Finesse reel opinions

[Chrisper4694]

So I won a pretty nice $200 dropshot style Rod. I have a bunch of gift cards to dicks so I figure I'll splurge on a nice reel to match it. I'm thinking 100-150 price range. Light enough to match the rod and smooth enough to battle big freshwater fish. What do you guys think?

I've been looking at pflueger, Abu Garcia. Never tried Lewis, but have heard good things.

[XXlyakattacker]

Spinning or baitcaster?

[Jigman13]

Come a lil out of pocket on top of those gift cards and get yourself the shimano Stradic CI-4 or the new Daiwa ballistic. If you're gonna splurge you might as well go for broke dude... Then again, I'm a tackle whore lol

[Chrisper4694]

Ehh, idk man, that's a lot of bells and whistles that I just don't see making a lot of difference. I have 75 in gift cards and a 15 coupon. I don't mind paying for quality, but I don't usually pay for bells and whistles.

[Jigman13]

The shimano saros is nice. So are the daiwa excelers and the new fuego. Procyon ain't bad either. I've been leaning more towards daiwa as of late bc my shimanos started ceasing up on me. Prob need a good grease job...

No bells and whistles with ci4 stradic and ballistic. Just well made machines with cajones! Plus they're pretty light reels in 2000 size.

[catfishonthelake]

Just my personal preference...but for a freshwater spinning reel I would go with a Shimano. The Shimano Sahara is around $80 and in my opinion, the best reel on the market for the money. The Symetre is in the same price range and is a solid reel as well. If you're going to up your price tag to $150, I'd agree with the Saros, and since I'm a fan of overspending and pricey gear , the Ci4 would be my reel. The Ci4 is super-light as it has a carbon fiber frame that is substantially lighter and stronger than aluminum. These reels were designed for finesse fishing to handle super light lines. They're pretty sweet if you ask me.

That being said, I have a bunch of Saharas and they're the most dependable reels I own for their price point. I've tested hundreds of spinning reels in my lifetime and I have zero faith in anything that says Daiwa on it. Spend $80 on a Sahara and you'll have it for the rest of your life if you don't totally beat on it and send it in for service every few years.