Arizona Crappie Association

Fishing and Dock Talk => Crappie Gear => Topic started by: PhishingPhreek on April 16, 2018, 06:05 PM

Title: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: PhishingPhreek on April 16, 2018, 06:05 PM
I busted one of my favorite crappie reels this weekend and I decided to look for a good replacement. I Googled it and wasn't really happy with the results. I had one guy saying "Go Shimano" because they make the best, highest end reels on the market which seemed like a ridiculous statement...  :icon_scratch: Then I had another website who gave their "best 5 crappie reels" and only a few of the links they supplied went to valid locations. Needless to say, the results I found were terrible and didn't really help me at all.

I wanted to reach out to everyone here and find out what reels you use for crappie fishing. Do you guys even care about the reel or is all about the rod to you? Do you use different types of reels on your trolling rods vs your shore tossing jig rods? Or do you just buy a combo at Walmart and use it for trout, crappie, and bass (Which I'm definitely guilty of doing!)  :greengrin:

I wouldn't mind hearing everyone's thought on this.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: IAMMAC on April 16, 2018, 10:08 PM
I use Shimano Sedona spinning reels and have never had any issues with them.  You can get them for under $100 and they will last forever if taken care of.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Fish Hawk on April 17, 2018, 07:29 AM
For the long rods I use Bass Pro spinning reel ($60). For casting the banks I use a Zebco Omega Pro ($80) 
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: cousinlll on April 17, 2018, 07:33 AM
+1 on Shimano.  I bought a little Sahara SH-1000FI Spinning Reel that is perfect for casting light jigs.  $80 but shop around & check for weekly or holiday sales.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Sahara_FI_Spinning_Reels/descpage-SH.html
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Fishless on April 17, 2018, 07:59 AM
for casters the Omega reel from zebco is fantastic, I used to wear out a 33 or other version of zebco's in less than a year (cheap built) went to the Omega which has real ball bearings etc. and I get 2+ years on them before I wear them out and they have a real drag on them so you can set it or adjust if you happen to hook a big bass or cat.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: OneBlade on April 17, 2018, 08:51 AM
for casters the Omega reel from zebco is fantastic, I used to wear out a 33 or other version of zebco's in less than a year (cheap built) went to the Omega which has real ball bearings etc. and I get 2+ years on them before I wear them out and they have a real drag on them so you can set it or adjust if you happen to hook a big bass or cat.
I also use Shimano for my open face reels.  I have several Zebcos including Omega but I only put fluro or mono in those as the crystal fireline/braid doesn't work as well.  I use crystal fireline/braid for a couple of my open face reels I like the line has no give and easier to pull snags out of trees with that line.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: PhishingPhreek on April 17, 2018, 09:12 AM
for casters the Omega reel from zebco is fantastic, I used to wear out a 33 or other version of zebco's in less than a year (cheap built) went to the Omega which has real ball bearings etc. and I get 2+ years on them before I wear them out and they have a real drag on them so you can set it or adjust if you happen to hook a big bass or cat.

If you noticed, I put spinner in the title because I knew you were going to come in and bring up your Zebco.  :P :P :P
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: craigm on April 17, 2018, 10:05 AM
Open face for most everything ,for Jigging and slip bobbering  I use Pflueger Presidents 20,s and 25,s for 49.99 and 59.99 you can not buy a better reel, spend more if you like but these will outlast most everything else ( I have several Shimanos seldom use them )  and balance really well on a 5'6" to 7.5 ft rod ,all of them are spooled with Fireline crystal on some as light as 2lb test most have 4 lb . For casting really light jigs I use the large spool Pfleugers in the 30 size and again fireline 2 lb test (I have seldom had a break off from fighting a fish with fireline that includes up to 45 inch Northern pike the drag is that good on a President ). My theory on Rods particularly jigging rods is simple find an one piece action you like for the weight of bait you are going to use then give it this simple sensitivity test , hold the rod In your casting hand place your thumb on the blank gently touch the rod tip to the carpet or floor go over some imperfection in the surface you are touching if you can not feel it you with you thumb put the rod back in the rack. You will be surprised how many $50 rods pass this test and how many $200 ones do not . Seriously trolling , cranks , spinners bottom bouncers for Walleye , small mouth , musky etc I use Garcia C3 except when a line counter is required then I use Daiwa 17 ,27 ( for lead core a 47) all with 10 -14 lb fireline .I have to agree with Art on the long poles,any open face with 4 bearings or more I can buy for $20. cause on a long pole 10-16ft , it don't matter, you do not reel in unless you are long lining then not nearly as much as when you are casting or jiggin so get a good B&M pole or Poles and save a bit on the reels . I really do not know anyone who uses closed face equipment up North as they do not have the durability to stand up against really big fish. I do have a few 33s for the grandkids to start off with .  Now that I actually think about it maybe I have way to much fishing equipment  .... Naaaa !  got the attached on a Penn open face in Costa Rico. Bottom line is use what works for you .
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Fishless on April 17, 2018, 11:26 AM
for casters the Omega reel from zebco is fantastic, I used to wear out a 33 or other version of zebco's in less than a year (cheap built) went to the Omega which has real ball bearings etc. and I get 2+ years on them before I wear them out and they have a real drag on them so you can set it or adjust if you happen to hook a big bass or cat.

