Spinning reels

[Ranger99]

Who all uses spinning reels?
Most of my fishing is done with
baitcasting reels like the Garcia Ambassador
and such, and sometimes spin cast like the Zebcos.
I do use spinning reels occasionally like the
Mitchell 300's, except ultralight and crappie
rods and such. I do have one regular
spinning outfit that I don't even know the
make of, and a surf casting 16 18 foot job
for distance fishing.
I was wondering what is sold these days
that can be bought without taking out
a bank loan. I know a $100.00 plus reel is
nothing anymore to a lot of  folks, but
all that professional  grade stuff is out of
my league and budget
I started many moons ago with a cane pole
and line, so I could probably out fish a lot of
people with expensive rigs.
Any recommendations ?

[Dee]

Who all uses spinning reels?
Most of my fishing is done with
baitcasting reels like the Garcia Ambassador
and such, and sometimes spin cast like the Zebcos.
I do use spinning reels occasionally like the
Mitchell 300's, except ultralight and crappie
rods and such. I do have one regular
spinning outfit that I don't even know the
make of, and a surf casting 16 18 foot job
for distance fishing.
I was wondering what is sold these days
that can be bought without taking out
a bank loan. I know a $100.00 plus reel is
nothing anymore to a lot of  folks, but
all that professional  grade stuff is out of
my league and budget
I started many moons ago with a cane pole
and line, so I could probably out fish a lot of
people with expensive rigs.
Any recommendations ?

Sounds like my life regarding fishin. I use used Ambassadors I found in pawn shops, I've got a green 5000D my dad had, it's my favorite, but I also have several older Zebco 33s.

[Ranger99]

There's 2 5000D's sitting right to the
left of me on 7 1/2 foot flipping rods.
They were pawn shop rejects on junk
rods that got a douche and lube, and
they became my catfish bait fishing
rods. After we started going to the
gulf often, then to SE Louisiana, they
evolved into redfish bait fishing rods
by a spray of murky salt water

[Ranger99]

I wasn't sure about spinning reels since so
much has changed and evolved as far as
fishing tackle in the last decade (?)
All the baitcasting reels nowadays remind
me of 2021 cars for sale. If it wasn't for
the emblems, they'd be hard to tell apart.

[oldandslow]

My fishing today consists of driving into the lake at the city park which is stocked rather half heartedly by the state. For some reason this county gets the short end of the stick with everything the state has a hand in. They put a few trout in in cold months and a few catfish in in hot months. The moderate months in between get nothing.

With that semi-rant out of the way I have hung up all the baigcasters but one light rig. I gave most of the others away. I use a couple of ultra-lite spinning rigs  for the mostly ultra-lite fish available for me to catch. My favorite is an old Berkley 5' graphite rod that is super sensitive and a Spidermite reel with the lightest synthetic line I can find, the rig that I caught a lot of trout with in the upper Pecos and Mora rivers back when we went camping. There are a half dozen ultra light rigs hanging on hooks in top of my garage that I alternate using but the old rig is still my favorite. A hand sized perch, generic for all sunfish including bluegill here, or a 12-14" channel cat is pretty fun with it. Sometimes I will put a top water something or the other on the baitcaster and walk the edges trying for a bass. I know of one eight pounder that has been caught from this little lake.

It has been so constantly windy this year that I haven't gotten my fishing license although it's a freebie.

[darkgael]

For the surf....the Atlantic off Jacob Riis Park....I have a Penn Squall conventional paired with a 10 ft Penn rod. I also use an Avet MC reel with the same rod. I do have a 16’ spinning rod and a big ol’ Daiwa spinner for reaching out to the sandbar.
Often from the piers in and around NY harbor I will use a seven foot baitcasting rod paired with a Zebco 808 or a Z03 Pro.
Trout in the PA freestone streams has me using a Tenkara rod more often than not. For bigger fish, like AK salmon later this July, I will use an 8wt line on a 9ft rod or a Fin-nor spinner on a seven footer.
When I visit my son in CA, the trip usually includes a party boat to the Farallons for rockfish....a Penn 309 level wind reel and a stiff seven foot boat rod fishing a twelve ounce hex jig. A killer combo.

[Ranger99]

Well I'll probably have to get a
new(er) regular sized spinning
reel. The one I have is gilflirted
internally, and the anti reverse
is a no go.  I tried to fix it, but it's
not repairable.  I did get it to where
it works except for anti reverse,
but it'll mean trying to manually
hold everything in place to let the
drag function as needed

[darkgael]

Gilflirted.....what a great word.
I have had my best experiences with Garcia spinning reels. Reliable, smooth.

[Ranger99]

Gilflirted.....what a great word. . .

Borrowed that from an old girlfriend.
That was her word of choice as opposed
to saying something was f'd up

[oldandslow]

The best spinning reel I have ever used is the small Penn. No bells and whistles or 15 ball bearings or such. It is over thirty years old and still worked as well as it did brand new the last time I used it. It's been put up for a few years now. I bought two, one for me, and one for my wife. Hers has a lot more miles on it than mine because while I was using mostly bait casters unless I switched to small jigs she was busy with that Penn on an Ugly Stik. She caught just as many fish with that simple set up as I did with my multiple baitcasters and that one Penn spinner. The only thing was I could switch lures by just switching rods while she had to change out whatever was on her Ugly Stik. Neither of these reels ever required any repairs, just a clean and lube now and then is all that's ever been done to them.

[Dee]

I've got a couple a older Mitchell 300s I use when I'm not catfishing.