Time for new line counter reels

Hello guys and gals, with season just around the corner it's time for some new line counter reels. The wife, my son and I took a trip to wheeling wv to cabelas yesterday to get info on the best bang for the buck and I was totally disappointed. What a waste of 5 hours drive time. First, let me say we went there so my son could see the whitetail world , as I know there's closer cabelas stores. Anyway, the store associates were not helpful at all. The reels they had on display were a disappointment as well. Picked up everything from shimanos, diawas, okumas, and each one had nonfunctional aspects. I was like holy cow, swap them out, as these were display units so you could handle them. Line counters didn't work, handles loose, drag nonadjustable, etc. Wow, horrible!! So, where I stand now is to go the the guys and gals on this awesome site for an idea. Should have posted something here before traveling. Appreciate any advice. As far as budget, I'm looking to stay in the 100 to 200 dollar range per reel. O yeah, and it will be for walleye on our great lake, lake erie. Thanks for taking the time to help me out. Good luck to you all this season!!

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Originally Posted by M.A.D. Eyes

Hello guys and gals, with season just around the corner it's time for some new line counter reels. The wife, my son and I took a trip to wheeling wv to cabelas yesterday to get info on the best bang for the buck and I was totally disappointed. What a waste of 5 hours drive time. First, let me say we went there so my son could see the whitetail world , as I know there's closer cabelas stores. Anyway, the store associates were not helpful at all. The reels they had on display were a disappointment as well. Picked up everything from shimanos, diawas, okumas, and each one had nonfunctional aspects. I was like holy cow, swap them out, as these were display units so you could handle them. Line counters didn't work, handles loose, drag nonadjustable, etc. Wow, horrible!! So, where I stand now is to go the the guys and gals on this awesome site for an idea. Should have posted something here before traveling. Appreciate any advice. As far as budget, I'm looking to stay in the 100 to 200 dollar range per reel. O yeah, and it will be for walleye on our great lake, lake erie. Thanks for taking the time to help me out. Good luck to you all this season!!

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diawa reels have never let me down well priced great customer service

I'm partial to the Diawa line counters.I have the Diawa 47lc reels and have been happy with them.They are larger in size and when my girlfriend goes with us,she has a difficult time reeling in due to size and weight.If plan to take women and kids trolling,I would get the smaller size Diawa.

I like the okuma cold water reels. even though I have magda on my own poles and the only issue I have is with the one I dropped.

I like the diawa accudepth plus-B with the two handled crank. the single handed crank loses too many fish with inexperienced fisher people, it allows them to crank too hard. the dual handle slows them down and doesn't give as much torque which works better for people that do not fish a lot. I like the single handle for salmon fishing. I have had the same reels for 7 years and never had a failure. I do keep them clean and lubricated.

I tried to save by buying budget reels. Everything from okuma and cabela's to Abu Garcia (these aren't bad). I'm never buying anything but Shimano Tekotas again. They're smoother, more accurate and more reliable than any reel I've ever used. They are on the high side, but they are going to last a long time so it's well worth it.

Shimano Tekota's get my vote. Haven't let me down yet. I have various sizes for my walleye trolling needs and salmon trolling needs and they keep on going.

okuma convectors are not to bad the cheaper reels have a problem with not letting the line out with pressure on them like when your using a 40 jet not to mention poor drags

I use all sealine sg17 reels and have been very happy with them. but if I was buying new and had your budget of up to 200.00 I would get the shimano tekota 300lc reels. just under 200.00 at fishusa.com. or for a little more get the newer tekota a reels.

I purchased 4 new Okuma cold water reels last year I really like them they are good reels I have had no issues with them. I will be purchasing another 4 this year to replace the rest of my line counter reels.

Thanks everyone for your opinions on the counter reels! Very helpful information.

I would highly recommend going to another store that has working displays to check. I saw someone else mention one of the biggest problems with the cheap reels, which is that they do not like to release the bail when they have pressure on them (I've noticed this on Okumas and Cabela's reels). Make sure you test that when you are trying them out.

One other issue I've had is that the cheaper reels are so poorly geared that it feels like you have to reel twice as long with them compared to the nicer ones. And I am positive that it isn't the drag slipping because I've watched the spool and it's definitely turning.

Good luck!

i buy up every 27 lca diawa reel i see thats in good condition.

i buy up every diawa 27 lca reel i see that is in good condition.

I like the Tekota 500's and the Diawa SG27LC's....both seem to be pretty much bulletproof, if taken care of on a regular basis. I have several Tekotas that are from the year they came out...late 2000's, I think, and several Diawas that are over 20 years old and still working the way they should. It's definitely a "You get what you pay for" deal on reels.

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Originally Posted by Capt Juls

I like the Tekota 500's and the Diawa SG27LC's....both seem to be pretty much bulletproof, if taken care of on a regular basis. I have several Tekotas that are from the year they came out...late 2000's, I think, and several Diawas that are over 20 years old and still working the way they should. It's definitely a "You get what you pay for" deal on reels.

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juls runs a charter on erie so her reels get heavy use. the daiwa sealine or the shimano tekota reels will serve you well. i've been using some of the sg17lca reels for many yrs with not one failure. but i've heard good things about the tekota reels but never used one.

×2 what Juls said.Tekota are the best,but if can't afford those the Diawa 27 are the next best option.

Once again I want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to answer my questions concerning the counter reels. I believe I'm going to invest in the Tekotas. Sounds like a good investment !! Good luck to everyone and stay safe!!