My dad had a custom dropshot spinning rod made for me by Ron at Reel Time Rods. It�s red and black which are my favorite colors. Most of my experience is with Bait casters but he convinced me to start fishing finesse. So now I have this beautiful rod and need a new spinning reel.

My first �want� is the Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500. But I wanted some opinions on some less expensive reels and how they compare. One in particular is the Abu Garcia Revo SX.

Just ordered a new Xpress X21 Pro from Billy at Sartin Marine so every penny saved helps but I�m not willing to sacrifice quality.

1) There is no way you can go wrong with Stradic!
2) I personally would never try to compare it to Abu Garcia products, my alternative would be Daiwa. I have older Daiwa Sol 2500, and real happy, don't see myself looking for another for at least 5 years ..... but Sol is discontinued now (((
3) I can not point you to any currently made Daiwa product I have first hand experience, sorry.
4) A year ago I was trying to solve almost identical equation only in class UL, "1000". And I ended up with Stradic 1000FAML (boy, it is THE REEL!! I still envy to myself! )
Good luck!

once u fish with that stradic ci4, you will not want to pickup any other spinning reel. personally i have 4 ci4 3000 fishing exclusively in saltwater.

Looks like y�all confirmed what I was already thinking! Ci4 it is!

i have 2 of them . they are sweet reels!

Shimano Sustain F1

Daiwa Tatula LT.

I am a Shimano Stradic man, got a bunch of them and they just don�t wear out or break, but if you want a totally awesome reel to go on that totally awesome rod....upgrade to the Stella...you will never regret the decision, unless someone steals it due to your carelessness...then you will hate yourself for your carelessness...for the rest of your life...guaranteed.

Plus, that rod will be sitting beside the fireplace when not in use...

If you want a reel that is priced well below its quality, look at the Mitchell 308 Pro. You'll be giving up the red and black, as it is black with green trim. If you can get past that, it's a very well built reel that has performed great for me. I have one that's 3yrs old and has caught very close to, if not more than, 1,000lbs of fish (sand bass, hybrid, and striper) using braid, and it still feels new. Then I bought another last year that is steadily racking up numbers as well. It's price point is around $70-80, and I'd put it up against any reel that costs twice as much.

There is no way you can go wrong with Stradic!
1000 for crappies and whites
2500 for hybrid

+1 on the ci4, I have 2 ci4�s and 2 regular stradic s . Love them all, but the ci4�s have the edge with their weight.( and colors)