Best $75 to $100 spinning reel? 2025

Festivus reply :

Hi. Been looking to get a new spinning reel that can do double duty for both fresh and inshore saltwater fishing. Been looking hard at the Shimano Sahara. Curious to what the real world differences are of a Sahara vs Sedona vs Nexave vs Nasci. I was also looking at Penn but don't like the heavy weight of their reels but love their reliability, but also hate their lack of innovation and line lay, lol. Don't know what Daiwa offers at that price point. Maybe a BG? Been looking at at a 3500 to 4000 size reel to put one a 7 foot heavy spinning rod. Would like to keep weight at a minimum but if they all weigh within an ounce then it won't matter much. Any help or insight is appreciated. Thanks.

PatrickKnight reply :

The Daiwa BG is the best 100 dollar spinning reel ever made imo. Its MUCH better than the Shimano offerings in that range and I would put mine up against my Stradic FK. I have a 2500 size that sees yearly use in the salt and has had no issues at all (I do rinse it off after the trip and do yearly cleaning as I do on all my reels).

The Daiwa sizes also run a bit different than Shimano. A 3000 size BG will be the same size as a 4000 Shimano and my 2500 is the same size as my 3000 Stradic. Personally unless you plan on going after Tarpon, bull Redfish, or Cobia I don't see the need for anything larger than a 2500 for inshore fishing.

You also have the Fuego in the 100 dollar range from Daiwa, but I would rather have an aluminum body over generic plastic (I have no issues what so ever with Ci4+ or Zaion but you don't get that at 100 bucks), a carbon fiber drag over felt, and a bearing in the line roller. All three of those features are really important if you are going to be in the salt instead of just bass fishing, but some people put weight above all else and the Fuego does weigh less.

LionHeart reply :

Not sure if this helps but I've had a Sedona for nearly 10 years and it has been flawless. No complaints what-so-ever.

Yudo1 reply :

I would look at the daiwa bg or fuego lt for sure

burrows reply :

Diawa Legalis LT 2500 is a very sweet reel and a bit under your budget you might want to consider it. If you want to spend a little more I recommend the fuego LT 2500.

Shane Y reply :

I dont know what they weigh or anything but have you looked at the battle 2 by Penn? I've heard good things about them.

fvogel67 reply :

You can find a BG on E-Bay for under 100

Armtx77 reply :

On 6/3/2018 at 7:31 PM, PatrickKnight said:

The Daiwa BG is the best 100 dollar spinning reel ever made imo. Its MUCH better than the Shimano offerings in that range and I would put mine up against my Stradic FK. I have a 2500 size that sees yearly use in the salt and has had no issues at all (I do rinse it off after the trip and do yearly cleaning as I do on all my reels).

The Daiwa sizes also run a bit different than Shimano. A 3000 size BG will be the same size as a 4000 Shimano and my 2500 is the same size as my 3000 Stradic. Personally unless you plan on going after Tarpon, bull Redfish, or Cobia I don't see the need for anything larger than a 2500 for inshore fishing.

You also have the Fuego in the 100 dollar range from Daiwa, but I would rather have an aluminum body over generic plastic (I have no issues what so ever with Ci4+ or Zaion but you don't get that at 100 bucks), a carbon fiber drag over felt, and a bearing in the line roller. All three of those features are really important if you are going to be in the salt instead of just bass fishing, but some people put weight above all else and the Fuego does weigh less.

Diawa BG for the win.

Tywithay reply :

If you're not specifically putting together a super lightweight combo, Daiwa BG is far amd away the best.

NYWayfarer reply :

Kastking Sharky III (graphite) or Kastking Kodiak (aluminum) get my vote. Both are saltwater approved.

optimator reply :

Daiwa BG. It pushed my Sahara to back up status.

Buffdaddy54 reply :

On 6/3/2018 at 9:10 PM, fvogel67 said:

You can find a BG on E-Bay for under 100

Got mine for 80.

d-camarena reply :

The bg is probably best at that budget. But comparing it to the fk is blasphemy. I have both, the fk is way smoother, stronger, has less play, and is lighter. But in your budget id get the bg or a nasci

Lasher reply :

$80 at some store called Walmart. I am starting convert all reels to Daiwa and would buy 4 Fuego's right now if I had the funds

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Daiwa-BG-Saltwater-Spinning-Reel-2000-5-6-1-Gear-Ratio-6-1-Bearings-29-50-Retrieve-Rate-4-40-lb-Max-Drag/54903660?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=2478&adid=22222222227051137424&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=147489416799&wl4=aud-261800281900:pla-266041912772&wl5=9010329&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113134593&wl11=online&wl12=54903660&wl13=&veh=sem

burrows reply :

Now the question is do you want a 7.2 ounce 2500 diawa fuego or a 9.3 ounce 2500 Diawa bg I would get the fuego personaly but I don’t fish salt water so it really comes down to what your gonna use it for?

