Tips for Choosing a Spinning Reel

Weight, retrieve rate, gear construction, and water resistance are among the factors to consider when buying a fishing reel. Why do some companies offer so models? I'll shed some light on that.
Affiliate Links to reels:
Slammer 3: bit.ly/2BzxZe5
SSV: bit.ly/2kZKrg2
Clash: bit.ly/2BVFo3n
Conflict 2: amzn.to/2BFA7kn
Battle 2: amzn.to/2C4v1uZ
The above are affiliate links.

[@johnsweeney1400]

After reviewing this video, I bought a Conflict II 2500 matched with a St. Croix Premier MF, mostly for it's light weight and it's smooth as silk. Pulled in about 30 fish with it on a boat the other day and love it so far. Going to hit the beach with it later today. Thanks for the video John

[@bigdeliciousband]

I opened up my Clash 6000 tonight after watching this video, worried about water intrusion, having dunked the reel quite a bit in Montauk this year (using the rod as a cane for wading out.) Was shocked to find not a bit of evidence of a single drop of water penetrating any part of this reel. That sucker is solid tight. Don't see why it doesn't have a better reputation for this.

[@mikescott8225]

Love this video. Thanks. Would you consider an update? Also a rundown of the differences on the various Tsunami reels would be helpful.

[@wayne3043]

Love the clash ! Have 4 of them.... super smooth and well built ..... never had a problem

[@gatorhator1138]

wayne schrader

[@mikelyons7511]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Shimano Saragosa. They are an excellent reel, and very Bulletproof.

[@RH421939]

slammer 3 is the way to go I had that reel completely under water in cancun fighting a 25-30 pound jack crevalle for 20 minutes and it performed flawless, got back to my room at resort and opened it up and it was completely dry anyone wondering why the hell I would take it under water I had to jump off the jetty I was on to try to maneuver the fish away from the rocks not to smart when the water got above my head but I did land it

[@wrightackle1]

The Penn bashers come out right on cue along with the Alan hawk contingent. I bought a Fin-Nor lethal 100 after reading his glowing review and it turned out to be crap. Handles continually fail and the stand broke where it meets the housing. He panned the ssv's because he destroyed the pinion gear. The ssv's have performed well for me. I like Daiwa and the quantum boca's and cabos's. Not hung up on Penn by any means but Penn should be given some credit for coming out with some fine reels.

[@Distantttt]

pat agreed. their past couple of reels have been a hit or miss like the battle and clash, some love it, some hate. but the ssv, the slammer are amazing reels, and with the spin fisher vi coming soon, i think penn is headed in the right direction

[@dartfrogger]

Penns are great if you get a good one.. I have two clashes (one was a dud that was exchanged), my slammer has been stellar, three battles were all brutal, the fierce live liner has been excellent.... and Injust got the new spinfisher y live liner... and I had two duds IN A ROW! same problem on both.... bent main shaft and bent clicker plate.. replacement straight from Penn just arrived today.... they say it's perfect...Great designs, easy to mess around with... rock solid.. but you have to get a good one... and right now, if tonight's reel is good... I'll be 5 for 11

[@jammin1881]

pat Yeah you always get hit and miss with any company. My penn battle has held up very well and so has my shimano Sheros. Happy with both so far after 6 or so seasons.

[@eves08109]

You're lucky your battle has worked well for you that long.

[@tacklecentralfishing1051]

I was looking for a video just like this. THANK YOU JOHN!

[@1414bdub]

What reel would you consider if It’s going to get soaked in the salt water? Price range around 200-400.....You’re videos are amazing! So much knowledge. . BW

[@willmyschlongro4280]

For serious dunking, nothing beats a Van Staal. You can get the VR model (totally sealed reel) in that price range.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

As Will said, a Van Staal is great, but I just looked up the VR series and saw $500-$590. So for the 200-400 range, I'd say Slammer 3. I've abused my 6500 and it's been great.

[@willmyschlongro4280]

Sorry, I thought the new VR 50 was under $400...I was wrong. ($489) Would like to try a Slammer, especially since smaller models can be had for less than $200 now, seems like a steal!

[@marpar3971]

john what about the old greenies ?these reels are nearly 50 years old , but there still durable .

