Best Spincast Reel

Best Spincast Reel of 2017

Have you read our guide on the different types of fishing reels? Are you ready to buy your first fishing reel and know that you want a spincast reel? Then read our picks for the best spincast reel!

Spincast reels are usually the recommended fishing reel for beginner fishermen. Why? Because spincast reels are the easiest to operate: hold down the button, cast your line, and let go of the button when your pole reaches the top of the arc. Once you’ve cast, pull the line in just a hair to trigger the line lock. Then when you’ve caught a fish, reel it in!

In this article, we will go over our picks for the best spincast reels. We tried to pick from a variety of brands, and we used a few categories (best overall, best value, best budget reel) to give you a few different options depending on what you are looking to spend. You’ll see what an extra 50 dollars will get you when selecting a reel.

Unless we specify otherwise, we will be talking about the reel only, which means you’ll need to buy a rod to put the reel on. Most rods cost between $20 and $40, so factor that in to your purchase. Some of our picks come as a combo, which includes both the fishing rod and the reel, so these are ready to go. The combos give a little bit better value, since you don’t have to factor in purchasing a rod to go with it.

Best Spincast Reel

For the best spincast reel, our pick is the Zebco Omega Spincast Reel. The Omega Pro is Zebco’s most advanced spincast reel. The Omega uses a 7 bearing reel system for smooth operation. The ergonomic handle is incredibly comfortable and can be set up for either left handed or right handed operation. This reel comes with two handles: a single lever handle, and a double handle lever, so you can use whatever you’re most comfortable with. The drag system is multi-disk, and triple-cam. This reel is geared at 3.4:1.

The reel comes prespooled with a 10 pound test, mono, cajun fishing line. It is not meant to handle braided line, so make sure you stick to mono. The reel has room for 85 yards of the 10 pound test line. This reel is not a combo, which means you’ll need a rod to go with it. If you’re not sure what to get, check out the Shakespeare Ugly Stik line of rods – they are quite popular.

One thing to keep in mind: don’t get this reel if you’re looking for something to take saltwater fishing. If you’re looking for a saltwater reel, make sure you buy a reel specifically designed for saltwater. If you use the Omega in saltwater, you will get a drastically shorter life for your reel, as the saltwater corrodes and gunks up the parts inside the Omega.

The Omega is the top of the line model from Zebco. Zebco fishing reels are a mainstay, with the ever popular 33 reel. This is the premium reel from Zebco, and it doesn’t disappoint. While it is on the pricier side of reels, it is well worth it – especially after you have spent some time fishing and are ready to upgrade your reel. Given the popularity of the Zebco 33s, it is only natural to compare this reel to a 33. So that is what we did. While at first glance it seems similar to the 33, when you actually using it, the difference will be immediately apparent. Even though the 33 is a solid fishing reel, the Omega is just better. It casts smoother, and just comes with a better build quality than anything else Zebco makes. Multiple people have compared the Omega to the way the 33s used to be built, back in the good old days. This reel certainly live up to its reputation.

Best Value Spincast Reel

We’ve all heard of Zebco, and most of us have heard of Daiwa. But have you heard of Pflueger? Every time we make one of these lists, we try to throw in a brand or two that you may not be familiar with. Plueger is an old company, more than 100 years old. It was started in Akron, Ohio, and is a manufacturer of many products, including fishing reels, hooks, and more.

The Pflueger President is about the size of the 33, and holds 10 pound test line. Make sure to use mono line, as braided line will ruin this reel. The President 10 (this one) has the capacity for 75 yards of 10lb line. The frame is made of aluminum, and it comes with a single lever handle. This reel uses 4 ball bearings, with an instant antireverse bearing to keep the reel operating smoothly. The President uses a 3.8:1 gearing ratio. Each complete turn of the handle will reel in 18.5 inches of fishing line.

The Pflueger casts smooth and easy, with an easy to adjust drag. You will reel in fish quickly when you need to, no hassles.

Best Daiwa Spincast Reel

The Daiwa Goldcast Spincast Reel is our pick for the best Daiwa reel. Daiwa builds quality fishing reels, and because of this, Daiwa has amassed quite the following of diehard fans. This Goldcast reel is no exception. Coming in three different sizes, you can pick the one that fits your needs the best. The Goldcast has a regged metal body and metal gearing, and comes with a rotating tungsten carbide line pickup.