If you noticed, I put spinner in the title because I knew you were going to come in and bring up your Zebco.  :P :P :P

spin cast are dumb for casting a lot to shore, the closed face is the way to go,no tangles no line bind easy to operate even when enjoying a cold one. Kind of like I used to use spin cast for surface and swim baits for the big stripers once I mastered the bait caster it is the only way to go for that purpose. Very easy with closed face to under hand cast it underneath brush or a tree. :bootyshake: :bootyshake: :sign0099:
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: PhishingPhreek on April 17, 2018, 11:35 AM
I also use Shimano for my open face reels.  I have several Zebcos including Omega but I only put fluro or mono in those as the crystal fireline/braid doesn't work as well.  I use crystal fireline/braid for a couple of my open face reels I like the line has no give and easier to pull snags out of trees with that line.

I was having issues with the braided line on my spinner reels. I wasn't able to get it to grip onto the reel for most of the morning. Once the line got wet and was wound a few times it got better, but was never perfect. Is there something I need to do different when spooling it? I don't have this issue on my deep sea reels, so I know it's not "that's just how braided line works".
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: OneBlade on April 17, 2018, 11:54 AM
I was having issues with the braided line on my spinner reels. I wasn't able to get it to grip onto the reel for most of the morning. Once the line got wet and was wound a few times it got better, but was never perfect. Is there something I need to do different when spooling it? I don't have this issue on my deep sea reels, so I know it's not "that's just how braided line works".
You need to start initially with mono (maybe fluro) several turns and then tie your braid or crystal fireline. They call it the backing I believe.  This has you put a lot more backing on.  That'll prevent it spinning.
http://www.onthewater.com/how-to-spool-a-spinning-reel-with-braided-line
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: PhishingPhreek on April 17, 2018, 11:59 AM
Open face for most everything ,for Jigging and slip bobbering  I use Pflueger Presidents 20,s and 25,s for 49.99 and 59.99 you can not buy a better reel, spend more if you like but these will outlast most everything else ( I have several Shimanos seldom use them )  and balance really well on a 5'6" to 7.5 ft rod ,all of them are spooled with Fireline crystal on some as light as 2lb test most have 4 lb . For casting really light jigs I use the large spool Pfleugers in the 30 size and again fireline 2 lb test (I have seldom had a break off from fighting a fish with fireline that includes up to 45 inch Northern pike the drag is that good on a President ). My theory on Rods particularly jigging rods is simple find an one piece action you like for the weight of bait you are going to use then give it this simple sensitivity test , hold the rod In your casting hand place your thumb on the blank gently touch the rod tip to the carpet or floor go over some imperfection in the surface you are touching if you can not feel it you with you thumb put the rod back in the rack. You will be surprised how many $50 rods pass this test and how many $200 ones do not . Seriously trolling , cranks , spinners bottom bouncers for Walleye , small mouth , musky etc I use Garcia C3 except when a line counter is required then I use Daiwa 17 ,27 ( for lead core a 47) all with 10 -14 lb fireline .I have to agree with Art on the long poles,any open face with 4 bearings or more I can buy for $20. cause on a long pole 10-16ft , it don't matter, you do not reel in unless you are long lining then not nearly as much as when you are casting or jiggin so get a good B&M pole or Poles and save a bit on the reels . I really do not know anyone who uses closed face equipment up North as they do not have the durability to stand up against really big fish. I do have a few 33s for the grandkids to start off with .  Now that I actually think about it maybe I have way to much fishing equipment  .... Naaaa !  got the attached on a Penn open face in Costa Rico. Bottom line is use what works for you .

The reel I had was a Pflueger and I loved how smooth it was. I would use it on all my different rods for trout, crappie, and stripers. I think I got it as a combo for $60.

So with the long poles (which I have 3), it would be best just to forego quality and get something since there's generally very little reeling going on? Do you think putting braid on these poles with a fluorocarbon leader is good? I've started doing that recently because having to restring all my poles with fluorocarbon gets a little expensive each year.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: PhishingPhreek on April 17, 2018, 01:47 PM
You need to start initially with mono (maybe fluro) several turns and then tie your braid or crystal fireline. They call it the backing I believe.  This has you put a lot more backing on.  That'll prevent it spinning.
http://www.onthewater.com/how-to-spool-a-spinning-reel-with-braided-line

