the Tailout May 2020 tailout_may2020finalx | Page 18

There’s more to a good spinning reel than aes-
thetics. This Shimano Stratic CI4 has everything
you want in a good reel.
Spinning
Reels
What You Need
to Know
HERE ARE 10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN PURCHASING A
NEW SPINNING REEL. BY ERIC MARTIN, SSJ GEAR EDITOR
SELECTING YOUR NEXT SPINNING
REEL should go beyond appearance,
brand, construction materials and
price. the following is a breakdown
of what to look for, and why, when
selecting your next spinning reel.
1. Size Size of a reel relates to the
capacity of line that it can hold, not
the physical weight. Every reel comes
with a reference key that designates
approximate capacities with various
line weights, usually expressed as
185/8, 155/10, and so on. For ex-
ample, a reel with a 170/10 reference
is capable of holding 170 yards of
10-pound line.
Should you prefer to fish braided
lines capacity is also important to
consider. Braided lines are consider-
ably smaller in diameter than their
monofilament counterparts, thus
occupying less space on the spool
and allowing for increased capacity.
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This permits the user several notable
options; the ability to use a higher
pound test line yet maintain adequate
capacity, or use, say 10-pound braid,
but pack up to 40 percent more line
onto the spool than allowed with
10-pound monofilament.
2. Body The construction of the reel
body (a.k.a “frame” or “housing”)
plays a critical role in performance,
longevity and price of a reel. Com-
mon materials include plastic,
graphite, aluminum, magnesium and
carbon fiber. From a performance
standpoint, these materials play into
the strength and weight of a reel.
A quality reel should be of suf-
ficient strength that it exhibits no
flex or play in its components when
placed under a load. Lesser grade
construction materials may seem
lightweight and appealing fresh out
of the box, but when spooled with
line and stressed while fighting a
fish, they torque and flex, hindering
performance. Not good.
Weight is the other important
aspect of reel construction. Consider
that you’ve spent a couple hundred
bucks on a top of the line, feath-
erweight graphite rod, only to bog
it down with a heavy reel? That is
something you’ll want to avoid. A
top-quality, well-built spinning reel
can weigh less than 9 ounces, with
a few as light as 7. Not only will a
lighter reel achieve better overall rod
balance, it will dramatically reduce
fatigue and stress placed on your
wrist, arm and shoulder.
3. Bearings One of the most hyped
aspects of spinning reel performance,
but it is important to know that not
all bearings are created equal. The
placement of ball bearings in the
body of a reel increases overall stabil-
ity, while providing buttery smooth
operation. Typically, the more
bearings assigned to this task, the
better. The only caveat to this line of
thinking is the quality of the bearings.
Look past the flashy “x Bearings!”
claim on the box, and instead look
for descriptors of the bearings, spe-
cifically, terms such as stainless steel
or corrosion resistant. Avoid models
relying on less than 4 bearings, and
absolutely anything with “bushings”
in its description.
4. Front, Rear Drags A reliable and
smooth operating drag system is a
must, especially when using super
light lines and finesse fishing tech-
niques.
Spinning reels commonly offer two
options for drag location; front drag
and rear drag. Front drag, controlled
by a knob on the front end of the
spool, are considerably more popular
and reputable due in large part to
their larger, more durable washers.
Rear drag, located on the back end of
the reel body, seems convenient from