it) cheap when it came to reels and rods when I was in younger. I hate to admit, but I have thrown away (by now) almost all of my cheap rod and reel combos from my 20's Hundreds of dollars.

I still have one Buzz Rod. It does not buzz, I do not take it with, but I still have it.

[thedeadsea]

I want them to have a set up that is good enough to handle any fish they may catch, but won't be a huge loss if the whole works goes down the hole. We have already made a few donations to the fish gods if you know what I mean. We are primarily fishing for crappies and tulibees but there are big whitefish in the area and also the occasional walleye or hog northern. I am not a big fan of losing fish to faulty equipment.

I have caught some nice fish on my personal HT rods and although they lack in the sensitivity department, I am very comfortable with them. The reels on these rods are a different story. One of them wouldn't even wind line on right and the drag went from free spinning to completely stuck in a quarter turn. The other ones were not much better. I checked out some different combos at L and M and a few other local sporting goods and was not impressed with any of the combo reels.

One of my buddies had a problem with a HT fish house, and their customer service dept was awesome. They even gave him several free items as well as a replacement house. That's why it is surprising to me that they are putting out such a substandard product.

Steve

[bobbymalone]

That's why it is surprising to me that they are putting out such a substandard product.

Sounds to me like you got what you paid for, whaddya expect for $10.

Like others have said gander or cabelas reels aren't bad for the price.

[thedeadsea]

Cheap is one thing. Junk is another. McD's burgers are cheap, yet I don't go there expecting to get a rotten one.

[jwmiller33]

the frabill reels that they sell on the frabill ice rods are complete junk... the rods themselves are really nice, but they mind as well sell just the rods, as all the reels end up getting replaced

[Brad B]

I have switched to the shakesphere ugly stik ice rod and reel combo's this year and have been very happy with them. I got a real good deal on a lot of 5 of them. what it costs for 2 of them normally I got all 5 for that same price. if this place ever has more at that price I will be buying more. HT reels are not good I have two that I will either throw away or if someone want thems they can have them free of charge.

[Ed Carlson]

the frabill reels that they sell on the frabill ice rods are complete junk... the rods themselves are really nice, but they mind as well sell just the rods, as all the reels end up getting replaced

I would respectfully disagree...to a point.

The lower end Frabill combo's have "economy class reels"..not so hot as they have roll back and..well just are a bit cheap but functional...but on the new reels I feel they are very good and the new quick fold handle system is the best out there as it is not sloppy at all and the drag is good even in deep cold.

The Select and Professional Series Gander Mtn Ice Reels are very good reals for the $$. The comb's in general are exception deals and this seasons models have really stepped up the bar.

[g_anoka]

Interesting,my son and I both have some Frabill combos, mine seem to work just fine. His, which were bought this year, the reels do not work well. When reeling in line rather then the line going onto the spool, it goes in front of the spool around the drag. Then if you flip the bail to let out line, you have one big mess. Is anyone else having this problem? My son is 21 and been fishing since he was 4 so I don't think he is the problem.

[Wally fisher]

They are like everything else. You get what you pay for.

[Zoob]

I will amend my post (I have about six rod/reel combos, makes it easy to switch lures - i just switch combos).

I had a coupla HT cheapo combos, and they worked just fine - but when it was cold, it took awhile before the reel warmed up - was *very* sluggish. It also cracked my rod on that 16" bass I pulled up last week.

On the flipside, I do have a very sensitive HT "red hot ice" something or other combo - and while it's not *as* sluggish when it's cold - the reel has very nice play, and I love the sensitivity of the rod - you see and feel everything. I use that one exclusively for panfish.

I have a 28" Northland combo that I just love (XTP or something or other), and it's my go-to for when I'm perch/crappie/walleye hunting. Very smooth, reel is still great in the cold weather. I think I paid $20 or so for it at Gander, can't remember.

The cheapo HTs you can pick up for $12 anywhere (walmart, holiday, etc) - I would avoid - those are the ones that - while work fine - don't expect them to last. But - that's just my personal experience.

There's nothing magical about the top-end reels. And like with anything, you'll pay more for brand name, regardless of quality.

I'd only suggest finding a reel in any combo that you have - that works well in the colder temps, too (and a decent line). It's never much fun when your line doesn't want to spool out because it's cold and loopy, nor a reel that takes more effort because the grease in it is thicker when its colder.

Take all the advice being thrown at you and sift it into something usable that balances with your pocketbook. Don't forget, not that long ago - folks were ice fishing with a dowel stick and line wound between two pegs.

Whatever gets you out the door and on the ice -- works.

[Supercrew]

Don't forget, not that long ago - folks were ice fishing with a dowel stick and line wound between two pegs.

Whatever gets you out the door and on the ice -- works.

I still use them (jiggle stix) when conditions call for hand to hand combat....

[hydro]

While I agree that you get what you pay for when you buy reels, more money does not always buy better performance. Even the expensive reels are assembled with grease that stiffens up in the cold and unless you are capable of disassembling, cleaning, and re-greasing with low temp grease, they will be sluggish in the cold. I do this re-build to any reel that has issues with cold, and I have seen a wide range of internal quality, not always directly in line with purchase price.

I recently re-built both a Sigma and HT reel, which externally were identical. In the cold, the Sigma bail would not flip over while the HT worked fine. Both were “stiff” so I opened them up to re-grease. The Sigma was well made, good bearings and materials, while the HT had only one bearing and used bushings. After re-work, both reels perform similar and work just fine out on the ice.

The latest re-build was a Mitchell that on my last trip (-13 degrees) would not flip the bail, had issue cranking, and even the anti reverse failed once in a while. If I remember correct this was about a $20.00 reel a few years ago. When I opened it up, it was like a fine watch with good bearings, but the grease was causing problems. The anti-reverse was a well designed sprag system but the rollers got stuck when the grease stiffened in the cold. The bail was full of heavy grease as well. All re-assembly was done with grease consisting of a 50/50 mix of “Blue Lube” and low temp multi purpose grease. That’s all it took to fix all the issues and now it works great even in the coldest temps.

[Borch]

Originally Posted By: jwmiller33

the frabill reels that they sell on the frabill ice rods are complete junk... the rods themselves are really nice, but they mind as well sell just the rods, as all the reels end up getting replaced

I would respectfully disagree...to a point.

The lower end Frabill combo's have "economy class reels"..not so hot as they have roll back and..well just are a bit cheap but functional...but on the new reels I feel they are very good and the new quick fold handle system is the best out there as it is not sloppy at all and the drag is good even in deep cold.

The Select and Professional Series Gander Mtn Ice Reels are very good reals for the $$. The comb's in general are exception deals and this seasons models have really stepped up the bar.

I have to agree on the Frabill Bro Series combos. The reels have performed very well this far and the rods are very nice. The fold in handle and smooth drag on a $35 dollar combo was a nice bonus.