Fishing Reels: 5 Types, Sizes, Gear Ratios and How to Choose

A round baitcasting reel seen from the side plate, handle to the right — Photo: Podknox, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

A fishing reel stores, casts and retrieves the line, and five designs cover nearly all fishing: spinning, baitcasting, spincast, conventional and fly. The spinning reel is the default, the baitcaster adds power and accuracy for heavier lures and cover, and the spincast is for children and beginners. Conventional reels winch heavy line in salt water and on the troll, and a fly reel holds the line a fly rod casts. Pick the design for the fishing, then read the two numbers on the box: size and gear ratio.

A 2500 spinning reel holds about as much 15 lb braid as 8 lb mono: Shimano rates its Stradic 2500 at 145 yd of the one and 140 yd of the other. Load 30 lb braid and it drops to 100 yd.

Start here

Spinning reel sizes: the size table by species, 1000 to 6000, and 2500 or 3000 for bass.
Baitcaster explained: how it works, who needs one, and how to set the brakes before the first cast.
Best fishing reels: the reviewers’ picks by type and budget, with drag and weight side by side.
Best spinning reel: eight spinning reels by job, from $100 to $700, with the makers’ warranty terms.
Saltwater spinning reels: what sealed, IPX5 and IPX8 mean, and which size for inshore, surf and offshore.
Saltwater fishing reels: spinning, conventional or baitcast by fish, with the line and drag to set for each.
Spincast reel: nine push-button reels compared, for a child’s first outfit.

What are the types of fishing reels?

Reel	How it works	Best for	Drawbacks
Spinning	Fixed spool under the rod; the bail lays line on as the rotor turns; line slips off the spool lip on the cast	Lures from 1/32 oz (1 g) up and 4–20 lb mono, by size (table below); finesse, beginners, most inshore salt	Line twist; less cranking power; heavy lures overrun the spool lip
Baitcasting	The spool turns on the cast; brakes and the thumb stop it	Lures from 3/8 oz (11 g) up, 12–25 lb line, flipping, pitching, heavy cover, big fish	Backlash until the brakes and thumb are learned
Spincast	Fixed spool inside a nose cone; a thumb button releases the line	Children, beginners, light bait fishing	About 100 yd (91 m) of 10 lb mono, weak drag, short casts
Conventional	A large revolving spool on top of the rod, with a star or lever drag	Bottom fishing, trolling, live bait from a boat, offshore, big catfish	Built for line above 25 lb; too much reel for bass or trout
Fly	A spool that stores fly line and backing; the rod and the line make the cast	Trout, bass and saltwater fly fishing	Fly fishing only; the reel plays no part in the cast

Bass Pro’s rule for the baitcaster: choose it if you plan to flip, pitch, work heavy cover, chase large gamefish or throw heavy lures. If none of that describes your fishing, a spinning reel is not the beginner’s compromise; it is the right reel. The rod has to match. A spinning reel needs a spinning rod, because the guides and reel seat differ, and the rods hub explains the pairing.

Spinning: the reel most anglers start on

The spinning reel hangs under the rod, line peels off a spool that does not turn, and there is no backlash to learn. It is the reel for finesse bass, trout, panfish, walleye, inshore salt and the surf. Wired2Fish’s first test in the store is to turn the handle: if it takes more than the slightest pressure, what they call startup inertia, you will not feel a light bait. On the water, close the bail by hand after the cast. Wired2Fish finds that gives “a lot less loops” than closing it with the handle.

Baitcasting: low-profile or round?

A baitcaster sits on top of the rod, and its spool turns as the lure pulls line off. The low-profile reel is the most popular, Bass Pro’s guide says: it is palm-sized, easy on the wrist and the bass and crappie reel. A round reel holds more and heavier line, throws larger baits and stands up to long runs, which is why steelhead, salmon, musky and pike anglers use it. The baitcaster page explains the centrifugal, magnetic and digital brakes that tame the backlash.

Spincast: the push-button reel

A spincast hides a fixed spool under a nose cone, and a thumb button frees the line for the cast. Nothing can backlash, which is why it is a child’s first reel. The Zebco 33 Gold costs $49.99 and has a 12 lb drag. Its handle switches sides, so it passes from a right-handed parent to a left-handed child. Every model holds about the same line: 80–120 yd of 10 lb mono.

Conventional and trolling reels: star drag or lever drag?

A conventional reel is the saltwater name for a revolving-spool reel, built for trolling and bottom fishing with heavy line. Many carry a level wind, a guide that lays the line evenly across the spool. Penn’s Squall II 20 level wind, at $179.95, is a typical one: it holds 315 yd of 20 lb mono and carries 33 lb of drag.

