Best trolling reels???

[Jjwbny]

Looking to upgrade from cheaper okuma's. What's the best , or best for money out there . Okuma cold water , Daiwa ect ..?? Looking for something all around to use on Erie and Ontario . Good drags ect ... Thanks in advance for the input .

[GAMBLER]

Daiwa Saltist.  6.1:1 gear ratio, most adjustable drag on the market and the smoothest drag on the market.  Look at classifieds on fishing sites.  You see lots of Okumas for sale.  Rarely do you see saltist reels. 

Edited April 8, 2018 by GAMBLER

[Rich D]

X2 on the saltist!!!! You will not be disappointed!!!!

Capt Rich


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[Silver Fox]

X3 and you won't send them to Tuna Tom's.

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[UNREEL]

Great reels except the linecounter position suc-s. They're also twice the price of a Convector. 

[jason]

You get what you pay for. I have both saltist with and with out drag. For last 6 yrs never go back

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[Silver Fox]

You do get used to it, but yeah it's not in the best spot. He could also get the non line counters maybe.
You get what you pay for and that's probably why you see a ton of Okumas for sale used. I use the Clarions for my coppers and they're good, but I still had to send them in to get the drags done.

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[Jjwbny]

How about the new daiwa sealine 45? It's seems from looking at the website that the drags are the same as the saltist but they have less ball bearings and the ratio is different . The price of the saltist worries me a little but I know they will last a lifetime . And if I fished more than a few times a month there would be no question .

Edited April 8, 2018 by Jjwbny

[jason]

If you are a weekend warrior then you dont need the high end reels. If you make 4 or 5 trip a month then the sealines will be ok.

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[GAMBLER]

11 minutes ago, jason said:

If you are a weekend warrior then you dont need the high end reels. If you make 4 or 5 trip a month then the sealines will be ok.

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You don't need them but they are way nicer to use.  I am a weekend warrior and enjoy not having reel issues when I'm on the water. 

[ckawaki]

I have 14 cold water reels and have not had a problem I use them for salmon and walleye at least 3 times a week

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[Bosun Cowboy]

How about the new daiwa sealine 45? It's seems from looking at the website that the drags are the same as the saltist but they have less ball bearings and the ratio is different . The price of the saltist worries me a little but I know they will last a lifetime . And if I fished more than a few times a month there would be no question .

The new Sealines aren’t as good as the old school Sealines. Definitely a cheaper build and Okuma quality in my opinion. I had 2 last season and sold them this past winter. I run Shimano Tekota 500s & 600s on my Rigger And Diver Rods. Unsurpassed quality and Smooth drags


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[Jjwbny]

Thanks for all the input ! Seems like saltist or tekotas are the ticket .

[Iceman]

14 hours ago, Bosun Cowboy said:

The new Sealines aren’t as good as the old school Sealines. Definitely a cheaper build and Okuma quality in my opinion. I had 2 last season and sold them this past winter. I run Shimano Tekota 500s & 600s on my Rigger And Diver Rods. Unsurpassed quality and Smooth drags


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I run both reels, but have had to upgrade all of the Tekota drags, as the stock ones IMHO  are sticky, & don't hold up. Sealines come with good drags.

 

John

 

 

[Bosun Cowboy]

I run both reels, but have had to upgrade all of the Tekota drags, as the stock ones IMHO  are sticky, & don't hold up. Sealines come with good drags.
 
John
 
 

0 issues with my Tekota drags. They are by far superior to the Sealines. Hence why I sold them.


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[spoonfed-1]

17 Tekotas replaced drag washers in the 800 after a couple seasons. No need to send them anywhere as it's a relativley easy job.

 16 600's all still have the original drag washers going on 11 or 12 seasons of heavy use.

 

Very happy witht he quality of the reels.

Edited April 9, 2018 by spoonfed-1

[Iceman]

5 hours ago, spoonfed-1 said:

17 Tekotas replaced drag washers in the 800 after a couple seasons. No need to send them anywhere as it's a relativley easy job.

 16 600's all still have the original drag washers going on 11 or 12 seasons of heavy use.

 

Very happy witht he quality of the reels.

sf1;

 

Glad to hear that your Tekotas are working for you, although you found the 800 did need new drag washers.  Well that was my experience with the bakers dozen of Tekota 5, & 600's.I have.   I never said that they weren't quality reels, only the drags aren't the best, 

 

good luck

 

John

[Legacy]

This is the tired old debate of Chevy vs Ford Vs Dodge. Blah, Blah, Blah. Truth is if you stick with the big three, (Okuma, Daiwa, and Shimano) they all make good stuff for us great lakes guys. Do they need new drags straight from the box? No but If anyone has ever had a carbon fiber drag washer upgrade from Tuna Tom then you would believe that EVERY reel should get a drag upgrade out of the box. 

 

Shimano has one option. Tekotas. They have been their staple for a long time.

Daiwa has Seaslines, Saltist, and Seagate. They have some high speed options also.

Okuma has Classic, Magda, Convector, Cold Waters. They have the most options depending on your budget. They also have high speed options.

[Jjwbny]

I appreciate all the knowledge...that's why I like this place!

Edited April 10, 2018 by Jjwbny

[UNREEL]

2 hours ago, Legacy said:

 

Okuma has Classic, Magda, Convector, Cold Waters. They have the most options depending on your budget. They also have high speed options.

Check out the Convector CV30 DS on Fish USA. "Good value" for a rigger or wire reel. $84.99 6.2:1 gear ratio and free shipping. Good luck with your decision

[jigstick]

Ive never had a problem with any of my reels..Diawas, Convectors, MagDas, Coldwaters.  Replaced the drags a few times.  The Coldwaters are really nice.  Nice click sound too.  I used my buddys Tekotas, and while they were nice they didn't perform any better or worse than my "cheap" reels.

[Char_Master]

My Tekota 600’s are definitely the smoothest trolling reels I’ve ever used, but for $200, there’s many cheaper alternatives that work just as well like Convectors and even Penn linecounters.

[guffins fisherman]

Did you know? You can buy the carbon drag washers on ebay for a lot of reel brands. I have done done three or four of my Magdas. I think I paid about $8 a reel for the washer kit. Just do your research, and be real careful taking the reel apart. They have lots of little parts that like to go flying. But they can be done DIY.

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[Jjwbny]

Good to know thanks .

[longbow]

I'm sold on Okuma brand of reels.  I have several Convector's but the best imho are the Catalina 25's  if you can find them.  The high speed convectors are nice too.  I use those on my diver rods.  Matter of fact if anyone out there is reading this post and you have some 25's l.c.'s in excellent working condition I have a very nice custom Floyd Medlin stag handled fixed blade in damascus steel and maker made sheath I'd swap ya.  It is unused.  Floyd passe a year or two ago so this is kind of rare now.  He had a fine reputation as a knife maker.  thanks