2nd best reel

[sportskiff]

IMHO only,
http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/home.html
my backups, or ultra light "fun" set ups.
Reggie

[Fillet1]

I have favorites for different uses.

For workhorse spinning reels - Diawa BG. They are old school. None of that infinite anti reverse 20 ball bearing stuff. What you get is an awesome drag system, an all metal body and ridiculous durabilty. They are less than a 100 bucks. They really are tough. Easy to rebuild. I have a pair that are at least 10 years old with heavy use and no problems. I like the BG15 or 20 for general casting and bottomfishing.

For smoothness and finesse I like the Shimano Stradic. I have a pair set up on light action rods with 10lb power pro that are great for fishing light jigheads with rubber for fluke, weakfish and snapper blues.

For conventional reels, I love the Avet sx. I have a pair on St croix rods that can do everything from back bay to wreck fishing. They really shine fishing chunks or clams for Stripers. They are not good for the novice because the freespool is unreal and they are lever drag.

For lighter conventional reels I have a pair of Abu-Garcia 6500 c3's. They are a little worse for wear and not too smooth anymore after some big 25 pound + stripers, but they are lightweight and easy to use. I have these on a pair of cheapo shakespear rods from the discount bucket at Dicks.

My favorite conventional reels of all time are the discontinued penn 940. I have two that are in need of repair but they dont owe me anything. I will get them back in action soon. The best feature of these reels is the freespool "switch" that can be thumbed back and forth from freespool. Unlike the Abu's you dont have to crank the reel handle to disengage the freespool which is key when you want to feed a bit more line back on the drift. They are the best IMO for fluke fishing.

I have a bunch of other stuff - Shimano Charter specials, Penn 15KG, Penn ss but the above are some of my favorites.