The drag is the real choice. A star drag tightens with a star-shaped wheel, and its washer stack sits inside the main gear. A lever drag presses a fiber washer on the spool’s side plate and is set with a lever near the top of the reel, with preset strike and full positions. Mike’s Reel Repair, a reel service shop, finds star drags still popular for bottom fishing and surf casting, where free-spool distance and light weight count. Lever drags hold up better in long fights with big pelagic fish. Penn’s Senator star drag dates from 1936; its two-speed International VISX lever drag runs $609.95–769.95 with 40–60 lb of drag.

A line counter is a trolling reel with a meter that shows how much line is out, so a lure goes back to the same depth. For blue and flathead catfish from a boat, the usual catfish reels are a round baitcaster or a level wind with a clicker. The Penn reels page lists Penn’s level winds side by side.

Fly reels: the reel that does not cast

On a fly rod the line is the weight that carries the cast, so the reel’s job is to hold the fly line and the backing under it. Orvis sizes its reels by line weight, from size I for 1–3 weight line to size V for 9–11. Its most versatile freshwater outfit is a 5-weight rod with a size II or III reel. Go a size up for streamers and long sink tips.

A large-arbor reel has an oversized spool, which means less reeling to recover line and room for more backing. Orvis says reels for trout and bass “don’t need a strong drag”, while saltwater fish call for a stronger, sealed drag. A classic click-drag reel slows the spool with its clicker and your palm on the rim.

How do you choose a fishing reel?

Start with the fishing and the line it needs. Trout and panfish want 4–6 lb; bass and walleye 8–12 lb mono or 10–20 lb braid; surf fish 20 lb and up.
Choose the type from the table above. Most anglers start on a spinning reel and add a baitcaster for heavier lures.
Pick the size that holds 150–200 yd of that line. That is enough for any freshwater run and most inshore fish.
Match the rod. A 2500–3000 balances a medium-light or medium rod, a 3000–4000 a medium-heavy one, and a 5000 and up a long surf or catfish rod.
Choose the gear ratio for the lures: slow for deep crankbaits, fast for jigs, worms and topwater.
For salt water, buy sealing before size. A sealed drag and an IPX rating matter more than a bigger number on the box.

Fishing	Reel	Size or spec	Line
Trout, panfish, ultralight	Spinning	1000–2000	4–6 lb mono
Bass finesse: drop shot, Ned rig	Spinning	2500	6–10 lb mono, 10–15 lb braid
Walleye, all-round bass	Spinning	2500–3000	8–12 lb mono, 10–20 lb braid
Bass jigs, Texas rigs, cover	Low-profile baitcaster	7.1:1 and up	12–25 lb mono or fluoro, 30–65 lb braid
Pike, salmon, steelhead	Spinning, or a round baitcaster	3500–4000	10–17 lb mono, 20–30 lb braid
A child’s first reel	Spincast	–	6–10 lb mono
Catfish	Baitfeeder spinning from the bank; round baitcaster or level wind from a boat	5000–6000 spinning	17–20 lb mono, 30–50 lb braid
Inshore salt	Sealed spinning	2500–3000	10–20 lb braid
Snook, big redfish, jetties	Sealed spinning	4000–5000	20–30 lb braid
Surf	Spinning or star-drag conventional	5500–8000 spinning	30–50 lb braid
Trout on the fly	Fly reel	Orvis size II or III	5-weight fly line

The best fishing reels page puts a reel and a price to each of these, and the line hub explains mono, fluorocarbon and braid. For the rest of the outfit, the fishing gear hub sets out the other decisions, from hooks to fish finders.

What does the size number mean?

The size number describes the spool and body, and with them the line capacity, the drag and the weight. A 3000 or a 4000 on a spinning reel is a size, not a weight or a drag rating. Shimano, Daiwa and Penn number in thousands, though Penn runs one family in round thousands and one ending in 500. Pflueger counts in tens: its President comes in sizes 20 to 40. None of it is a standard, so the table is a convention.

