Expensive Spinning Reels

[Hammer Handle]

I have a cheap reel, rod, gun, boat, etc. I only buy what I can afford.

Doesn't matter to me. I still catch the fish and have fun doing it.

People may laugh at me when they fly by on the small lake with their huge boat and motor, while I sit in my small Lund and 6 horse motor...but really...I am laughing at them.

[papabear]

The value a person puts into his equipment is his value. It may be the feel the looks the reliability but it is his or her value. A $500 reel holds little value to me cuz I couldnt get that much out of it. ( the equipment is only as good as the operator) But I think you have to check out reels and rods for your self to get the one you like and will use to the best of your ability. Too bad we can not test fish some of this equipment before buying. I have several combos I liked in the store and didnt like in the boat.

[slipperybob]

Well we all know that it's not the equipment that catches the fish but the person. I totally agree with the value that a person puts in their equipment, but that is after all personal value. It's like a mean thing that I laugh at a friend for buying a Shimano Crucial rod but uses $30 dollar reel and Berkly transistion line. Then his line would all twist and bird nest constantly. Yes, it's the operator and his equipment.

I've been outfished side by side by old gramps with his old fiberglass fishing pole and plastic fishing reel. Fish for fish, he does catch more than me. Then when the moment comes...and the only fish I catch happens to be the pity fish that bites my lure, just also happens to be the big one. When it comes down to it, the old gramps can play with the fish and land him with all his patience and all. For me, I don't have that kind of patience. I want to land my fish as quickly as possible. I've got a landing net. Old gramps can care less, it flops his fish on the ground. He gets big fish he wrestles it. I still got my landing net. I used to get all excited watching him fight fish like forever, drag unspooling, back reeling, him grabbing the fishing line and tugging. I ain't that talented so I let my equipment do that for me.

The difference with fish on stringer is...mine are beautiful shiny scales, his are bruised and bloody scaled. He's got more fishes, but I have the prized big one. If I didn't plan on keeping a fish, it'll be gently released, beautiful shiny scales, but the old gramps he'd chuck his fish in the air and watch it get a smashing headache on the water. I used to thought that was funny and fun, watching a fish get all disorientated once it landed on the water...but that's just cruel.

I started out with the Zebco 33 and rhino stick (still got that and use that). Graduated to a shakespeare graphite reel and ugly stick (still got that and use that). Then Shakespeare IM7 Shakespeare synergy reel (still got that and use that). Over the years, I improve my skills and supplement that with better equipment. Stradic and St. Croix primeire rod. Well my best fishing combo...so I'm taking it to the next level. Sustain and Crucial combo...now a Stella and a Calcutta rod to be tested this summer. None of this is objective but purely subjective...I will catch no more fish than I've always been catching. However I will have an expensive piece of valuable equipment assisting me.

I think for the most part the only person who laughs best is the person who catches the fish...I wanna be that person, regardless of the affordable equipment or the expensive equipment.

[AQUAJOE]

I like the Quantum Energy's as well as the Stradic MGFA's. They go really nice on a St. Croix or a custom Thorne Brothers rod.

[TycoCowboy]

I have a Shimano open face Sustain and it is great. Every lover of cheap reels that tries it out loves it and is only afraid of the price after I tell them how much it cost. The same is said about my Shimano 400 CTE and 700 Cte's. They love it until they hear the price, then still want to use mine when we do go out fishing and I have more than One or two poles rigged up. I learned about Calcuttas the last couple of summers out with guides in Northern Wisconsin and all they used to fish Muskies with were Calcuttas. Why did they use them? The same reason people buy Lund's, Rangers, Lexus,s, Mercedes and so on. My point is, until you really use any kind of nice equipment, like a Gibson Les Paul, or Fender Strat guitar, it's hard to make a value judgement about what is really good unless sometime or other, you get to use it fot a while.

[cableguy031]

I have 2 Shimano Curado SF on both of my Shimano casting rods. I understand they can be a bit steep in price at times but with a vigilant eye, one can obtain a decent reel for a reasonable price.

TYCO==> Tell me about your Shimano 400 CTE and 700 CTE, I've been looking at them and wondering if I should buy them.

[fishinJohn]

When I was a kid I thought Cerwin Vegas sounded good. Then I listened to a pair of $20,000 Martin Logans and I could hear the material of the drum heads, I could tell where the band members were standing, and baiscally it sounded like they were in the room. I do not have experience with high end fishing gear but to those who can afford a $500 reel and still fish 200 days a year, hats off to you. I cringe at the cost of a lite up bobber.

