Spinning Reel ?

[eyepatrol]

I'm looking at getting one, possibly 2 new spinning reels this year. Wondering if anyone has tried the Shimano Sonoras at all? How about the Mitchell Avocet II Gold?

These are the 2 I'm most interested in.

Thanks!

[Wookiee]

I have a couple of reviews for you if you want the link. Email is in my profile. They are linked to websites so I can't post them.

[The Hammer]

Purchased a Diawa Fuego last year an love it.

[BigWadeS]

I have 1 and would buy another, if I fished more I would look at a stradic but for how often and what type I fish for, this works great

[KTroller]

Shimano is a solid bet. I have two Mitchells (310 & 308)that I've used for 3 years. No mechanical problems with them but they do have a tendency to get line wrapped around behind the spool or in front of it on the drag knob. Last year I bought a Shimano Symetre and like it WAY better than my Mitchells. Went out and got a Stradic this year for my new "good" reel and bought a cheapy Sienna for a UL set-up. No experience with the Sonora, but based on the reels I have from Shimano on either side of it qualitywise, I'd go with Shimano for sure, my Mitchells are now back-ups.

[UncleKes]

I like the Abu-Garcia Cardinal, myself. They have always done good service by me. They may not be the most expensive reel on the shelf, but they are tough, and dependable and I have had many years service from the Caridnal's I have had over the years.

However, the truth is this. Everything that is made these days is made to the same ISO 9000 international standards that everything else is. By that I mean that a comparable Shimano reel is going to be made to the same standards as say a comparable Diawa or a Pinnacle or a Phleugar or even an Abu Garcia reel. So it really comes down to your personal choice and preference.

All of the above are excellent choices by the way. I would personaly advise you NOT to by the cheapest reel on the shelf. Buy the one you want and have confidence in and will want to fish with for many years. By all means ask around and read and check things out. But after you have made an infromed decision, buy the one you want! Even if you end up paying a bit more for it. The money spent is worth it. Better than buying a cheap reel you end up replacing with the one you should have bought in the first place. If you are unhappy fishing with it what good is it no matter how many of us tell you what a good reel it is?

[TrophyEyes]

I have owned a few Shimano's over the years and really liked them. I have recently been using a lot of the Guide Series Tournament reels, which are the exact same as the Pflueger Presidents, and love them. I like them a lot, but am looking at forking over the money for a Stradic or a Pflueger Supreme. Has anyone used some of the new Penn spinning reels? These are the three brands that I tend to stick to and I wanted to hear some opinions.

By the way, sorry if someone thinks I am trying to steel this thread, I believe it is on topic.

[Team Otter]

The Sonora's and Sedona's are both great reels; highly recommend.

[UMDSportsman]

 Originally Posted By: UncleKes

I like the Abu-Garcia Cardinal, myself.

I have one too. It works great for me. I don't have the money to spend on really nice reels, so i have nothing to compare it to.

[NCLaker]

Looks like you are looking for reels in the $40 and under range. Most in this range will be graphite body. Not personally familiar with the Advocet or Senora, but two others to consider that I do have experience with is the Abu Garcia 102 or the Pflueger Trion GX7 (have 3 of each in various sizes). They are both bery nice reals for the money. My preference is the Trion - great real for the money, Smooth (7 bearings), sure click bail is great - better confidence the it is actually closed/open or not, and it has a titanium line roller and spool lip - not many reels with this feature in this price range.

Bottom line is that you will likely be happy with any of these choices. But before you buy, definitely recommend putting it on the Rod you are going to mate it with before you buy to see how it feels and balanced out. Also, in this price range - I have found some inconsistency with the smoothness of reels fresh out of the box - go thru a couple to make sure the one you buy feels right (The displays are often messed up so don't rely on them - especially at Gander). If trying one fresh out of a box, work the reel forwards & backwards pretty good - some may be a little stiff at first, doing this works the grease loose which is not too uncommon with new reels.

Hope this helps ... good luck!

P.S. If you every choose to upgrade to a higher end reel - it is tough to beat the value of the Pflueger Supremes at $89-99 it would be tough to find a Magnesium body (very light weight), sealed drag & bearings, titanium spool lip/roller - other brands for these features will likely cost $150-200+. I also like the Shimano Saros ($129) or Stradic ($159).

[hanson]

I tend to believe that most spinning reels on the market now days are of good quality. Shimano, Pflueger, Abu Garcia, Penn, Daiwa, Okuma, Tica, etc, etc. will all do the job for sure.

My current favorite is an Abu Garcia Cardinal 502 on one of my jigging rods. $59.99 retail an Abu has been pretty good with having mail in rebates. Just checked and they have $10 mail in rebate on any reel over $39.99. Hit a store that is having any kind of sale and you can get a steal of a deal on a good reel with the rebate and sale price.

You aren't going to go wrong with Shimano, I don't think you can go wrong with some of the other manufacturers either.

[RiverBassGuy]

 Originally Posted By: The Hammer

Purchased a Diawa Fuego last year an love it.

wow... He asked about a shimano sonora and you throw out an opinion on a reel that is almost 4 times as expensive. Yes, the fuego is a nice reel. No, it's not relevant to this conversation.

I have used the sonora. It's a great reel for the money. Shimano is a bearing company, so you can bet you're getting a quality drive sytem. It's by far not the smoothest reel they sell, but It'll get the job done. Other suggestions in that general price range would be:

Daiwa exceler

shimano Sahara

Quantum kinetic

Good Luck

[BobT]

For just a bit more money I picked up a Pflueger President last year and I really like it. Very smooth drag and reel although I am not a drag user very much I like to know that I can count on it when I do need it.

Bob

[eyepatrol]

Thanks guys for all the extremely great information! I lacked mentioning that this reel will be for my wife's rod, so the $40 Sonora that gets used maybe 5 days out of the year should suit her just fine.

I appreciate all the feedback!

[b1gf1sh1]

shimano symetre rear drag with fightin' drag. rear drags traditionaly aren't as smooth as front drags, butwith the fightin'drag system you have the ability to have a hook set drag and in a near instant your in fish fighting mode. there's cheaper shimano's with fightin' drag but the drags aren't nearly as smooth as the symetre. 80 bucks, vs i think 60 and 50 and it's twice the reel. look it up, you may like it. i know i do.

[zepman]

If that's the case Eyepatrol, I would opt for the Abu 100 series for @ 29.95. Solid and dependable and you could spend the balance on some new baits/lures etc....

[slipperybob]

If I go cheap and reliable, I go for the Shakespeare Dimension...It's basically the graphite version of the Pflueger president.

[Wallyeyes]

I use the GM Guides Series reels. Made by Pfluger. Love 'em.