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

The 706, because of that big line roller, is braid-friendly. I wouldn't use the others with braid.

[@thecatdaddyexperience1222]

Sir. I just ordered your bucktails from J&H Tackle in-line (the set in the sleeve). I love all the skinner jigs. Thank you from KY!!! The hybrid striped bass love em

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

Hey glad to hear of you bucktailing the hybrids! What state are you in?

[@thecatdaddyexperience1222]

John Skinner Fishing I live in ky. Fish the discharge/hydro at Meldahl dam for them.

[@ztan07]

Do you add a trailer to this bucktail? I'm from AL and I used bucktails under the dams as well. I like to add a pork rind behind it to enhance the presentation, draw more attentions from the bigger saltwater stripers.

[@thecatdaddyexperience1222]

Tan David I’ll either add a pork rind or a 3” curly tail grub.

[@Balzy73]

There are several youtubers that take apart reels and do reviews. The Penn Slammer 3 has some serious design flaws. I use and love the Penn Clash reels. I’ve got 3 and have not had any issues.

[@samotmane5043]

lol there"s a disconnect between perceived design flaws and real world performance if you're referring to tackle advisors claims about the roller busing, and pinion gear support I assure you they are not issues. read penn"s response to his pinion gear claims, the roller bushing issue has NEVER existed for me on any penns and penn upgraded it to a sealed bearing for 2018. whats more, all of those "design flaws" are the same on your clash reels and like you said, no issues. in fact the design on most penn reels is almost identical. those guys have some great information but i wouldn't let them keep you from buying a reel especially one as well received and reviewed as the slammer.

[@eves08109]

Exactly!..Just because something could be a problem doesn't mean it will. There are plenty of captains that use the Slammers and haven't had any problems with them.

[@tomparker8932]

Before my uncle passed he sent one of 2 Penn Slammers to my father which in turn i inherited ($10 deals each as the guy went out of business!) great reel, need to service it for the season (bearings) this year. BTW, thanx for helpful vid. Basically i use a Penn Fierce II reel with 30 lb. braided on a Penn Prevail 9 footer. LOL too many Penn's, too good not to Penn it.

[@SinCityOutdoors]

Nice tips, Thx

[@VIDEOZAL]

You can throw rocks at me but, owning dozens of reels over the course of years, at some point I stopped at VS. Using vs200 and vs100 for everything and not going to another spinning reel. Ever.

[@eves08109]

And honestly if you're a hardcore surf angler that's all you need.

[@VIDEOZAL]

@@eves08109 that’s it. To be 100% frank there’s fish like blackfish and albies for which VS is too slow and I’d use some pen or shimano stuff but I’m too lazy to carry it all those 100ft from my car to the shore.

[@mikescott8225]

Four years and a couple of model updates later, I'm wondering if you'd consider making a follow up early in '22.

[@eves08109]

I can give you an update since I have the Battle II, Spin Fisher v and Slammer lll...The Slammer 3 is new so I can't give a fair analysis although I'm not worried at all about problems with this reel because I know too many people including captains that are very pleased after multiple seasons of use with the Slammer. The Battle 2 is my only regret. In all fairness it was my fault for the main gear damage due to dropping it in saltwater and not tearing it apart for cleaning and re-greasing but even after an overhaul and 10 seasons of light use I wouldn't buy another one. It still works but it absolutely has no smoothness at all and I really take care of my reels. Now I'm not dissatisfied for the use I got out of it from this point but I just don't think it was worth what I paid considering I would have been better off buying the Fierce for that quality. My Spinfisher v 7500 has however held out very well after 10 seasons with lighter use than my Battle but unlike the Battle this reel is not showing any sign of replacing parts any time soon.

[@williamkenney339]

Applause! Could you do one for Shimano reels? The choice of those is more bewildering. It seems they have a different model for every $10 price point. At what point do we know we are getting our money's worth? Also, one for Penn conventional reels?

[@edwardegnor8812]

Hey John have you ever tried a Quantum Cabo pts 40 I’ve been using them for well over 10years now and the dead system is unmatched in my opinion super smooth and the titanium bail has never failed you should give one a try the 40 is best but the 50 & 60 are good also I also have penns and shimano

[@iphone3gsdivine]

Edward Egnor I have the 50pts awesome reel

[@EliteBassStickFishing]

💯💪👊LET'S GO!!! LEGEND TALK!!!

