Don’t be Let Down by
Cheap Fishing Reels

Even with a limited budget, you can get good quality reels that won’t break the bank.

OK, you may have to pay a little more than you would for cheap fishing reels manufactured in distant lands by companies you've never heard of, but a low-cost saltwater fishing reel from the likes of Daiwa, Okuma, Shakespeare or Penn for example, will represent far better value for money.

Such household names as these (to anglers, anyway) have a reputation to uphold and can't afford to have their name associated with 'cheap' unreliable fishing reels. Budget price, low cost reels of good value yes, but cheap fishing reels? No.

So from here on in 'cheap' means 'low cost, but good value for money' - and not 'cheap' as in 'cheap and nasty'.

Clearly you can't expect the same quality and performance in cheap spinning reels that you'll find in expensive ones, but here's what to look for ...

• The Line Drag System is a slipping clutch mechanism which releases line to a fish just before it creates enough tension in the line to break it.
  
  Smoothness is the key requirement here - any jerkiness or snatching is the sign of a low quality reel which could cost you that fish of a lifetime.



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• If you intend to use the reel for surf-casting you'll need to lock down the drag system completely during the cast.
  
  Some cheap fishing reels, particularly those intended for freshwater fishing with rear-mounted drag systems, won't let you do this.
  
  But spinning reels with a front-mounted drag operating directly on the spool will - so a front-mounted drag is an essential requirement for surfcasting.
  
  An anti-reverse system is of course essential.


• Having at least one additional spool that you can load with different line is very useful, so if you can get this included in the price you're on a winner.


• The bale-arm roller must revolve freely under load, as any shortcomings here will quickly ruin your line.


• The bale-arm must lock back out of the way, with no tendency to snap back into position during the cast.
  
  On most spinning reels a turn of the handle will snap the bale-arm automatically back into position, but surfcasters may well prefer one of the models where this can only be done manually.


• The bale-arm should be dynamically balanced. Winding the reel handle quickly will immediately tell you if it isn't.


• The reel should have an effective oscillating line lay mechanism.
  
  This is the mechanical device that moves the bale-arm back and forth, distributing the line in a criss-cross manner on the spool and preventing each successive coil of line from binding between those below it.
  
  The thinner the line, the more important this is - so if you intend to use braid fishing line a good line lay mechanism is essential.