Ultralight Fishing Spinning Reel Story...

My BFS / ultralight Spinning equipment and reasoning update - Abu Garcia Revo SP Beast - Zebco Cardinal 3 - TFO Trout Panfish Rod.

[@johnthemachine]

I have the zenon 1000s and the beast 1000s, they are very very similar but I have to say that the zenon feels like a 700 dollar reel whereas the beast feels like a 200 dollar reel. I bought a second zenon last month to use instead of the beast because the feel of the zenon is completely superior, imo. If I had bought the beast first I probably would've never bought the zenon. So I guess I'm saying I wasn't really impressed with the beast but the zenon completely blew me away. Also, all of these non-swedish abu reels are made by Doyo. Doyo also makes Lew's Quantum and Bass Pro Shops reels as well as several other brands. These companies pick the model and colors out of a catalog of Doyo's desgins and then upcharge customers like crazy. They signed a deal to make buying and distributing the cheaper Doyo branded versions of these reels illegal in the United States. Companies like Kastking and Piscifun broke this cycle by offering OEM reels without the insane overpricing. Shimano and Daiwa on the other hand make their own high end reels and most of the components themselves, which is why theyre preferred by most anglers. I personally have no issue with Doyo reels, they've made some of my favorite designs ever regardless of whatever US brand slaps their name on them. Hope this helps.

[@JSturr]

Great info here -- and ... you sold me ... I just bought a Zenon 2500s -- to go along with the Revo Beast 1000s and 2500s ... for the love ... for what it's worth -- I think that much of the product coming from the big three -- Shimano, Daiwa, and Abu are all smoke and mirrors. Meaning -- you really have to look at what you are buying and see how it mechanically works -- as... the price point has no discrimination to the quality of what you are getting. The first thing I notice is how the bail closure is engineered and how it engages -- boom ... nuff said there -- that will tell you a lot of what's going on. I just did a search on the AliExpress for the Doyo -- that's some good info also -- I'll keep an eye out for their stuff. It's fun being a real dialed in consumer -- you can really find some gems if you look around and be critical with the dollar.

[@CrucesNomad1]

I buy ugly sticks as I had four kids and it is just habit. I try to get the best reel I can afford, but no hundred dollar reels for me. As for line, it is very important, to include a mono lead at the end. We all fish the same and life is good. I edited this to also say, take your reel apart and lube it regularly. Then you know what you have.

[@JSturr]

The Ugly Sticks used to be so damn good ... like an industry leader back in the 80's --- but something happened where they've become so crazy heavy compared to others out there - and the line ... for the love ... the line is a whole different story these days - to where you have to read and invest so much time to even understand what's out there and how it all matters to the experience. And -- the reels are now really designed around the line types - it's crazy -- and you are right about the reel prices and qualities - that's a whole different aspect to understand if a $100 reel is really worse than a $400 reel.

[@Smith944]

I think the rod is the most important and it is the hardest to find the right one for the job. The reel doesn’t influence as much.

[@JSturr]

I agree - but after using the Zebco Cardinals compared to the Garcia Revo - I don’t use the Cardinals any more - which is a bit of a bummer as I loved the Cardinals.

[@davidarwood6264]

I think I paid $35 for a Sougayilang BFS rod. I know that's very cheap , but it works well with my Zephyr. My favorite spinning rods are my Finwicks. Very sensitive. The first fishing setup I ever bought was a red Abu Garcia Cardinal combo. It was cool. The closest thing I see now is a $200 red Abu Revo Rocket .....idk. I like my Okuma reels for ultralight stuff.

[@JSturr]

@@davidarwood6264 With the availability of AliExpress I'm less focused on expensive as I used to be -- I have $30 rods which are incredible ... you just have to search out the really good inexpensive stuff -- and that can be a trick.

[@davidarwood6264]

@@JSturr I only have a couple that I paid around $70. The rest are around $30. Yeah , there some gems out there though. I literally happened upon a 50% off sale on all at a Guns and Ammo place since Ilast commented. I didn't even know they had fishing gear. I just went crazy buying stuff. Nearly everything light and ultralight was gone though.

[@JSturr]

@@davidarwood6264 I really try to focus on the number of guides and the weight of the rod -- also ... if it's not a 2-piece rod then I don't purchase - 2-piece is so important to me so that's really the #1 requirement when I'm looking. Well -- all aspects are important when deciding.