[Deitz Dittrich]

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TYCO==> Tell me about your Shimano 400 CTE and 700 CTE, I've been looking at them and wondering if I should buy them.

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I'm not tyco--but I do have a calcutta TE.. What are you going to be using it for?.. I have the 400TE and use it for fishing catfish and sterg and Muskies... its a great reel, I have a buddie that has one of the smaller ones and he uses if for crankbait fishing bass...

[turn_in_poachers]

I truly believe you get what you pay for. Ive had a lot of $50-$60 reels, and theyve never lasted me one fishing season. Id always buy another one next year.

Ill admit, my reels arent cheap. My Daiwa spinning reel was $230, and my Shimano baitcaster was $330. But I do take better care of them because of the price. I dont toss them around my truck. Reel covers on when theyre not in use. and they are a lot nicer to fish with than my cheaper tackle. So for me, yeah, Ill spend the money if I think its worth it.

[Ralph Wiggum]

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I'm not tyco--but I do have a calcutta TE.. What are you going to be using it for?.. I have the 400TE and use it for fishing catfish and sterg and Muskies... its a great reel, I have a buddie that has one of the smaller ones and he uses if for crankbait fishing bass...

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Deitz, you have the most expensive catfish reel of anyone I know!!!

Seriously, I would love a Calcutta 700 for flatheads but finances (and fiance ) don't allow. I picked up a Calcutta 250 (deal of a lifetime!) this winter and can't wait to use it!!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

RW- if you only knew how much I catfished.. I want to do it a bunch more.. .but I really have only been catfishing probably 5 times....

[pfluemis]

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I think there is more of a difference than that. For example a Stella costs $500 and a Symetre costs $80. I think you could compare the Symetre to a Wingmaster as it's not bottom of the line, yet not elite either. That's 1/6th the price. A Wingmaster 12ga costs $500? That'd equate to $3000 on the upper end. Yes, both shoot pellets and have the same result. But is the extra $2-3000 worth it for the fancy gun? Tough to agree on that unless you get style points, and in that case I don't think the pheasants really care and style points don't put more birds in the bag.

Buying a $1000 gun compared to a $500 gun is like buying a $80 Symetre and a $110 Spirex. A lot different when you add another $400 to the bill on a reel or $2500 on a gun.

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As a registered skeet shooter I can tell you there IS a difference when it comes to guns. I have/have shot guns ranging from Rem 1100's pulled up from the bottom of a lake after their duck boat capsized all the way up to $7500 custom fit and balanced guns. Shooting 1000+ targets in 3 day's requires a high quality gun if your serious about being consistant. While I don't own high end reels, I do have high end rods. I see the comparison being almost identical. For those who cast all weekend, most weekends of the open water season, I can see the need/desire of a balanced, smooth, quality reel and rod combo. The reservation I have is, are the high end reels really that much better???? I haven't bought a gun in awhile, but it used to be that higher end guns truely were higher quality with superior craftsmanship. I've seen/used some really, really nice reels in the $200-$350 range. I do wonder if there is enough in the $600 reels to call them superior. In order to charge that much, they, IMO, would have to be superior, not just better. By way of comparison, a Rem 3200 or a Krieghoff 32 is a really nice gun, but after you use them, then use a Krieghoff K80, you will feel how superior a gun that cost almost twice as much truely is.

[pfluemis]

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Spinning reels are like wine. Anyone can buy an outstanding wine for $200 and up. The trick is to buy a really good wine for under $10

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In this age of paying for a name, and paying to support pro sports, I think that is a pretty good statement. There are a lot of "hidden jewels" out there in the fishing reel world. I would be curious to see what reels people picked out if there was a way to have people look over all the reels, without knowing what company made them, or what the MSRP is of the reel.

[TycoCowboy]

I'm Tyco. I love them both and yes they were expensive at least to me, but I'm so glad I bought them. I was using a Abu Garcia 6500 tcm when I went out with Tanner Wildes, a Muskie guide in Northern Wisconsin and he was using a Calcutta CTE 400 and reeling in so effortless I thought I would die. 10 hours later, he was still reeling in with ease and my arms and hands were killing me with the Abu. The next trip I had a 400CTE and life was great, I could stay with him all day. I still had arms left. The 700 is a little bigger and heavier and I used it for Strippers and hopefully BIG salmon this summer in Green Bay Area. Do I regret buying them? not a chance, they are great reels and when I retire soon, I know I have great reels that will be there when I need them. As far as I'm concerned, both the 400 and 700 and as close to pro as I'll ever get. Love them both!