Size 3000-ish reel recommendations?

[yakscientist]

Not looking to break the bank, trying to keep cost well below $100. Can anyone give any recommendations for small reels in the 3000 size class that would do well with 20-25 lb braid spooled to them, for mostly saltwater use? I like my shimano sahara 4500, so I might just get another smaller one, but might want to branch out to try a penn battle or fierce II. Also a used but well maintained made-in-the-usa penn spinfisher from ebay is on the table. Any advice is appreciated, especially on long term usage and reliability. Thank you

[Yak67]

I use just Penn Battle II's 4000 series, have been working well for me the last two years and don't break the bank. Get mine's on Amazon, cheaper than BPS. Great for the trolling the Bay or bottom fishing. Just big enough to handle the Bay fishing from a Yak.

Yak67
2015 Hobie PA-14
2016 Hobie Outback LE #217

[Redfish12]

Even the Penn Fierce's hold up well and they are fairly cheap. 2500 is fine for most all kayak fishing in the bay.

[jet]

about 30 bux out of your higher end budget on amazon and a little smaller, but this penn clash 2500 has had an amazing drag so far and have brought in rays in 3-4 minutes and a bunch of rockfish. ive heard great things about the battle II, and the older penn ss spinfishers were a tank for years for me. this year i chose to go with 2500 size reels, trying to get lighter and smaller, and have had no problems. these days, not sure you can go wrong with any penn, shimano, or daiwa with that price range for the bay

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[FishMoken]

+1 on the penn fierce reels. I've had mine 2 years no issues. The fierce 2 also is available in a bait runner reel but only comes in 2500, 4000, 6000, and 8000


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[mweber02]

If you decide to go with a Penn I would recommend checking West Marine. They have had Battle II combo deals for $100 in the past.

[AbuMasgouf]

Although I am a Shimano man, I decided to try an off brand reel, KastKing. I'm actually surprised at how well they perform. They aren't lighter than Shimano, but they have pretty good drag and seem to hold up well so far. They are cheap in price, and don't seem to be cheaply made. I'm happy with it and it's a nice cheap reel to have...

[ronaultmtd]

I got the Clash 3000 and love it...just a tad more line than the 2500 but not much difference in weight, etc...super drag..high quality reel-

[Redfish12]

I picked up a Shimano 2500 Sienna at Dick's for about $15. Certainly not as nice as the Clash but hard to beat at that price!

[yakscientist]

Yeah i spoke to a guy who repairs reels for a living and he advised against penn battles and fierces, and recommended the shimano symetre. So that's what i think i will go with. thanks for the suggestions though everyone, really nice to hear that he might be mistaken in the case of the penns.

[Redfish12]

The biggest complaint I have with the Penn's are the gears are made out of cheap pot metal vs bronze or stainless. For most of the fish you'll catch with a 3000 sized reel it's not an issue. Replacement parts are cheap and available so when they wear out you can replace them easily. The Shimano's are more finicky and the brake rings always seem to swell and the reel will feel like it has resistance after awhile. Great reels, but they need more maintenance.

[ronaultmtd]

Every manufacturer has a top of the line reel and an entry level reel- the difference between machine cut gears and pressed gears is smoothness and durability...same with sealed ball bearings and open bearings...you can spend 700 bucks for a spinning reel to get all the bells and whistles in a superb top of the line reel like a Stella, but do you really need all that? If you buy a reel for $40 and use it with no maintenance for three of four years and toss it and buy another $40 reel- are you satisfied? Unless you fish everyday in tournaments, I could not justify spending that kind of money...my sweet spot was the Penn Clash- I own 3 Shimano Stradix reels (2-2500 and 1-4000) and a 4000 Symetre...so I am a gear guy- got lots of gear...recently upgraded my stable- I have a Sustain 2500 and a Sustain 3000- love them...

[Slobber Bob]

I totaled destroyed a 4000 size Penn Fierce and Penn Battle (the original designs) within two years of purchase. Like Redfish said, the gears are schmit! I won't buy those particular models again. All my other Penn reels are great though - SSM, SSG, and Spinfisher.

[bunnielab]

I have two Okuma Avenger B reels, a 500 and a 3000. I have used both of them heavily for about two years and they are both holding up great. Are they as smooth as my nicer reels, not really, but for $30-50 I would get another one in a second if I wanted a decent reel.

Actually, I forgot, I also have a 4000 series bait-feeder from them as well, but I have only used it a handful of times so I can't comment on it's durability.