Cheap match reels
- Thread starter mouse
- Start date
sumtime
Well-known member
Okuma had some really good priced reels that I've used in the past. Gave my son the three I had as his tackle was stolen.
Couldn't fault them and one was an Epix baitrunner.
Have a look at the carbonite match, looks okay to me.
Couldn't fault them and one was an Epix baitrunner.
Have a look at the carbonite match, looks okay to me.
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Lord Paul of Sheffield
Well-known member
shakespeare usually are a god bet for decent low priced gear , but for reels I'm be prepared to spend a bit more - I've bought cheap in the past and they have not lasted
arthur2sheds
Well-known member
Have a look at the Shimano Alivio's in 3000 and 4000 sizes, also try Daiwa Sweepfire Reels in the same size... for even cheaper look at the Shimano Hyperloop reels altho' I'd spend the extra money TBH on the Alivio's or the Sweepfires
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Keith M
Well-known member
Sorry for side stepping this post but that Rovex Ceratec reel that Trotter2 suggested also looks a great reel for lure fishing for Bass in salt water too, as it is sea water friendly.
For a little under £40 I think I might buy one just for my sea lure fishing and mullet fishing.
Keith
For a little under £40 I think I might buy one just for my sea lure fishing and mullet fishing.
Keith
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caught any mate
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For just a smidge over your budget the drennan series 7 are very good.I have both the 30 and 40 size,for the money i think their hard to beat
I have a couple of the Drennan Red Range float reels. For £20 they're fantastic, admittedly if you fork out a little more then you can find nicer bits of kit. However, I have had no issues with them at all, they seem fantastic on the few occasions that I've used them. Admittedly I use a pole 90% of the time but when the waggler comes out (mainly silvers at distance, not had any lumps on them yet so can't comment on drag function) they have gone above and beyond what I expected for the price.
Hope this is of some use
Hope this is of some use
robtherake
Well-known member
Not a patch on the earlier Okumas. Number 2 daughter's boyfriend bought one as a first reel and although there's little wrong with it, the "X" factor was missing, for me. Personally, I'd go for a well-kept Shimano Supermatch. It'll take you a little over-budget at £30-40, but it's money well spent: they're not only good, they're virtually bombproof.
Ray Daywalker Clarke
Well-known member
There are loads of reels on the market now, if you can afford a little extra, £30 to £40, you have a much wider range of very good reels.
Nothing wrong with the Drennan, depends on how much of a tackle tart you are, or may become
Nothing wrong with the Drennan, depends on how much of a tackle tart you are, or may become
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Mouse : Apologies for cutting across your thread, but I would like to ask about the suitability of some of reels mentioned to certain rods.....
Firstly I am neither a tackle tart nor do I have budget issues.
I am also looking for a light float reel to specifically match, and nicely balance with both 12' & 14' Drennan Matchpro Ultralight rods, so my thinking is something in the 2500 range.
90% of my fishing done close in with a centrepin for silvers, but on the odd occasion I do need extra distance ( with the 12' rod ) and the Drennan Red Range looks to be ideal with 2 shallow spools without the need for backing and ideal for the minimal use it might get.
The Catana 4000 also looks okay ( among others ) but maybe a little big ?
HOWEVER, I would rather pay extra for real quality than make do with something that is not smooth, and more than anything else unbalanced with the rod, simply because I hold the rods most of the time.
Anyway, if anyone have any thoughts on this it would help me make a decision.....
ps Perhaps the above needed a separate thread, so apologies again to ' mouse '
Firstly I am neither a tackle tart nor do I have budget issues.
I am also looking for a light float reel to specifically match, and nicely balance with both 12' & 14' Drennan Matchpro Ultralight rods, so my thinking is something in the 2500 range.
90% of my fishing done close in with a centrepin for silvers, but on the odd occasion I do need extra distance ( with the 12' rod ) and the Drennan Red Range looks to be ideal with 2 shallow spools without the need for backing and ideal for the minimal use it might get.
The Catana 4000 also looks okay ( among others ) but maybe a little big ?
HOWEVER, I would rather pay extra for real quality than make do with something that is not smooth, and more than anything else unbalanced with the rod, simply because I hold the rods most of the time.
Anyway, if anyone have any thoughts on this it would help me make a decision.....
ps Perhaps the above needed a separate thread, so apologies again to ' mouse '
robtherake
Well-known member
Something I mentioned on another thread is the balance of the reel itself. Rear drag reels - by design - tend to have a neutral or slightly rearward balance, while front drag models - despite being fractionally lighter - tend to have a forward balance. The difference isn't great, but it's enough to make an appreciable difference in the hand, especially with a longer rod. For this reason alone it's worth taking your rod to the tackle shop and hanging a few reels on it in order to feel the difference. It's one of the reasons why I favour the old-style Shimano Supermatch reels, which are neutrally balanced compared to the more modern front drag Exage that I use on shorter rods.
sam vimes
Well-known member
Tee-Cee,
don't get hung up on the reel size with regards to weight and balancing rods. The weight differences between 2500, 3000 and 4000 can be neither here nor there in many reel ranges. In many ranges it will matter little which you choose. In others, it may actually be beneficial to use the larger models.
Despite the popular misconception, most rods balance point is well above the reel seat. Even with a reel fitted, that remains the case. Even with the stupidly light 13' Drennan Acolyte Ultra, that's reputed to be brilliantly balanced, this is the case. Without a reel fitted (and the reel seat screwed down), the Acolyte balances 15.5" above the (fixed) back edge of the reel seat. With a 4000 sized Shimano rear drag match reel (admittedly a pretty light model) fitted, the balance point is reduced to 6" above the back edge of the reel seat. With the same model reel in 3000 size, the balance point moves forward another half inch. Putting the notoriously weighty Abu 507 Mk2 Gold Max on it, the balance point moves back to 5" above the back edge of the reel seat. Even with this monster fitted, the balance point is fractionally forward of the cork.