That's great! I think I'm going to change damn near all of my reels to this set up now. Not knowing how to do that uni knot has been holding me back from being able to do this in the past. :)
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Tweeder on April 17, 2018, 02:25 PM
I have used a lot of different brands and found many I like.  Pinnacle, Quantum energy, Diawa Legalis, Okuma Ceymar, Shimanos (Slade, Sedona, Sahara, Symetre, and several bass pro brands.  Only ones I consistently had trouble with were the bass pro reels, that being said they were not the higher end models. Screws would back out during operation and usually fall in the water, bearings got flat spots or bound up and froze, anti reverse broke on one. I may just be unlucky and haven't purchased one in several years so quality could have improved too.  If your not on a budget the symetre and enegry are pretty nice smaller spinning reels.  Best reel on a budget at this time I would recommend the Okuma Ceymar, think they are about $40 at sportsmans and I use mine for casting for crappie and also as my drop shot reel for bass.  Haven't had any issues with it.  My long rods are strung with 8 or 10 lb power pro which I tie to a swivel. All my jig double jig set ups and drop shot rigs are pretied to clip on as needed which I learned from Sparkchaser.  Braid lasts for a long time and you don't get the line memory if you don't use it often like me.  Like Matt said though if you are having trouble with braid not gripping the spool, use some mono or flouro backing and fuse the line with a surgeons knot. 
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Fishless on April 17, 2018, 04:23 PM
I have used a lot of different brands and found many I like.  Pinnacle, Quantum energy, Diawa Legalis, Okuma Ceymar, Shimanos (Slade, Sedona, Sahara, Symetre, and several bass pro brands.  Only ones I consistently had trouble with were the bass pro reels, that being said they were not the higher end models. Screws would back out during operation and usually fall in the water, bearings got flat spots or bound up and froze, anti reverse broke on one. I may just be unlucky and haven't purchased one in several years so quality could have improved too.  If your not on a budget the symetre and enegry are pretty nice smaller spinning reels.  Best reel on a budget at this time I would recommend the Okuma Ceymar, think they are about $40 at sportsmans and I use mine for casting for crappie and also as my drop shot reel for bass.  Haven't had any issues with it.  My long rods are strung with 8 or 10 lb power pro which I tie to a swivel. All my jig double jig set ups and drop shot rigs are pretied to clip on as needed which I learned from Sparkchaser.  Braid lasts for a long time and you don't get the line memory if you don't use it often like me.  Like Matt said though if you are having trouble with braid not gripping the spool, use some mono or flouro backing and fuse the line with a surgeons knot.

The BPS Johnny Morris bait casters are not all that quality either for the price you pay?
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: sparkchaser on April 17, 2018, 06:32 PM
I use Shimano Sedonas on my jig rods. Pfluger Presidents on my long rods. All are strung with 6 lb fireline or suffix 832. I pre tie all of my minnows rigs with 6lb floro and connect to a snap swivel on the braid.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: IAMMAC on April 18, 2018, 07:38 AM
My long rods have baitcasters on them.  They are a lot easier to use when spider-rigging.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Tweeder on April 18, 2018, 08:42 AM

The BPS Johnny Morris bait casters are not all that quality either for the price you pay?

I haven't owned a Johnny Morris but I bought a pro qualifier a few years back that I wasn't impressed with.  still have it and use a backup mostly.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: sandman on April 18, 2018, 09:55 AM
A wrap of electrical tape around the spool keeps the braid from spinning too.. You can really cinch your arbor knot down with that 'cushion'.

90% of the spinning reels are made by Pinnacle/Silstar, no matter whose name is on them. Different quality gears and bearings is about the only difference.

I've had my best luck with some DAM reels that I got in Germany.

Next would be some Shimanos and Daiwas. Not the bottom end but not the top end either. For most crappie fishing, the reels are just line holders. Good castability is not always important.

For the casting reels, look for the better line roller setups on the bails. That makes the most difference in my book as far as twists and tangles are concerned,
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: Art Chamberlin on April 18, 2018, 10:23 AM
I've got 14 or 15 Shakespeare Sigma 200's and have been using them for many years. They were $19.95 per at Wally World. Oh yea, sorry, they don't make them anymore! ......Art
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: PhishingPhreek on April 18, 2018, 11:06 AM
I've got 14 or 15 Shakespeare Sigma 200's and have been using them for many years. They were $19.95 per at Wally World. Oh yea, sorry, they don't make them anymore! ......Art

I have 2 or 3 of those that I got on combo rods for trout fishing when I was in high school. I think I still have 1 of them with string that I occasionally use. It's definitely been my longest last reel.
Title: Re: Spinner Reels For Crappie
Post by: craigm on April 18, 2018, 12:55 PM
I also use Shimano for my open face reels.  I have several Zebcos including Omega but I only put fluro or mono in those as the crystal fireline/braid doesn't work as well.  I use crystal fireline/braid for a couple of my open face reels I like the line has no give and easier to pull snags out of trees with that line.

I was having issues with the braided line on my spinner reels. I wasn't able to get it to grip onto the reel for most of the morning. Once the line got wet and was wound a few times it got better, but was never perfect. Is there something I need to do different when spooling it? I don't have this issue on my deep sea reels, so I know it's not "that's just how braided line works".
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Most new reels hav a rubber insert on the spool to keep Braid from slipping , but a trick I learned many years ago when Braid first came out , use a regular slip knot ,loop it several times around the spool then give it a drop of super glue , let it dry the spool it up.
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