Size	Mono	Braid	Lure weight	Use
1000	4–6 lb	4–8 lb	1/32–1/8 oz (1–4 g)	Panfish, trout, ultralight
2000	6–8 lb	10 lb	1/16–1/4 oz (2–7 g)	Trout, crappie, light bass
2500	6–10 lb	10–15 lb	1/8–3/8 oz (4–11 g)	The all-purpose freshwater size
3000	8–12 lb	15–20 lb	1/4–3/4 oz (7–21 g)	Bass, walleye, pike, light inshore
3500–4000	10–17 lb	20–30 lb	3/8–1½ oz (11–43 g)	Pike, salmon, stripers, redfish, snook
5000–6000	17–20 lb	30–50 lb	1 oz (28 g)+	Catfish, heavy inshore, light surf

Bigger is not safer. A 4000 carries 1–2 oz a bass rod does not need. Shimano’s Stradic weighs 7.8 oz at 2500 and 9.7 oz at 4000. Penn’s two families are not the same size either: a Penn 4500 holds about 45% more 10 lb mono than a Penn 4000, as the Penn reels page lays out.

Baitcasters carry size numbers too, with no shared scale. Shimano’s casting reels run from a 70 for light lures to the 500 Tranx for musky and salt. Abu Garcia’s round Ambassadeur comes in 5500, 6500 and 7000.

Does 30 lb braid fit a 2500? Braid is a little over half the diameter of mono of the same test: on Tackle Village’s chart of Oklahoma wildlife department data, 30 lb braid runs 0.012 in and 30 lb mono 0.020 in. It fits, but the Stradic 2500 holds only 100 yd of it. A 3000 or 4000 suits 30 lb better. Fill any spool to about 1/8 in (3 mm) below the lip, and put mono backing under braid when spooling a reel.

What does the gear ratio do?

The gear ratio is how many times the spool turns for one turn of the handle: 6.4:1 means 6.4 spool turns per crank. What the lure feels is inches per turn, which depends on the spool’s diameter and how full it is. Abu Garcia’s example: at 120 handle turns a minute, a 10.1:1 reel picks up about 410 ft of line. A 5.4:1 reel picks up about 220 ft. That is 41 in against 22 in per turn.

Lew’s and Wired2Fish sort casting reels into three speeds:

Low, 5.1–5.4:1: deep crankbaits, big swimbaits, slow-rolled spinnerbaits. Abu Garcia wants 20–24 in per turn for deep cranking.
Medium, 6.1–6.5:1: squarebills, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits; the one-reel choice.
High, 7.1:1 and up: jigs, Texas rigs, topwater and frogs, and picking up slack for the hookset.

Tackle Warehouse’s spec table for Shimano’s SLX A shows the spread inside one reel, from 25 in per turn at 6.3:1 to 32 in at 8.2:1. On a spinning reel, Daiwa’s Legalis LT is typical. The standard 2500 turns 5.2:1 and takes up 29.6 in per crank, the all-round speed. The XH turns 6.2:1 and takes up 34.5 in, which suits jerkbaits, topwater and the drop shot. Each lure hub lists the speed its lures want.

How much drag do you need?

The drag is the brake inside the reel. It sets how hard a fish must pull before line slips off the spool, so a hard run takes line instead of snapping it. Whisker Seeker, a reel maker, sets it at about 25–30% of the line’s strength. On 20 lb mono that is 5–6 lb of drag. Tie the line to a handheld scale and pull until the drag slips.

So the maximum drag printed on the box is headroom, not a setting, and it barely moves with price. Penn’s 4000-size spinning reels all list 15 lb, from the $59.99 Wrath II to the $289.95 Clash II. What matters more is that the drag starts smoothly. Wired2Fish’s shop test: tighten the knob, turn the spool backward and listen for an even pinging.

Most spinning reels set the drag with a knob on the front of the spool; a few, like Shimano’s rear-drag Sahara, put it at the back of the body. Baitcasters use a star wheel by the handle, and offshore reels a lever.

Do more bearings make a better reel?

No. Bass Pro’s guide puts it bluntly: “Inexpensive reels packed with “10” bearings will often be of poor quality.” Wired2Fish’s spinning-reel chart lists a $27 reel with nine bearings next to a $749 Shimano Stella with thirteen. Look instead for the words shielded, double-shielded or sealed. On the retailers’ spec sheets, Shimano’s $90 Sedona and $285 Vanford are rated for the same 20 lb of drag. The extra $195 buys 2.3 oz less weight and four more bearings.

The body matters more than the bearing count. Graphite is cheaper and lighter; aluminum is stiffer, and high-end baitcasters use a one-piece aluminum frame. Composite reels “will have more play over time”, in Wired2Fish’s words. Penn’s spinning reels turn full-metal at the $124.95 Fierce V; Shimano’s freshwater spinning reels get a metal body at the Stradic, and its baitcasters at the $115 SLX A. On a baitcaster, two more marks of quality are a forged rather than die-cast spool and a titanium line guide, since ceramic is the cheaper material.

What makes a reel saltwater-ready?

