Top Saltwater Spinners?

[0119]

I think it depends on what saltwater is where you the angler are!  I had enough of the deep blue during my 4 years in the Coast Guard.  Where I live saltwater is inshore, flats, and river mouths.  I have the need for long casts so older Penn's really don't work besides throwing lures all day long I want something bass tackle light and easy on my old bones.   
I'd love a small sized Van Stall but can't see spending that much money for a reel made in china.  Shimano's poor customer service and lust for changing models every 2 years keeps them out of my boat so its Daiwa for me.  Sadly modern design Penn's are only rebadged Pheluger's and as near to disposable as they come.  Anyway saltwater is different for everyone and if the weight of what I'm throwing allows it I'll use baitcasting before I pick up a spinner.

[johndtuttle]

Another vote for the Penn SS series & the Z series.
The 7500ss, 8500ss & 9500ss are great for boat or surf, as are the 704z & 706z.

Alan Hawk rates the 704z third in his top picks for general use SW spinners in the $100-$250 range.
He also rates the Penn Battle third in general use SW spinners under $100.

Yeah, I'm a Penn fanatic, they are all I have, SS series, Z series, Battle & Senators (special/original).

don´t know about the others , but the battle  4000 is one of the reels i used for seabass , over here they don´t guet biguer than  12kg  and are hard to find hover 4kg , the reel  andles  this sized fish without a problem , what i totaly hate and that is the reason why i got it to the shelf instead of the beach , is that it has a realy BAD  issue with braided lines , it just keeps making knots every where , i totaly wasted 3 diferent braid lines of diferent diameters , from 0,12mm to 0,18mm and 0,25mm  it simply has a terrible line lay .

it´s curious , before fishing it , it really didn´t seem to have such bad line lay, it was almost perfect, only had a little gap in the botom and on top , nothing serious i thougt, and there whent several 29€ lures launched to infinity and beyond ...

Be sure you aren't overfilling the spool. Number one cause of windknots.



best

[harryk3616]

when i fished 33 years ago, my money was on the zebco  cardinal  4  and  7   great reels, everything was aluminum, stainless steel and bronze, easy to service , rugged and water proof.  the drag control was on the rear of the reel, if you had to adjust the drag, your fingers wouldn't get tangled in the line

[Shark Hunter]

I still have my Cardinal Harry! Those were Cadillacs back in the day! Its on a Nice Fenwick Rod.

[erikpowell]

I love my fin nor spinners. I've seen a lot come and go, and I keep going back to my sportfisher and lethal reels for bang for the buck. They are solid, well designed, and the cost cutting doesn't affect structural integrity or mechanical strength. They aren't the smoothest or most refined, but they are reliable, trustworthy, and easy to service. And in the case of the lethal 100, built like a tank.

x2 I couldn't have said it better Adam 

[FatTuna]

My favorite spinner is my stradic ci4 4000. I use it for light inshore fishing. It is amazingly small and light but capable if I hook into a 25lb fish. I love everything about it except for the price but in my opinion it's worth it. The worm drive oscillation system makes the reel super smooth. I wish they made it in larger sizes though.

[fsrmn]

  I like the Penn SS series also. The best being the 650. It is big enough for most fish and light enough to cast easy. The HT-100 drags will take a line screamer without heating up too bad. They are easy to service and you can usually pick one up for around $50 used gently.

[Alto Mare]

I'm glad you like the SS models as well, but I don't think you'll find any 650SS gently used for $50 . In case you do, stock up on them and I'll take them off your hands .

[Aiala]

I am gradually assembling a complete lineup of SS reels, but it is a S-L-O-W process. So far I have the 420, 430, 550, and 750... all in new or almost-new condition. Sometimes they can cost a pretty penny, though.   

~A~

[Capt Ahab]

I use Saltists, Fin Nor Ahabs and now the new Saragosa all heavily (like 2-5 times a week)  - Had Bryan give a few a super tune up and they all are up to match any fish - from Weakies to offshore tune

[fsrmn]

I just got an 850ss last week for $45 it needed a line roller to make it look new. I will keep my eyes open for a 650ss for you. There are a couple of 6500ss on CL and a ton of 113h's. 

[Alto Mare]

fsrmn , you did great with that 850SS, I have many of these SS models.
I'm not putting you on the spot or anything like that, but if you do run into some 550SS-650SS-750SS or 850SS gently used for $50, just grab them... if you don't mind, I'm sure me or some other members will take them from you.
I see a lot of bad ones for sale, as stated above, they need to be gently used and with one zero .
Thanks!

Sal

[Alto Mare]

Sorry for deviating from the original topic, please members carry on with your suggestion on the best choice for saltwater spinners.

Sal

[fsrmn]

Will do. I sent you a pm with a recent listing. I will check it out and let you know. Season is over here in "God's waiting room" so the listings slow down some.

[basto]

After reading Alan Hawk`s review on FinNor`s Lethal 100, I really don`t know why some of us are so afraid of "made in China"
My best conventional reels are Chinese made.
Basto