[@clivewinter3351]

Great information I'm a huge Penn fan

[@catfishmac2817]

What size slammer 3 should you recommend for a 11’ surf rod medium action. I’m not positive but I don’t think their making the savage anymore .thanks for the great videos

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

6500 or 7500

[@thirstyowlthethird9409]

I have had problems with Penn gears stripping. This makes me afraid to pull the trigger on a Slammer 3. I just feel the quality isn't there anymore.

[@CapeCodCanalFishing]

ThirstyOwl TheThird yup hearing the same, especially the battle ll. I'll stick with daiwa

[@danstephens1388]

I have both the battle II in a 5x size and slammer 3 in a 6k size. Battle did have some issues with the gears stripping but sent it back to Penn and got it fixed. No issues with the slammer though. The Tsunami shield is really becoming my favorite though

[@outdoors-fun]

They also arent good at sealing. Go read Alan Hawks Review on the Slammer..

[@TackleAdvisors]

Sup brah! I spoke with Alan the other day and he said he wasn't doing a slammer review any time soon? He put one out?

[@thirstyowlthethird9409]

Tackle Advisors must be the Clash review which turned to mush on Albies for me.

[@anthonygregorio2208]

Enjoyed this video John. Thank you very much. Is something else to consider regarding the weight of the reel is how it's balanced on the rod? Are there certain size reels that match up better with certain size rods?

[@edwardegnor8812]

Anthony Gregorio yes in my opinion it’s best to take the reel with when buying a rod or if your buying both pick the reel and put it on a rod check balance bigger reel to heavier or longer rods ie medium med heavy heavy action med slow med fast to fast and extra fast so on hoped this helped

[@michaelhanlon732]

Ive beat the hell out of my ssv. Gone without rinsing it, dunked, cranked underwater, 8 years still work good lol.

[@akner2011]

Cant beat the SSV, I've had the 4500 and 6500 bailess for 2 years not, use heavily and have not had a single issue.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I wish they'd make a bailess slammer 3. I also like the bailess 6500.

[@jayespada3739]

I follow you videos and i think there great, good info but now that you put thos video up. Do ypu consider PENN over SHIMANO.

[@achamess]

Daiwa BG series. No other reels necessary unless you want to go fully sealed.

[@MrGb4ever]

Good reel!...I only use that and the Spin Fisher series.

[@macussa]

Was looking at the Penn Slammer Spinning Reel III usally fish jettys, surfcasting, from nj to cape cod. so reel goes in water once and a while :) .. Rods are around 11 ft , is the Penn Slammer Spinning Reel III 7500 or should i go higher ?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

Perfect.

[@thecatdaddyexperience1222]

Also, I was wondering what size reel would be good for a 10’ surf rod? I’m using a shimano 5000 fi at the moment

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I'd put a 6000 on a 10'. Some people might put on a 5000.

[@thecatdaddyexperience1222]

John Skinner Fishing awesome. I’m trying to see if I can find a penn also. How bout a penn? What one would you suggest? I’ve looked at a conflict.

[@nickt423]

John Skinner Fishing Would you go with the 4000 size on a 9 footer?

[@Gusbass-md2ii]

In your opinion, is the PENN spinfisher v better than the tsunami shield spinning reel?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I'd go for the Penn, but for roughly 40% more money than the Shield, it should be better. That said, the Shield is amazing at that $100ish price.

[@Ill23]

Slammer 3 alllll day long

[@thomastuorto9929]

Anyone know if the Slammer reels can go bailless.

[@robertstosch5601]

Thoughts on the Tsunami Shield 5000/6000 series? Not sure if you have fished with it yet or not.

[@CapeCodCanalFishing]

robert stosch the shield is getting great reviews from the anglers that are using them, hearing nothing but good things, I'm gonna pick one up, can't beat the price either.

