Reel suggestion

[Levelwind]

I am looking for reel suggestions for occasional smallmouth bass fishing. Casting 1/4 oz. jigs on 8lb. test line. I was leaning towards the 220 DQ but I see there is a 220 and a 220N. Is one reel designed better than the other or should be looking at a different model. Thanks in advance Mike

[foakes]

Couldn't go wrong with either the 220 or the 220N, Mike —-

Main difference is in the Anti-Reverse mechanisms.

The 220 has the A/R at the midpoint of the frame, as part of the crank assembly.  It has a dog the drops into one of 8 holes on the underside of the main gear.

The A/R on the 220N is around and inside the rotor, and is activated with a lever on the underside of the rotor.

There are other differences —- but both reels are top notch, solid, and lifetime+ reels for most freshwater and some light salt water angling in North America.

The gear ratio on a 220 is 1:3.25 —- the 220N is 1:3.6.

There are a few other DQ's that might be possibilities —-
221, 1202, 1401.  But either the 220/220N would more than do the job for a lifetime without breaking the bank.

I build a lot of these for folks from new parts out of the bins, and mostly always have some available, if interested.

Or if you find one on your own, I have all parts readily available.

Best, Fred

[Levelwind]

Thank you Fred for your input and your offer l will keep it in mind. Mike

[Midway Tommy]

My preference would be an ABU or Zebco Cardinal 4 with an aluminum spool or a black Abu Garcia Cardinal 4 or C4 with their original graphite spool. I prefer their protected drag design and mechanism much better than any other spinning reel. The drag adjustment knob being below and at the rear of the body makes it much less cumbersome to adjust the drag if needed when playing a big fish. All are 5:1 ratio and, at least to me, feel better balanced. That makes a big difference when one is casting & retrieving all day long. 

[Levelwind]

Thanks for your input Tommy. I do own a ABU Cardinal 4X with a newer aluminum spool (I have owned from new). I am interested in trying out the older DQ line. Mike

[JasonGotaProblem]

Get a 110 and have to work for it a bit but you get to be even more proud of the big ones

[festus]

I own 220, 221, and 220N. My first choice for smallmouth with 8 lb mono would be the 220N. Second and third choices would be the 221 and 220. IMHO the 220N just feels more fishable even though the 220 and 221 are probably better built reels.

[Levelwind]

Yesterday at a local flea market a vendor had a box of old reels. There was a few DAM Quicks and one was a 220 which I bought. This winter I will overhaul it and try it out next spring. Thanks again Mike

[Midway Tommy]

The Abu Cardinal 4X has a 6:1 gear ratio, which is a little quick for my liking. I prefer 5:1.

[Gfish]

Just got done fixing several rough spots in the crank rotation of my Card. 4. Took a close look at the gears after oiling didn't help. Main gear fine, but the steel worm gear was slightly damaged on the bottom section. The grease was covering-up the damaged part when I first looked at it. I filed the groves and lightly filed the surface tops. Kinda shocked that it worked. Maybe a metal part or sand grain got caught in there somehow...
The cool thing about this site is that I can learn things that don't occur naturally to me. Total reel disassembly, then test each part individually as you reassemble to isolate the problem.