The Goldcast has a gear ratio of 4.1:1. For the GC80 (the smallest one), one turn of the handle will reel in 18.3 inches of fishing line. For the GC120 (the largest), one turn of the handle will reel in 21.3 inches of line. The GC80 is rated to hold 75 yards of the 8 pound test line. In practice, this can be a little tight, which can cause some problems. Consider getting the GC100, or using 6 pound test on the GC80. The GC100 is rated for 80 yards of the 10 pound test line. The largest reel, the GC120, is rated to hold 100 yards of the 12 pound test line. Don’t use braided line with this reel. Like most spincast reels, it isn’t set up for braided link, and will either jam really easily, or it won’t cast at all.

The Goldcast comes with an anti-reverse mode. For best results, leave this off and put the reel into oscillation mode while casting. This will get you a better casting distance and a smoother retrieve. One thing that you’ll notice if you read the reviews about this spincast reel: The anti-reverse can get a bit noisy, so keep that in mind if you think that will bother you.

If you’re specifically looking for the lightest reel, we would recommend that you stick with the smallest model, the GC80, and use 6 pound test line. The medium sized model, the GC100, is only a little heavier than the GC80, so for just about everyone, we’d recommend getting the GC100. The largest reel, the GC120, isn’t that much heavier either, but it is a bigger reel, and it sits further away from the rod. You’ll need to have big hands in order to use the GC120 comfortably.

The Daiwa Goldcast is a great, quality pick for a beginner or for someone looking up upgrade a notch higher fromm one of the absolute entry level fishing reels. If you’re look for a rod to put this on, check out the Ugly Stik or the Shimano Sojourn.

Best Cheap Spincast Reel

For the best cheap spincast reel, we have to go with the Zebco 33 Spincast Combo. There just isn’t a competition. Zebco is one of the most popular brands of spincast reels, and because of its price, the Zebco 33, is one of the most popular reels for beginners. Additionally, this reel is sold as a spincast combo, which means its ready to go fishing. You don’t have to buy a rod, and you don’t have to assemble it. It would be hard to get started fishing for less money than you’d spend on the Zebco 33 Spincast Combo.

The Zebco 33 reel in this kit comes prespooled with 100 yards of Cajun fishing line, that has a test weight of 10 pounds. The 33 reel is a dependable and high quality fishing reel, with smooth mechanical gears. This should be enough for most beginners going on a weekend trip to the lake. If you go this route, the 33 should last you for a year or two while you get started fishing, and decide if fishing is for you or not. If it isn’t, you still had some fun for a very small price. If it is, you’ll probably want to upgrade a bit as you get more into it. When you upgrade, you’ll have a cheap and dependable fishing reel that you can lend to your friends (or your children) without worrying about them ruining the more expensive rod that you keep for yourself.

Like most fishing reels, the handle on this reel is ambidextrous, meaning that you can move it to either the left or the right side of the pole, depending on your preference. The rod that comes with the combo breaks in half, so you can disassemble it for easier transportation and storage. Just screw the top half back on when you’re at your destination and ready to go fishing. The rod is 5 ft, 6 in. long. While this isn’t as long as some other rods, it is plenty for a beginner fishing a lake or river. This combo comes with a tackle box set, including a basic set of weights, floaters, and hooks.

The Zebco 33 Spincast Combo really is the best cheap way to get started fishing. If you’re sold, you should also consider the Zebco 33 His & Hers Combo. Its the same reel, but you get two of them, at an even better price! As you get more into fishing, you’ll realize the importance of having multiple reels. Whether you buy the combo for your husband or wife, whichever friend happens to be with you, or simply as a backup reel, you should definitely consider the two pack.

Spincast Reel Reviews

All four of the fishing reels we reviewed today have 4 or more stars on Amazon. Reading through the reviews, you come to the conclusion that whichever reel you pick, you get what you pay for. The cheapest reel we talk about here still gets great reviews, because you get a good product considering how much you’re spending. Of course a $50 reel will be better than a $30 reel. But that’s ok. Not everybody needs a $50 reel. Pick whichever of these reels you’re most comfortable with. You won’t make a bad decision with any of them.

If you’ve never fished before, we’d suggest you keep it simple and start out with the Zebco 33. If you have been fishing before, you probably know how often you go fishing, and how much you want to spend. The difference between $50 and $30 really doesn’t make any difference factored over a couple years.

There are a few things you should remember when shopping for a reel. None of these reels are made for braided fishing line. Braided line can be much stronger than mono line, but it is also thicker. That means that you’ll need to get a reel that is made to handle thicker fishing line. Mono line in one of these reels will work fine for the majority of the fishing you’ll do. Bigger fish is a bit of a specialty, and you’ll know when you do it. Also remember, these aren’t built for saltwater. Saltwater is corrosive – it will shorten the life of your reel, and can start gunking up the gears quicker than you’d think.

There are a lot of fishing reels out there, and there is a lot of information. We hope that we’ve given you a little bit more, so that it is a little easier for you to make a decision.

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