fluke spinning reel

[mmmdrum]

   hi all.im a newbie.i was wonderin if you could advise me on a spinning reel for fluking.i am currently using an ancient shimano mark3s with 30lb spiderwire,on a new jarvis walker ,royale gold custom rgbs-701m .I would like to spend between $75 to no more than $100. Any help would be great

[Hotrod]

Hi Drum..  Welcome to the site..  Hang tight.  These Guys will hook you up

[Luna Sea 5]

nice to have you here.. Fluke spinning.. Penn 440ss

[mboy]

Bucktail could probably hook you up with a nice Shimano.

I am thinking Spheros for your needs.

Stradics and Sustains are nice (and on my list to buy one day), but not really needed for fluking and def on the pricey side.

[Skolmann]

Bay or ocean fluking?

Daiwa BG series has been around since the mid 1980's and are as tough as nails. I own several (some purchased 20+ years ago) and they all are in excellant condition.

Depending on where you are fishing & how much weight you're using I'd look at either the BG15 or BG20. Both should be under $100.

[mmmdrum]

thanks for ythe replies guys.the fishin is mainly in raritan bay and around the sandy hook area.which im sure you are all well versed in..lol..so the choices so far are a diawa bg-15,bg-20,penn 440ss,and shimano spheros..any idea as to were i should buy one of these and not worry about getting ripped off??,also is the 30lb spiderwier a decent line to use??

[catfish hunter]

stay away from penn ,I blow them up all the time ,I would look at the shimmano line of reels they are the only reels I fish ,I would spend a couple extra bucks and get a stradic you wont be sorry ,I gave away all my penns but one and it is a 965 ,I am on a misson to blow it up ,I blew it up once before and it is on its way again ,new penns suck older penns I like

[mboy]

What do you fish off of primarily?

Party Boat, charter, private, land?

Since I fish exclusively of private boats, the spinning reels I use in the bay (for fluke and blues) is freshwater class tackle (8-10lb class reels with 8-12lb class freshwater bass rods with 20lb test.

Can't get away with that on a PB or using more then 3oz to hold bottom.

So sizing and line wiihgt depends on your fishing platform, experience and anticipated weight to hold bottom.

[rugman]

stay away from penn ,I blow them up all the time ,I would look at the shimmano line of reels they are the only reels I fish ,I would spend a couple extra bucks and get a stradic you wont be sorry ,I gave away all my penns but one and it is a 965 ,I am on a misson to blow it up ,I blew it up once before and it is on its way again ,new penns suck older penns I like

just give it to wing , he will take care of it 

[mmmdrum]

mainly on private boats,i do make a few trips a season on the party boats.so i think i will get either a shimano spheros or a stradic.any model# i should know??and is the 30lb spiderwire a good fit for either of these reels.and does anyone know the best place to buy them??

[catfish hunter]

go see what fits the pole you have ,I use the 4000 size and I am gonna get a smaller one soon for bucktails.make sure it fits your pole and the needs you have ,If you fish heavy wieghts or deep water get a bigger reel

[rugman]

stay away from penn ,I blow them up all the time ,I would look at the shimmano line of reels they are the only reels I fish ,I would spend a couple extra bucks and get a stradic you wont be sorry ,I gave away all my penns but one and it is a 965 ,I am on a misson to blow it up ,I blew it up once before and it is on its way again ,new penns suck older penns I like

cat , I have a 6500 pen and it has to be over twenty years old and I use it all the time and I love it . Never had to fix it . then again it is a older one they just dont make anything like the old days.

[Skolmann]

I've used a Penn 4400SS for winter flounder fishing and light fluke bucktailing for several years and have not had a single problem.

I also own several Penn 940s, 955s & 965s and again haven't had any major problems.

I've had problems in the past with Penn 9s and thier GTi series.

[catfish hunter]

I've used a Penn 4400SS for winter flounder fishing and light fluke bucktailing for several years and have not had a single problem.

