When it comes to products, especially fishing reels, I really love those that are considered “workhorses”. Workhorses occupy the space between cheap, disposable gear and high dollar gear. Workhorses are typically affordable, long-lasting, and get the job done. There are a handful of fishing reels that I have had direct experience with over the years. I proudly consider each of these reels workhorses in their own way, and I am happy to recommend each of these reels based their longevity, performance, and my own experience. This is is not a detailed review; I’m simply sharing my experience and the decision on “what to buy” is up to you. This article is mainly intended to give you some ideas for reels to consider, and hopefully some comfort around the long-term quality of these reels and the companies that make them.
All of the reels mentioned here have been put to the test against all common inshore species, including redfish, black drum, flounder, speckled trout, and large skipjacks. I hope you enjoy the article, it’s a bit nostalgic as some of these reels are like old friends. Fair warning, these reels have been through many battles and are scratched to hell, but they all function just fine and are still used regularly.
Spinning Reels
Daiwa BG 2500
I have owned and used this reel for 3-4 years, and it has been flawless. This is the “new model” BG (Black Gold) that is sold nowadays. The original BG was around for many years, and it had a reputation for simple, bullet proof reliability in certain saltwater fishing circles (although it was quite wobbly and not necessarily smooth). When Daiwa retired that model and came out with this model, I was initially skeptical that this model could fill it’s big shoes in the reliability department. I’m happy to say that this model has done exactly that. It is both tough and smooth and has an excellent drag. It is a pleasure to fish with. This is the 2500 size that I use for for bay fishing, but is is available in much larger sizes as well.
Daiwa Whisker SS 1300
This is an older design that had it’s heyday in another era, and some people likely have never heard of it. But I like it because it is bulletproof, and I have caught many, many trout and redfish with it. It is smooth, tough, and the internal parts are simple and high quality. It does not have an instant anti-reverse, and to some folks that is a deal-breaker, but honestly it did not seem to matter one bit with all of the catches that I made with this thing. One thing that is different from most other spinning reels is that this reel has a worm gear that moves the spool up and down, instead of an oscillating gear, which is a “quality” feature typically found in more expensive spinning reels. The reel is capable of long casts with it’s wide spool design, and even though it is an older design, it can accept modern braided line. I have owned and used for over 10 years.
Pflueger President
This reel was recommended to me by a relative who does a lot of freshwater fishing. I got curious and noticed it had many positive reviews, so I bought one for my son. We have put it through it’s paces through all types of inshore fishing, and although it does not feel quite as rugged as the other reels mentioned above, it has done it’s job just fine so far. It is ultra-smooth due having ten ball bearings, more than any other reel mentioned on this page. There are a couple of caveats I think I should mention though. First, this reel has mostly caught smaller inshore fish, like mangrove snapper, keeper trout, whiting, flounder, sheepshead, etc. It has not caught large numbers of powerful upper slot reds like my Daiwas have. I’m not saying that it couldn’t handle them, but we simply have not put it through it’s paces with larger reds, so we don’t know for sure. Second, ten ball bearings is a lot of bearings, and really not necessary. In saltwater fishing, I’m a fan of having the fewest number of bearings possible, because if the reel gets dunked, the bearings could be damaged. If you plan to use this reel for wadefishing, be extra cautious not to dunk it, because that’s a lot of bearings to replace. My son has owned this reel for over 8 years.
Shimano Sahara 4000
I acquired this reel from a relative who used to work at Academy in the early 2000s. He said that this reel was one of their top sellers at the time, and was considered a “good value” by the store folks. Clearly, it is not one of Shimano’s top end reels, but it has been one of my workhorse reels that I have mostly used for bait fishing with my kids and guests. This reel, being the “kid and guest reel”, gets abused and beat around all of the time, but it just won’t die. If it were me, I would opt for a higher quality Shimano spinner, like something in the Stradic line with an aluminum frame (if you notice, the coating has rubbed off of the Sahara’s plastic frame in several places). Cosmetics aside though, reel has been mechanically “reliable” and I think you could do much worse. I have owned and used this reel for over 10 years.
Baitcasting Reels
Shimano “Bantam” Curado CU-200
The Shimano Curado is known as a “low-profile” baitcaster, versus a “round” baitcaster like an Ambassadeur or a Calcutta. This particular Curado is a representative of the “green” Curados which were produced starting in the mid 90’s (I believe mine is from the very early 2000s, but just don’t remember). Some folks say that the green Curados were some of the best baitcasters ever made, and I couldn’t agree more. This reel is still running flawlessly after 20+ years of use. It’s smooth, tough, and casts like a dream. What else is there to say? It’s literally the Honda or Toyota of the baitcasting world. If you’re getting into the market today, of course you will have to pick one of the newer Curados available. I haven’t tested one of these, but hope to in the future. The Curado has never been a bargain reel (you will pay well over $200 for it), but based on the performance of Old Greeny here, the money well spent for such a fine inshore reel. As stated above, I have owned this reel for over 20 years.
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500 C4
There is not a classier “round” baitcaster in existence than the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur. It looks great and is very reliable as well. I remember the first time I held an Ambassadeur at the reel counter when I was a kid; it was so shiny it looked like it was made of gold! I love round baitcasters, especially for bait fishing, but I have chunked plenty of lures with this thing as well. Although this reel has been reliable, I do have a couple of gripes/warnings. First, the original handle was not very good and had to be replaced because the rubber pads kept falling off. Second, the level wind pawl wears out over time and has to be replaced (not really a big deal, but I have not ever had to replace the pawl on my Curado). Third, the low end Abu’s these days (I believe they are called the “S” series) are made in Asia instead of Sweden, and are not high quality like the Swedish reels. If you’re going to buy one, I would recommend verifying that it is a 5500 or 6500 series reel that is made in Sweden. I have owned this reel for over 20 years.
Other Reels to Check Out
Here are some other workhorse reels that you might check out based on their generally good reputations:
- Penn Slammer (spinning)
- Penn Battle II/III/IV (spinning)
- Penn Fierce (spinning)
- Penn 704/706 (spinning)
- Shimano Stradic (spinning)
- Shimano Calcutta (round baitcaster)
- Shimano Tranx (low-profile baitcaster)
I don’t have personal experience with these but will try to review some in future.
Have a reel good day,
– The Simple Fisherman