[@horseblinderson4747]

I got the Amazon sale for Slammer 3's and got two to replace my battles for my 8 foot rods. They say if you baby them they're fine but still don't have the longevity you'll get with spending more, but doing so dilegently. From what I've personally observed where they're actually out on display on the shelves they're actually accruing milage just being in display granted kids are playing with them and people are fiddling them and whatnot but that's happening without water and actually usage. Basically I've read that they don't stay nice for long from the reviews I've seen, and the ones I've seen on display. Now a reel that starts nice and stays nice Shimano, but they don't have near the drag Penn does pound for pound, and they feel like a fine scalpel, where as the Penns feel like a Louisville slugger.

[@jamesireland9188]

Was waiting for the hate comments about the Penn reel lol.

[@melissawright5508]

Is there a better model to keep out sand?

[@willmyschlongro4280]

Slammer and SSV both have decent sealing for water and sand

[@melissawright5508]

Thanks I have been afraid of getting an expensive reel because of my inexperience. If this reel will forgive my transgressions until I learn how care for them it's a good deal

[@willmyschlongro4280]

No problem. Like John said, if constant splashing/dunking andopen sandy beaches is what you'll be fishing mostly, I would recommend the SSV (Spinfisher V) as a solid entry level reel. I have fished mine for a year with no maintenance other then a fresh water bath after each use and its performed awesome. That being said, its not fully sealed so I wouldn't swim with it or bury it in sand. Good luck and tight lines.

[@hammer44head]

Good advise Will. Melissa you might want to check out Surfcasters Journal. Its here on UTUbe. Zeno does a fantastic bit of testing on the SLammer 3. In the sand and underwater. But as Will said the spinfisher is an excellent reel.

[@jboat571x9]

I find it hard to beat Cabala’s salt striker reels

[@bcarss1970]

Lifetime guarantee too. Daiwa makes/used to make all of the Cabela's reels I think.

[@Luke-do1ek]

Brad Carss wait what lifetime guarantee????

[@moist_minister1902]

WhTs size ssv do you have?

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

I use a 6500 on my 9-footer and a 4500 on my 7 and 8.

[@EskimoJoe492]

Penn or bust

[@jameschoi9856]

This video is for the beginners

[@edwardegnor8812]

Drag not dead lol dam spell checker

[@CapeCodCanalFishing]

Penn is no good, gears have been stripping out in a lot fellow anglers reels. I switched to daiwa and haven't had a problem

[@MrGb4ever]

The Battle yes but that`s not true for the Spin Fisher series.

[@CoM-cf2yq]

Yep Battle has issues but I use a spinfisher and it’s awesome

[@mikelyons7511]

Cape Cod Canal Fishing never had a problem, Slammer 3 4500 series

[@mybookfacetube]

@@mikelyons7511 Same here, same model. Two seasons in and it's performs like new.

[@candymantackle5684]

Pen is horrible. Been giving them money for a while. No more. Been fishing shimano gossa and van stall. Never buy another pen again👎

[@shawntyson4339]

Learn how to spell Penn before you try in talk down on them 😉

[@eves08109]

Candyman tackle. 😂

[@kcd845]

Every Penn reel I have owned has seized up within two weeks of purchase... never again .

[@jayespada3739]

Your just hosring out there dude 2 weeks you serious

Kevin d....That's crazy man....I'm pretty rough on my equipment, and they take a good beating, but I still have an old one that's about 50 years old (bait caster). We've put the Battle series through utter hell, both in almost daily use in fresh water and some serious salt water/Striper/big Jack fighting with no issues. Are you using them to hammer nails in to concrete or something?

[@CapeCodCanalFishing]

Kevin D I know a guy that just bought a battle ll, and on his second yes SECOND striper the main gear stripped

[@kcd845]

Yes, 2 weeks. I only salt water fish but I am anal about rinsing my equipment with fresh water after every outing. My Battle seized up on me throwing a plug last spring. I was catching 5-7lb blues. Thats the fourth time that reel has seized being only 2 yrs old. I have cleaned,oiled and greased the reel each time. I have two Penns collecting dust I will never use again. The other is a Sargas.

[@JohnSkinnerFishing]

The one seizure I had was when I submerged a clash and let it sit for over a month with saltwater in the gearcase.

[@slowburn_1725]

There's something wrong with all of them !!! The handles are on the wrong side ! The biggest thing is maintaining the reel correctly and care.