No laughing....best closed face reels?

[bmc]

I'm looking to get some quality closed face push button style reels for my kids, who are 7 and 12. I'm sick of messing with the crappy one's they got now. Also what about those closed face reels that have the black trigger and you use like a regular spinning reel? I'd probably put 6lb test on them so they can pull double duty for panfish, stream trout, and walleyes.

Thanks,

Brian

[trapperdirk]

Rhino RSC3 or the RSC2 . I tested them last winter and a few times this summer . A little heavy but tough as nails with 4 ball bearings and casts well with 8 lb on the RCS2 and 12 pound on the RSC3 .They have a big black soft rubber free spool /cast button ,,the drag is on top and easily set and even come with a baitrunner clicker and price is cheap .

TD

[DTro]

I don't know if the rhino's have changed in the past few years, but they used to be dump with a capital C, but that was a few years ago. I worked at one of the local outdoors store and they were always coming back.

I think the best one is the daiwa goldcast III, it isn't cheap though I think it's like 49.99.

[delmuts]

i think they still make the johnston century. this reel has been around for a long time and have always been a good reel.

[say_der]

Zebco 33.

[BIG DS]

Rhino has come a long way, Johnson has several very good reels, and Daiwa Silvercast series are very good. Daiwa has probably the best spincast on the market right now. If you are ever in the Madison Lake area, stop in at the bait shop and check 'em out. The only reel the do not have is the Rhino. Otherwise all the others are in stock

[Fisher Dave]

Zebco 33's have always been pretty dependable.. or as dependable as you can expect a spincast reel to be.

Might be a wise move to get them into *grown up* gear.. If kids can master video games in 30 seconds flat.. they can do pretty good on the 1st outing with a spinning reel(open face)... A little trial and error on casting and they will be good to go.

[EyesnSchnapps]

Just came back from vacation with the family. Like Fisher Dave said, my 10 year old daughter mastered one of my old cardinal c3 in no time. She really surprised me, and caught more fish than me also. Let them learn how to use the better equipment. It will pay off.

[BIG DS]

Good point. My 7 year old son is using an older baitcaster of mine and has been using open face reels for 2 years now. He still gets a little flustered with the baitcaster, but he can almost out-cast me on accuracy end of things with the spinning reels.

[Northlander]

The Diawa spin cast reels have been great for years. You can find them on sale often too. Seems not many people want them anymore. They are great for kids and the elderly.

[CHM]

IF I could find one with a good drag system I'd be tempted to try it for fall walleye shorecasting! There's nothing like being out in the waders in the dark and then have a ball of line fly off your reel and get all tangled.

[lawdog]

Quote:

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Might be a wise move to get them into *grown up* gear..

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You don't need to have an open face reel to fish. Its a personal preference thing and I for one don't really even like open face reels. I don't understand how an open face reel is "grown up" gear but a good baitcaster is supposedly a toy. That's a bunch of bunk!

[Ralph Wiggum]

I wouldn't (and I know Dave wouldn't) consider a baitcaster either a closed-faced reel or a "toy." We're talking about spinning versus spin-casting reels here.

[lawdog]

OK, that's a good definition, but a good spin cast reel (and yes they make em) is somewhat similiar to use to a baitcast and not a toy.

Regardless, I still say its more a preference thing, I have never liked using the open face reels much even though some people claim they are "better".

[BIG DS]

Wow, this thread went sour quick. The preference towards spinning reels as opposed to spincast (closed face) reels is how they wind the line back on the spool. People that do a lot of casting, ie: bass fishermen, tend to prefer the roller guide on the spinning reels rather than the small pin on the spincast reels. The pins are much harder on the line than the roller guides. Either reel can be hard on fishing line since you are switching directions twice. That is why I started to teach my son to use a baitcaster. They are easier to cast, more acurate, smoother, and won't damage the line. It all comes down to personal preference.

[uffdapete]

The best spin cast reel I know of is a Garcia Abu-Matic 170 - very well made but discontinued years ago. There are currently several on hsolist. I still have the version of this reel that mounts under the rod like a spinning reel but haven't used it for years.