The above is one of the reasons that I have absolutely no use for reels smaller that 3000 size. The weight reductions offer little pratical benefit. A rod can paradoxically feel lighter with a heavier reel fitted. The smaller reels invariably have lower diameter spools, which means tighter coils of line coming off. It's also often the case with Shimano models that the 3000 model has an "S" suffix, indicating shallow match spools. This means that the 2500 models often have a greater line capacity than the bigger 3000S model.
Another negative for the 2500 size reels is that they are often fitted with shorter handles. That alone drives me batty. It's also worth bearing in mind that the body sizes on 2500, 3000 and 4000 sized Shimano reels are often exactly the same, only the rotor and spool change. Sometimes only the depth of the spool changes.
I can tell you that my 11' Drennan Matchpro Ultralight tends to wear a rear drag Shimano 3000S reel. The balance point is just above the cork. Even with a 4000 fitted, the balance point is the width of your finger further back.
I very much doubt that you should be looking at 2500 sized reels, from a balance point of view, for your 12 and 14' Matchpro Ultralights. Even the really cheap models shouldn't be heavy enough to bring the balance so far back as to be a problem.
don't get hung up on the reel size with regards to weight and balancing rods. The weight differences between 2500, 3000 and 4000 can be neither here nor there in many reel ranges. In many ranges it will matter little which you choose. In others, it may actually be beneficial to use the larger models.
Despite the popular misconception, most rods balance point is well above the reel seat. Even with a reel fitted, that remains the case. Even with the stupidly light 13' Drennan Acolyte Ultra, that's reputed to be brilliantly balanced, this is the case. Without a reel fitted (and the reel seat screwed down), the Acolyte balances 15.5" above the (fixed) back edge of the reel seat. With a 4000 sized Shimano rear drag match reel (admittedly a pretty light model) fitted, the balance point is reduced to 6" above the back edge of the reel seat. With the same model reel in 3000 size, the balance point moves forward another half inch. Putting the notoriously weighty Abu 507 Mk2 Gold Max on it, the balance point moves back to 5" above the back edge of the reel seat. Even with this monster fitted, the balance point is fractionally forward of the cork.
The above is one of the reasons that I have absolutely no use for reels smaller that 3000 size. The weight reductions offer little pratical benefit. A rod can paradoxically feel lighter with a heavier reel fitted. The smaller reels invariably have lower diameter spools, which means tighter coils of line coming off. It's also often the case with Shimano models that the 3000 model has an "S" suffix, indicating shallow match spools. This means that the 2500 models often have a greater line capacity than the bigger 3000S model.
Another negative for the 2500 size reels is that they are often fitted with shorter handles. That alone drives me batty. It's also worth bearing in mind that the body sizes on 2500, 3000 and 4000 sized Shimano reels are often exactly the same, only the rotor and spool change. Sometimes only the depth of the spool changes.
I can tell you that my 11' Drennan Matchpro Ultralight tends to wear a rear drag Shimano 3000S reel. The balance point is just above the cork. Even with a 4000 fitted, the balance point is the width of your finger further back.
I very much doubt that you should be looking at 2500 sized reels, from a balance point of view, for your 12 and 14' Matchpro Ultralights. Even the really cheap models shouldn't be heavy enough to bring the balance so far back as to be a problem.
Ray Daywalker Clarke
Well-known member
Tee/Cee
You might be better off taking your rod to the tackle shop, and put the reels onto the rod. That way you will get the balance that you want.
My local shop allows anglers to take tackle in to make sure they are getting what they want. I have seen guys bring in all kinds of stuff to make sure a reel fits the rod, Bedchair fits the Barrow, etc.
You might be better off taking your rod to the tackle shop, and put the reels onto the rod. That way you will get the balance that you want.
My local shop allows anglers to take tackle in to make sure they are getting what they want. I have seen guys bring in all kinds of stuff to make sure a reel fits the rod, Bedchair fits the Barrow, etc.
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
That's really great info Sam and tells me everything I need to know.
Very much appreciated and no doubt of use to others.....
Very much appreciated and no doubt of use to others.....
swcf
Member
I have one of the Drennan red range reels with a shallow spool, for £20 it feels like a reel worth £100. I use it for all my waggler fishing.
I also have a Shakespeare Sigma front drag with shallow spool, again cost around £20 and it's been a cracking reel.
Ps. Still like my old Mitchell Match too!
I also have a Shakespeare Sigma front drag with shallow spool, again cost around £20 and it's been a cracking reel.
Ps. Still like my old Mitchell Match too!
Since my last post I found out from a helpful tackle shop the body sizes on the new shimanos exage and stradic are the 2500 and the 3000 are the same body size. The 4000 is larger and the 2000 is smaller "that on the new ones". But the difference is small.
Just what I have found out.
Just what I have found out.
Steve King
Well-known member
I'm amazed by the quality of a lot of the cheaper reels currently on the market! When I was a kid and a teenager all the cheaper reels were horrible!
I heard several bad reports of the Drennan reels not long after they were released on the market, but to be fair I've not heard anything bad recently so hopeful they got over the problem.
I bought a Lidl's "baitrunner style" reel a couple of years ago and I have no complaints at all about it!