Sealing. A saltwater reel adds a sealed carbon drag, sealed or shielded corrosion-resistant bearings and an anodized aluminum body. The best carry an IP rating as well: IPX5 or IPX6 for spray, IPX8 for a reel that survives going under. A cheap reel without seals corrodes fast in salt, Outdoor Life warns: bearings and joints seize, and the handle, bail and line guide are subject to failure. The saltwater spinning reels page explains each IPX test and compares eight sealed reels.

How much does a fishing reel cost?

A working reel starts under $50, and the money above about $110 buys metal, sealing and lighter weight rather than catching power. The spinning ladder shows it best:

Spinning reel price	What the step buys	Examples
Under $60	A graphite body, a few bearings, a working drag	Shimano Sienna $35–38, Penn Wrath II $59.99
$75–125	Cold-forged gears on the Sedona, a metal body on the Fierce V	Pflueger President $74.95, Shimano Sedona $90, Daiwa Legalis LT $99.99, Penn Fierce V $124.95
$160–300	Sealing, more bearings, metal bodies, less weight	Penn Battle IV $164.95, Shimano Stradic $235–265, Shimano Vanford $285–295
$300 and up	IP ratings for salt; the makers’ flagships	Penn Slammer IV $329.95 (IPX6), Penn Authority from $609.95 (IPX8), Shimano Stella $865–895

Baitcasters start a little higher. Abu Garcia’s baitcasters open at the $64.99 Max X. KastKing’s open at $37.99, and its $47.99 Spartacus II is the one to start on. Lew’s casting reels run from the $74.99 Classic to the $399.99 HyperMag ITB. Shimano’s Digital Control brake starts at $225, on the SLX DC. Spincast reels run from $13.99 for a Zebco 202 to $169.99 for the Bullet MG.

Which brand is best? At the same price, no single one. Shimano’s spinning reels run from about $35 to $895 at Tackle Warehouse. Daiwa’s climb from the Crossfire to the Saltiga. Penn is the saltwater specialist, and its sister brand Van Staal builds sealed surf reels, the VR II from $639.95. Okuma runs from the $19.99 Aria to the Makaira lever drags, with line counters for trolling. Pflueger is the value brand: its President costs $74.95, and its dearest reel, the Patriarch, $279.95. Sedona or Sahara? The Sedona already has cold-forged Hagane gears; the $105 Sahara adds X-Ship, which supports the pinion gear on bearings at both ends. Under $100, three good all-rounders are the Pflueger President at $74.95, the Shimano Sedona FJ at $89.99 and the Daiwa Legalis LT at $99.99.

What are the parts of a fishing reel?

A spinning reel has six parts worth knowing by name:

Spool: holds the line; its lip is where the line leaves on the cast.
Bail and line roller: open the bail to cast; the roller is the surface the line runs over as you reel.
Rotor: the turning arm that carries the bail and lays line on the spool.
Drag knob: on the front of the spool, or at the back on a rear-drag reel.
Anti-reverse: stops the handle turning backward, so the hookset is solid. A one-way clutch does it instantly.
Reel foot: the bar that clamps into the rod’s reel seat.

A baitcaster adds four controls: the thumb bar that frees the spool, the spool tension knob, the brake dial and the line guide that spreads the line evenly. Left hand or right? Most spinning reels switch: unscrew the handle and move it to the other side. Many baitcasters have a fixed handle side, so buy the hand you reel with.

How do you look after a reel?

Rinse it after salt, oil it lightly and keep salt out of the drag. Shimano’s maintenance page says to use cold fresh tap water and not to submerge the reel. It also warns that salt crystallizes between the line and the spool, so strip the line now and then on a reel fished in salt. Abu Garcia’s guide, for spinning reels and baitcasters alike, sets regular maintenance monthly for a reel fished in fresh water and a clean after every saltwater trip. It also says to skip the hose, which drives salt deeper inside. A small drop of oil goes on the bearings and a little grease on the gears; too much oil slows the bearings. The baitcaster page walks through the clean step by step.

Where did the baitcaster and the spincast come from?

The American casting reel began in Kentucky. George Snyder, a watchmaker and silversmith who died in 1841, is credited with building the first multiplying reel in the United States: geared so the spool turns several times per crank, as a baitcaster’s still does. The spincast came more than a century later. R. D. Hull’s backlash-free reel was built by the Zero Hour Bomb Company of Tulsa, a maker of oil-well time bombs, and sold as the Standard in May 1949. The Zebco 33 followed in 1954. In 1956 the firm renamed itself Zebco, the year a reel it sent to the White House set off a bomb scare.

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