ice fishing reels

[cabin]

Is there a decent ice fishing spinning reel for a reasonable price? I have bought the common brands ( Frabill, Ht, Genz etc), and they are junk. Anti-reverse and bail springs are the biggest problems. I have a basket full of ice reels with broken anti reverse and bail springs. Are they worthy trying to fix, or just disposable? I am willing to pay for a reel that lasts. Any ideas?

[pulsar_nx]

Gander Mtn has very nice ice reels, I'm not sure who makes them but I've got 4 that are probably 5 years old and the only thing wrong with them is that the chrome paint is peeling off.

[Esox_Magnum]

Abu, 100/300/400/500 series, Shimanos, Pflugers,Tikas are all good reels that should last many years without problems....I run mainly Abu's since they are local and I get them cheap, but my 500 Shimanos are the oldest and show no signs of trouble....FYI I do nothing to my reels but use them and put new line on once a season....Several of my open water Shimano's are 15-18 years old and have been in the rain/snow/ice ect and never cleaned and still working flawless....

[Eric_Kruger]

pflueger presidents in the 25 size or the 500 shimano sienna....for low dollar reels they are the best options within the 30-40 buck range.

[CJH]

Pflueger President - can't go wrong!!

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I absolutely love shimanos, for open water that is...

Ive tried several of the new line of spinning reels (Sienna and Symetre) the past few seasons, both are silky smooth BUT try to use them outside below 32* and the drags get really stiff.

Pfluegers and Abus have been good to me for ice fishing use.

[dan z]

Pflueger President - can't go wrong!! [/quote

I like the smallest one 6720 I believe

[Flaco651]

OKUMA Ignite iT-10.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Get a Quantum reel!

No bail springs and very reliable!

Cliff

[lispeej]

When searching for reels, I try to look for the ones that are made of real aluminum. Not the plastic ones that have the shiny paint/stickers that peel after a season or two. I have had some of mine for 10+ years and still going strong. Just my opinion.....

[Fred_Bear]

I like the smallest Pfleuger Trion or President. The Trion is cheaply designed and built compared to others so the clearances are greater which makes it fantastic for ice fishing. Also Pfluegers come with an extra spool whereas most ice reels do not.

Shimano makes great reels but I have the same reoccurring problem when using them in cold conditions. The roller bearing where the line comes into the spool is a very small clearance on Shimanos and it freezes up like crazy. I've had this happen or seen it happen to buddies on the Sienna, Sonora, Sedona, and even the Stradic FJ. When it's nice out or if you're in a warm fish house they work great, but outside in the cold it can be the most frustrating thing ever.

[Mnfisher]

For panfish and brook trout, check out the Daiwa spinmatic-z, 500T. I love it. I've had it for 10 years and no trouble with it. Works great. Maybe check out a little bigger model for 'eyes.

[harvey lee]

Tica and Abu for me. I love the smaller size as they are so light. Drags are good and they seem like a well built reel for the money. The President model mentioned above is also a great reel but that will cost a bit more.

I am going to spend a few more bucks and go the the Shimano saros line.

[c0untryf1sh3r]

All I've used for 5 or 6 years are Mitchell 310x's and haven't had any problems with them. The drags are smooth even in the cold, and the instant anti-reverse is great. They're only 45 bucks at the C store.

[Eric_Kruger]

you can get remanufactured presidents for under 40 if you look online.

[cabin]

thanks for the ideas. I went with the Pfleuger President Reels. Found them on sale at Cabelas online for $39.00 each.

[gurkster]

Pflueger Trions 4520 and Shamamo Solstance for great reels in the $40 range, bump up to the Pflueger Presidents for a real nice reel at $50 - $70 dollar range.

[gurkster]

WOW $39 for a President that is a great price. I bought them on sale for $49 and thought I was getting a good deal. They are nice reels.

[NAMASafetyDirector]

I've, got a president, trion,abu,tica and a nice shimano on my favorite Thorn rod. All good reels for the money with the Shimano being on the upper end.

[bASS_BLASTER]

I owned pflueger patriarch xt, presidents, tica SE500, okuma, shimano 500 series; sahara, symetre amd sedona. After all these years I kept the shimano and tica's because their bearings and gears are smooth as the day i bought them. Sold the others b/c the gears started making noises--could have just been bad eggs.