The 8 best Shimano Spinning reels

A brief Guide to Shimano Spinning reels

Buying reels of this brand, Shimano uses some special specific words for the product descriptions. For better understanding, you must be familiar with these terms.

Shimano Reel Family

Shimano declares each reel series as a family. They allow a family name to similar group reels. For example, Stradic, Stella, and Twin power are all family names.

Gear Ratio

Shimano has divided its gear ratios into three different levels or categories. It starts from the lowest gear i.e. Power Gear (PG), then the middle option i.e. High gear (HG), and finally the fastest one is XG the extra High Gear. With Shimano reels, the maximum gear ratio you can get is 6.2:1.

Spool Depth

For defining the reel’s spool depth Shimano products’ titles and descriptions might have the letters/codes M, MS, S, or SS. They define these terms as Shallow, Medium Shallow, and Super Shallow.

Model

You may have noticed that after every Shimano reel family name there are some random Alphabets mentioned. E.g. SL, FK, FL, etc. They represent that they belong to the same family but are the predecessors of the previous one. The second-mentioned alphabet represents that it is the upgraded version.

For a good understanding, Stradic has a long tail of model variants in its family i.e. Stradic FA, FB, FC, FD, FE, FF, FG, FJ, FK, FL, and CI4.

Hagane Body

Almost every Shimano spinning reel has this feature. What does actually it do? The main function of the Hagane body feature is to offer strength and rigidity to the reel, especially under heavy loads and stress.

The Hagane body reels are mainly aluminum material which also leads to the reel’s overall weight reduction. These features make reel bodies stronger and long-lasting.

Hagane Gears

In order not to lose the smoothness under heavy loads and fight against aggressive fish these Hagane gears provide unparalleled durability owing to its hardness and ability to resist wear. With a specially developed 3D design, gives you smoothness and performance time and time again.

The teeth of the drive gear are created with no cutting work applied. This guarantees that even after long-term use your reel will run smoothly and powerfully.

Propulsion Line Management

The main hero behind the longer cast with Shimano spinning reels without lines twists and tangles is this line management. This arrangement loads and unloads the line off the spool with less friction and twist. This well-designed spool also features smooth lip-design.

Cross Carbon Drag

The Cross Carbon Drag in Shimano reels allows a wide range if drag settings even with smaller Shimano reels you have enough drag.

G-free body

This feature increases the angler’s comfort as well as the reel’s sensitivity. In this, the center of gravity of the reel is placed closer to the angler’s hand in this way more power is transferred from the crank to the main shaft. This all reduces arm fatigue and helps angler fish all day long.

MGL Rotor

MGL stands for MagnumLite Rotor, this rotor is 25% lighter than standard rotors and required very less force for your reel operations. You have better control over your reel and smoothly start and stop your retrievals.

This all is done by moving the bail return mechanism from the line roller side to the mounting cam side.

X-Ship

There is a certain degree of pride that comes from owning the best gear possible. And with X-ship reel design, you won’t have to worry about taking good care of your reel. Professionally lubricated gears are supported by bearings on both ends, this way gears will not dislocate from their position under loads. X-ship reduces friction and makes it possible to cast longer distances.

ARB bearings

A-RB bearings stand for Anti Rust Bearings. In the reels which aren’t fully waterproof, the salt particles and debris make their way to the rotor and bearings and increase rust exposure.

In order to increase, the level of corrosion resistance ARB bearings is placed in Shimano spinning reels than the stainless steel ones. This makes the majority of Shimano reels perfect for both freshwater and saltwater.

Those who use their reels on regular basis should really look into these features.

Shimano heat Sink Drag

When the line casts out of the spool, the heat and tension are produced with drag force. In order to save drag washers from melting under heat and to maintain their smooth function, the Shimano Heat Sink dissipates the heat out of the reel. This also saves drag washers from freezing when ice fishing. In short, the main function of heat sinkers is to maintain the inner spool temperature for smooth performance.

How we picked the best Shimano Spinning reels

Although we already have listed the recommended Shimano reels along with their features, their good sides, and the room for improvement required. But we think you can better pick a product whether it is of any brand if you are well introduced to its components and you should know what you should consider before buying.

The following are features of good spinning reels:

Gear Ratio

The gear ratio indicates the retrieving speeds of the reels. The clear definition of gear ratio is the number of spool rotations on one crank turn. This value is mentioned with every reel model and is written as 5.7:1, which means that 5.7 times the rotor will rotate around the spool when you turn the handle.

The higher the gear ratio, the faster the reel. If you want to retrieve your lure quickly, use gear ratios of 5:1 or higher. All reels with gear ratios greater than this are classified as fast-spinning.

If you’re not sure about gear ratios, you can easily follow the general rule that higher gear ratios are best for throwing artificial lures and slow-spinning reels are best for live baits when you need more power.

