Best Saltwater Spinning Reels

OUR TOP PICK

The Daiwa BG Saltwater Spinning Reel comes in 10 models, from 1500 to 8000, with three different gear ratios 5.3:1, 5.6:1, and 5.7:1, allowing you to catch any fish you like, be it a trout, or a mighty shark. It is one of the best mid-weight saltwater reels under $100 and offers a smooth performance.

Its black anodized machine aluminum housing not only gives it a premium look but also stands up to scrapes and bumps, making it durable and long-lasting. 

This surely is a product for those who would love to have a reel, which they can practice for months.

Its over-sized CNC machine cut gears, or the DigigearTM System, allow the teeth to be in contact with each other at all times, giving you a smoother retrieve, and at the same time, reducing the stress on the gear system, making it long-lasting.

Its air rotor design, while being 15% lighter than the conventional ones, distributes the stress across the entire reel and makes it more balanced. This feature helps make sure that the reel is more comfortable to hold on, be it for a newbie or the pro, people of any expertise would love to have a reel with these features.

Its dynamic cut Aluminium ABS Spool lays the line perfectly, working excellently with all kinds of fishing lines. It offers a greater casting distance and forms fewer loops and wind knots.

This saltwater spinning reel’s Carbon ATD Drag System is waterproof and offers a smooth drag performance. It has seven stainless steel, anti-rust ball bearings allowing a creamy performance.

Pros:

• The reel holds an infinite anti-reverse system that is present in all models.
• CNC machined DigigearTM System for smoother retrieves.
• Black anodized aluminum housing for durability.
• Dynamic cur Aluminium Spool offers a greater casting distance and works with all kinds of lines perfectly.
• Carbon ATD Drag system offers a silky-smooth drag performance.

Cons:

• Stainless steel ball bearings are not shielded for protection from water.

EDITORS CHOICE

It is a solidly built and lightweight saltwater reel, and is available in several models, for both left and right-handed people, with gear ratios of 4.3:1, 6.2:1, and 6.3:1.

When you would choose among the various gear ratios, it's upon you to make sure that they are as per your expectations. While each gear ratio has its advantages, each also has its disadvantage.

It has a strong and rigid, one-piece HAGANE metal body that offers high impact resistance, and keeps the moving parts perfectly aligned, thus providing more significant support while catching a big game. The advanced painting, anodizing, and plaiting techniques give it a durable and premium finish.

It comes in three different gear ratios, with the lowest and highest being 4.3:1 and 6.3:1, allowing you to catch a fish of any size you prefer. The slow gear ratio is used to catch large-sized fish for better control.

The product offers an excellent drag system, with a maximum of 24 pounds, but even works for up to 30 pounds. Forget your fishing line breaking, or also losing a fish, when you are using the Shimano Toruim Saltwater Fishing Reel.

To facilitate smooth operations, three stainless steel ball bearings along with a roller bearing are caged inside the reel. This also helps in the accurate performance of the reel. Its cross Carbon star drag system, which is a multi-waster drag system, provides a smooth drag performance.

Pros:

Durable fishing reel with premium aesthetics.

Three ball bearings and one roller bearings offer smooth retrievals.

Higher gear ratios offer faster retrievals of the fish.

Available for both left and right-handed people.

Cross Carbon Star Drag System provides a smooth drag performance.

Cons:

• A maximum drag of only 24 pounds, which is low.

BEST VALUE

Use this reel if you want to tackle the toughest species in the harshest conditions with power and elegance. The Japanese manufacturer makes sure that the reels meet exactly the need you wish to use it for. 

To make sure that you can have the best feel while hunting for your fish, the company provides the users with options ranging from 5000 to a massive 25000 when it comes to the size.

The product delivers long-lasting smoothness, durability, strength, and reliability owing to the HAGANE Drive Gear System, produced by Shimano's cold forging technology. Both these together makes the product one of those that you can use extensively and is also recommended if you are interested in daily use.

The body of this beautiful reel is made up of high rigidity magnesium or aluminum. The aluminum helps make the reel stiff and makes it impact-proof. To add on, it also eliminates the flexing of the body, which is quite an essential feature when targeting the biggest fishes. 

This results in greater efficiency, along with rock-solid support and housing for the internal moving elements

The XShip technology is used to provide higher efficiency. The pinion gear is placed close to the centerline of the gear with the largest diameter, enabling a higher power transfer from the handle to the rotor, more efficiently.

The product provides gaskets and dependable sealing structures at the necessary points like the lid joint, and the contact point of the drag knob and spool to prevent the ingress of water. This provides a high degree of protection to the reel, increasing its life.

Pros:

• Super Stopper technology prevents backward movement when the reel is in anti-reverse mode.
• The bearings are corrosion-resistant and have an extra protective covering.
• Its body is made from a combination of Aluminium and XT17, offering maximum strength.
• Its patented ARC spool has an angled tip that makes the line leave the spool with lesser friction.
• Sealing and gaskets at necessary points block water ingrain, increasing the product's life.

Cons:

• The product is not fully waterproof.

RUNNER UP

Big game fishing gets a lot easier with this. The Penn Squall Lever Drag 2-Speed Trolling Fishing Reel offers heavy-duty performance in a sleek design. It offers smoother startups, and the line capacity rings show the amount of line remaining at all times.

Its frame and side plates are constructed from lightweight graphite and are reinforced with stainless steel, making the reel extremely strong and durable.

The frame houses the CNC machined stainless steel pinion and main gears, which are drilled out to reduce the weight of the reel. The product also offers a higher gear ratio for faster retrievals.

 Machined and forged aluminum makes up the spool. The spool also features line capacity rings that let you know the line remaining in the spool at all times. It also includes a double dog ratchet anti-reverse system, which is twice as strong as the single anti-reverse system and eliminates back-play in the handle. Its four ball bearings are well-shielded and deliver a smooth cranking performance.

Its Dura-Drag system is also shielded, and eliminates hesitation, even in extreme drag settings.

Pros:

• The graphite frame is lightweight and strong.
• The spool is made up of forged and machined aluminum and features line capacity rings.
• The stainless steel main and pinion gears ensure durability and reliability.
• The double dog ratchet anti-reverse system eliminates back-play.
• The ball bearings and drag system are well-shielded.

Cons:

• Clicker system sometimes causes problems.

RUNNER UP

This powerhouse reel has an outstanding performance, as much as its bold orange design. This reel has a durable graphite frame and side-plates, and features Lew's exclusive Super Low Profile compact Speed Spool design, offering a high-end performance.

It features a whopping ten stainless steel ball bearings, all double-shielded to protect from extreme conditions, giving the product an amazingly smooth performance.

The U-shaped spool is made up of machined and double anodized aluminum, which, along with a bold orange color, gives the product a premium design and look.

Its main gear and crankshaft are made up of high strength solid brass offering strength and durability. Its rugged drag system is made up of carbon fiber and offers up to 20-pounds of drag power.

The zero-reverse one-way clutch bearings prevent the dreaded backlashing. The product also features, externally adjustable, Multi- setting Brake system, using both magnetic and centrifugal force, adjusted using a click dial and brake shoes, respectively.

Pros:

• Carbon fiber drag system offering up to 20-pounds of drag power.
• Ten double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings for a smooth performance.
• A multi-setting brake system that is adjustable externally.
• Double anodized aluminum spool for added durability.
• An oversized 95 mm handle makes it comfortable to use for a longer time.

Cons:

• May start making noise after a few uses.