I also own several Penn 940s, 955s & 965s and again haven't had any major problems.

I've had problems in the past with Penn 9s and thier GTi series.

a couple years ago I went through 3-4 penn reels and then I bought the 965 and first trip out I was jigging macks and the reel just became a coffee grider ,I sent it back and they fixed iot but it is starting to do it again ,I am gonna use it this year till it blows up.I was playing w/ some blues the other day and felt the drag going on it ,I am done w/ penn ,fish shimmanno now and dont have as many problems.I wish I liked penn reels I was able to get them at cost

[mboy]

I am not a fan of new Penn reels either and would chose Shimano over Penn any day of the week.

[catfish hunter]

I was getting them at a great price so I bought a couple and it was when I was just getting into fishing w/ what I thought was good gear ,I was spending every penny I had on these things and living on romin noodles ,I was blowing them up left and right then I got shimmano and I beat the hell out of them and they keep working .I think penn went down hill in the past couple years ,I have my granddads old reels and they work still ,it is just the newer stuff I dont care for.I had a 17 lb bass griding the gears on a 965 that is un heard of

[Treebeard]

Welcome to the site!  While I use mostly conventional reels, I do like to run a spinner now and then..IMO reels with a "Baitrunner" feature are a big  advantage and very versatile. This feature allows the reel to put into "freespool" like a conventional, allowing you to pay out line with the bail closed. This gives much more control then opening the bail and allowing line to spill off and lets you detect hits on the dropback, that may otherwise be missed. They are also perfectly suited for liveline and chunking baits for all species.. I even utilize it when jigging for many species...I'll cast, then close the bail and engage the baitrunner, which allows the jig to drop on a taut line.. As many times hits occur on the drop, this accounts for more hook-ups.. Shimano makes a great BR reel of which I have several.. The BTR 3500 should be fine for fluke, but at the upper end of your price range at about 100 bucks.. For a bit less $$ look at the Okuma Epixors.. I have used a couple for a few years now and the are holding up fine, although they don't get as much use as some of my other reels, but you should be able to get one of those for $60-$80

[bowguide]

Id have to agree with mboy and catfish penn has gone straight down hill over the past few years I have a couple that were my grandfathers and they still work great but they rarely see the water these days I would stick with the shimanos I havent had any problems with mine and if you have a few extra dollars the fin nor ahab is a pretty good one also.Good luck and welcome

[gottog]

I fish mainly party boats and from the shore of Raritan Bay for fluke.  The spinning reels I use are for light tackle bucktailing and dragging a couple ounces of lead max. Tica Camry 3000, 3500 and Tica Libra 3500.  Very inexpensive and braid friendly IMHO.  The Camry 3500 I have has been used and abused for over 5 years.

I do go with 14# Fireline though.  No need to use anything heavier/thicker and sometimes even go lighter than that.

For heavier bucktails or serious bait dragging, I go with a conventional reel such as an Abu 4600/5600 C4winch.
I'm all about light tackle fluking even when others are draggin 8-n-bait.

[Luna Sea 5]

stay away from penn ,I blow them up all the time

I only use penn for spinning. 440ss, 550, 850 to the 950ss, and nothing but great reels.  Some of my old penns that are aged and need service, just ship to the service center and for $15.00 - $20.00 you have a brand new reel, good for another 10 years.  OH, and got the reel back in under 2 weeks also. The service is outstanding.  Even if you mistreat the reels, they will clean and oil them completely.

Just like buying anything.  It is just as important to have a great service center for the product, then the product itself. 

Now........ this guy is looking for OPINIONS from others..   I gave mine, you gave yours, I left your opinion alone.  There is no need to be negative on my opinion.

Everyone lists there pros and cons on there favoriate reels, then the original poster will make his decision, WITH OUT THE NEGATIVITY OF OTHER MODELS THAT OTHER PEOPLE RECCOMEND....