I am in need of an ultralight spinning reel to be mounted to a 4-piece, 8ft rod I am building from a vintage FG Conolon blank for use in the High Sierra for Golden Trout. The handle will be a Tennessee style to afford adjusting the position of the spinning reel while accommodate a fly reel as well.
In my quest to find an appropriate ultralight spinning reel, I find many for under $30.00 which obviously lack quality components and construction and then the price jumps to over $130.00, most of which are too large and/or heavy to be considered a true ultralight. I would like to find a decent quality ultralight reel in the $50.00-75.00, possibly $100.00 range with the following features to compliment this rod for my son:
1.) Graphite body and rotor construction is fine if not even preferred for reduced weight. Aluminum spool certainly preferred though.
2.) Spool capacity of 100-130yds max of 4# fluoro.
3.) Multiple bearings (10 are excessive but one won’t cut it).
4.) Additional spool availability/purchasable a big plus +.
I have had (and still have) a number of the inexpensive ultralight reels and they perform(ed) adequately. However, this rod (and my son) deserves a higher quality reel than the norm (for my personal use). From my research, it seems reel manufactures do not consider the average ultralight angler to be very quality conscious.
Thank you for any insight, advice or recommendations.
}><))))))*< ~J

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Shimano® Spirex Rear Drag SR1000RG or Daiwa Tournament SS Spinning Reels ss700

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Pflueger 6520

The SS line at Diawa I think is every bit as nice, and iconic as the DAM Quicks and Abu Cardinals were in their time. See them on old G Loomis rods still catching steelhead after 30 years, smelly and encrusted in egg goo, but still getting the job done. Haven't spun a new one lately, so the Pfleugers may be smoother, but I doubt any of the new reels will stay in production as long.

Shimano Symetre Fj 1000 I have is very smooth and great casting reel for the $. I was worried once about it when I busted my tail slipping on a creek’s mud bank and the reel went into the silty mud. It took rinsing, cleaning and lube at home and now it works perfect. Some of the reels that have less bearings like the Daiwa SS could of been rinsed in the creek and kept on fishing but they are not as smooth. Like anything there is always a compromise.

Spencer Phipps Wrote:
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> The SS line at Diawa I think is every bit as nice,
> and iconic as the DAM Quicks and Abu Cardinals
> were in their time. See them on old G Loomis rods
> still catching steelhead after 30 years, smelly
> and encrusted in egg goo, but still getting the
> job done. Haven't spun a new one lately, so the
> Pfleugers may be smoother, but I doubt any of the
> new reels will stay in production as long.


I'm not so sure. The Pflueger President has been in production for quite some number of years with very few changes and they're still selling like hot cakes.

I have a couple of Shimano Sahara 1000s very nice reel for about $80. Not as light as my Shimano Stradic CI4s, but still very smooth and reliable.
Norm

I agree with Norman and Jay. Not a Diawa fan, but that's just me.

Okuma RTS 25 or 30. Under 7 oz 6:1 gear ratio 7+1 bearings. I've been using one for a couple of years with good results. I fish several times a week all year.

I have the Okuma RTX 25 and it is a good reel, but it has a 200 yd 6lb. mono capacity. I do not own, but it may fit your needs, Okuma Inspira 20B. I do own the Pflueger president XT size 25 and it has been good for me and might be what you are looking for.

You might also take a look at some of the "house" reels of some of the fishing outlets. i.e. reels that are sold under their house name. Every now and then you may run across one that is really exceptional for a very reasonable price. But, to find that particular reel, you need to do some hands on work of the appropriate reels to find that gem in the box of stones.

Good luck

My take on reels is I don't need or want the most expensive or the most bearings it has to be functional under all conditions as for an aluminum spool not a big necessity either as they can be scraped and nicked cutting in to your line on a cast the carbon plastic spools can be fixed easily compared to an aluminum spool with a deep nick or scrape on it .
the spinning reels I have are in the 50 - 90 dollar range when they get beat I don't feel that it is worth fixing and replace it with a new one.
I have Abu Garcia, Shimano, and Diawa reels in different sizes for walleyes, panfish,trout,and pike
where I don't skimp is on the bait level wing casting reels as the get worked hard when fishing.
but that is just me every couple of years one or another goes in the trash box and is replaced with a new spinning reel for that type of fishing as they get fished hard also but not worth paying to get them repaired because for a few more dollars I can get a new one to fish the @#$%& out of

The best day to be alive is always tomorrow !!
Think out side the box when all else fails !!!
Wi.

Mark,
For the use that you want for the rod and reel, I suspect that you want a rig that has a good casting distance. I have fished for trout like these before and I generally use the longest cast possible to get to the spooky fish.

Having said that, I have found that I get the best casting distance with one of the large thin bodied reels in an appropriate size for the rods.

In particular, this is an excellent example of a reel with the compact body, but large spool which really lets the rod cast out a lot of line on the cast. Also, with the retrieve rate, you can cast out past the fish - work the fish, and then quickly reel back for another cast.

The weight with the 10 ball bearings is also a nice plus with this reel.

[www.basspro.com]

Thanks to all of those replying. I certainly appreciate you taking the time to offer your insight and assistance. I have not decided yet but I now have a much broader and informative base to utilize in my final decision. Thanks again, you guys are great.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.