Fast reels with a high gear ratio are better suited for inshore, offshore, and bass fishing. Stella and Vanford Spinning reels are perfect pick for speed along with smoothness.

Drag System

To know which reel wins the race in the of drag, you first should know what the reel’s drag is and what it does. The drag system of spinning reels features center-holed fabric washers which are stacked inside the spool’s center. The drag system is adjusted by tightening and loosening the pressure on these washers. An adjustable clutch is mainly placed on most reels’ front.

It’s a simple rule if you tighten the drag the line is hard to be released while the drag set as loose makes it easier for fish to pull the line. For a perfect setup pick braided fishing lines when you want to fish with loose drag while the monofilament being more stretchy than braided is perfect with a tight drag system.

The drag system of the line must be smooth and consistent to save your line from breakage. The good news is Shimano has one the best drag systems in their reels they are reliable and release the line before its breaking strength. They are also heat protectants as friction produced by drag washers can cause permanent damage to your reel.

The Stella, Vanford and Saragosa family reels are my personal favorite when it comes to drag smoothness.

Line Capacity

The line capacity or spool capacity tells the length of line your reel’s spool can pick. Lines capacities are also mentioned with each reel model, so you can better know the reel.

When targeting bigger-sized fish as these run out more line, so going with a larger spool is recommended. A larger spool means more lines on the spool and vice versa. Using a braided fishing line may allow more line on the spool but smaller-sized reels might not be rigid and tough with the aggressive catch.

For inshore and offshore saltwater fishing, spinning reels larger than 6000 are recommended. As spool size is directly proportional to casting distance.

Reel Weight

No doubt lighter lures are easy to carry and not bulky at all. They are the perfect pick for fresh water and other smaller fish catches but for deep sea fishing, fishing inshore saltwater, and targeting larger-sized you should pick heavy rigid lures.

The weight of the reel is a clear indication of its strength, durability, and its potential to land a fish on the deck. Although lighter reels are good with casting accuracy but aren’t a recommended pick for aggressive big fish.

I must appreciate Shimano at this point, that they offer the perfect balance of weight and rigidity. Shimano reels are relatively lighter than other brand reels.

Our pick for Vanford as the best freshwater spinning reel is mainly due to its lightweight body and components, however, for heavy cover, we do recommend Shimano Stella SW.

Size of the Reel

Shimano produces the most versatile spinning reels as they are present from size 500 up to 25000 sizes. The size of the reel is dependent on the size of your fish, the weight of your line, and your fishing type. Targeting smaller fish the spinning reel of 500-1000 size is perfect. Shimano Stradic FL and Nasci are suitable here.

Targeting smaller to medium-sized fish, 2000-3000 size is perfect for regular fishing without any arm fatigue, Stradic and Sedona performs well here, at last targeting larger fish with heavy lines and lures, you need a heavy reel with rigid body.

Larger fish are mainly saltwater species, so picking 4000 and all the above size is for this fishing type. Stella and Vanford are the showstoppers in this category.

Number and Quality of ball bearings

Ball bearings have a powerful influence on your cast and smooth retrieves as they reduce friction between moving parts of the reel. The greater the number of ball bearings, the smoother the cast is. The best spinning reels have ball bearings greater than 5 in number.

The latest spinning reels comprise mainly two types of ball bearings.

Shielded bearings

As the name suggests these ball bearings are shielded with metal or plastic material. The main purpose of shielding them is to save them from salt and dirt. You have to properly and regularly oil the bearings to save them from corrosion. As saltwater may affect these parts.

Sealed Bearings

Rather than the shield, these bearings are sealed with material like rubber. These sealing not only save bearings from dirt particles but are also waterproof so more protection from salt particles and corrosion. They are the top recommendations for saltwater fishing. All their positive ratings also raise the price tag.

The greater number of ball bearings is a good sign for reel performance. The more ball bearings smoother your reel retrieves. Professional anglers advise that there should be at least 5 ball bearings in a fishing reel and more than this are always top recommended.

Reel Body Material

Shimano makes sure to make rigid reel bodies to prevent failures. Many of its reels feature an Al metal Hagane body and offer incredible performance. Going into the detail of the reel’s body material, Aluminum and graphite are two main materials for body construction.

Aluminum reel bodies are more durable than graphite but heavier in weight. They are available at relatively cheaper rates than graphite ones. Whereas the graphite spinning reels are lighter in weight and more corrosion resistant.

The reel’s durability and weight are also dependent on this factor.

Anti-reverse Switch

The most recent spinning and baitcasting fishing reels have an “anti-reverse switch” that can be turned on and off based on personal preference.

This feature prevents the reel from turning backward; the bail cannot make even the slightest backward movement, which aids in setting strong hook sets and prevents line tangles because the reel is locked to spin in the wrong direction.

In addition to all these points, the type of fishing and your target catch does matter when selecting the best spinning reels.