Buffdaddy54 reply :

On 6/3/2018 at 2:26 PM, Festivus said:

Hi. Been looking to get a new spinning reel that can do double duty for both fresh and inshore saltwater fishing. Been looking hard at the Shimano Sahara. Curious to what the real world differences are of a Sahara vs Sedona vs Nexave vs Nasci. I was also looking at Penn but don't like the heavy weight of their reels but love their reliability, but also hate their lack of innovation and line lay, lol. Don't know what Daiwa offers at that price point. Maybe a BG? Been looking at at a 3500 to 4000 size reel to put one a 7 foot heavy spinning rod. Would like to keep weight at a minimum but if they all weigh within an ounce then it won't matter much. Any help or insight is appreciated. Thanks.

Just received my BG 3000 today. MAN IS THIS THING SWEET! I cannot believe how much smoother with 7 bearings this is compared to my old President with 10!

I will say it's a bit heavier than the President but boy is this thing solid!!

burrows reply :

11 ounce reel for bass fishing seems a bit bulky for fresh water? Just saying. You can always send it back for a 2000 BG at 8.5 ounces seems more fitting for fresh water??? The 2000 has the same capacity as a 2500 shimano.

Festivus reply :

Thanks for the replies so far guys. I want to keep the reel at about 10.5 ounces or less, not looking for a super light set up as this will serve double duty in saltwater. How many of you guys use a spinning set up to walk the dog? I tried it this past few times fishing and although it was productive it made my wrists and forearms tired even with my intro 35 series GX2 Ugly Stik combo, lol. Thanks.

On 6/4/2018 at 10:21 PM, optimator said:

Daiwa BG. It pushed my Sahara to back up status.

Really?! Dang. I need to handle a BG then. Sahara felt great, only issue I had was the thin bail wire. I have about 70 bucks in credit at academy so that is determining what I get as well.

PatrickKnight reply :

On 6/4/2018 at 11:35 PM, d-camarena said:

The bg is probably best at that budget. But comparing it to the fk is blasphemy. I have both, the fk is way smoother, stronger, has less play, and is lighter. But in your budget id get the bg or a nasci

I own them both as well and after 3 years my FK has developed play in then handle (not an anti reverse issue just a "wiggly handle") but my BG is as solid as the day I got it.

I am not saying the FK is a bad reel, far from it but if I could do it all over again I would own 2x BG 2500s.

Boomstick reply :

Add another to the Daiwa BG train here.

Joshua van Wyk reply :

I have a Shimano Sahara from 2007. It still works like new and can handle anything. I also have a Daiwa BG that I purchased some time last year, and have been very impressed. Both are exceptional reels! You can't go wrong with one or the other.

EGbassing reply :

I just bought a Pflueger President XT. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but it feels really smooth. I believe it's saltwater approved.

d-camarena reply :

Whatever you choose, go buy it now at ebay, use code PICKDADSGIFT

20% OFF

I ordered 2 daiwa bg 3000 for $129

Impulse buy for my son

Festivus reply :

On 6/7/2018 at 12:10 AM, d-camarena said:

Whatever you choose, go buy it now at ebay, use code PICKDADSGIFT

20% OFF

I ordered 2 daiwa bg 3000 for $129

Impulse buy for my son

Thanks for the code. Is this if you're buying from a ebay store or for any purchase?

d-camarena reply :

Any ebay product i believe. Well at least evrything i bought from different sellers was discounted.

soflabasser reply :

On 6/5/2018 at 6:11 AM, Burros said:

11 ounce reel for bass fishing seems a bit bulky for fresh water? Just saying. You can always send it back for a 2000 BG at 8.5 ounces seems more fitting for fresh water??? The 2000 has the same capacity as a 2500 shimano.

11 ounces for a bass spinning reel is on the heavy side but you won't care much about the weight if you use your spinning reels for bass,snook,juvenile tarpon, redfish, jack crevalle, dolphin, etc and other types of fish.

On 6/3/2018 at 7:37 PM, LionHeart said:

Not sure if this helps but I've had a Sedona for nearly 10 years and it has been flawless. No complaints what-so-ever.

Shimano Sedona is a very good reel for the money. I prefer the Shimano Stradic and it has proven itself to me to be a very reliable reel for bass fishing, inshore fishing, and even fishing for some saltwater pelagic fish.

ChrisD46 reply :

Daiwa spinning reels - even the sub $75 reels have been very good with enhanced features !

SMITTY0045 reply :

I’m a big fan of the Shimano Sahara. I’ve had mine for 6 years not and it performs great. I think there’s a new version out now but I’m sure it’s just as great. I would also look at the pflueger purist. My brother has one and he speaks very highly of it. Plus pflueger is known for how well their spinning reels perform

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Best $75 to $100 spinning reel? 2025

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