Tim, funny you mention that.

1) This reel is going to be primarily for my 10 Year Old who is my mini me and fishing buddy.
The point of this reel is so he can set up his own catfish lines.

2) While I own 11 “6000/6500” Ambassadeurs, he doesn’t do to well with those.
I letting him get proficient with a tuned up 5500 first.

Duane

Duane, I bought a dock demon for my 4 year old grandson. When we are out chasing blue cats, he is up front on the casting deck, throwing that thing over and over and over. He has become pretty good at casting a spinning reel by doing that. Next step for him is the Brutus. He also kept bugging me to throw the cast net. I bought him a little 4' net and taught him to throw it. He is a champ with that little thing.
My 8 year old grandson started out the same way. Those bait casters are a hard trick to get down. I think you are doing exactly the right thing starting out with a spinning reel...

My fishing buddy, who is trying to steel my Battle II. LOL

I started with the 6500,it is a big reel.My first big fish on it was 38 lb'r from the bank.It was then that I realized I should've went with the 5000.I have since added the 4500.The biggest fish on the 5000 has been around 20 and the 4500 was a 26 and it performed like a champ.I'd have to say the 5000 or 4500 is perfect for big blues . I've been using the 6500 for slip floating flatheads,a big one needs all the reel you have.

You are awesome and thank you!!!

That’s a great starting point!

I get it, it’s not about the line capacity, it’s the gears. I have a plethora of smaller reels, I was already looking a larger reels to fill this facet.

i have 10 garcias, 6500,7000's but i bought a shimano tekota 500 and it is the best i have seen. Makes garcia feel like a zebco

I have 26 round reels to include various Ambassadeurs and Penns. If I am ever in the market for one again I will look at one.

Thank you.

Why on earth would you fish for big catfish with a spinning reel if you have a bunch of Abus? Spinning reels don’t cast nearly as far, they are less accurate, and getting one out of a rod holder when a toad is hooked up is very awkward because the reel is upside down in the rod holder. If you have a bunch of Abus then those are a much better catfish reel then any spinning reel on the market. Most of the anglers I know that use spinning reels use them because that’s what they grew up using and are comfortable with, not because of the performance.

Hahahahaha!!!

This is an awesome response!!!!!


I have been asking questions about spinning reels because my 10 and 13 year old boys have problems using bait casting reels. That simple. I actually prefer the round reels. My Ambassadors are the 1911 of round reels and I can take them apart and service them with ease. Parts are also easy to find.


As of right now, I don’t see us hooking anything over 20 pounds. Just saying. We mainly fish private ponds. The largest body of water we currently fish is Bonham State park and is only 65 acres in size.


My youngest is my fishing buddy and I am trying to fuel that interest!


Tight lines!!

That’s a great reason Scout! 🎣🎣. Get em going young!

If your getting a spinning reel for your boys to learn then I recommend getting small profile cheap spinning reel so that it’s easier for them to handle with their small hands. Light to med light action rod that is short is much easier for a little guy to handle too. This is good for all small fish and when they get good at using it they will start breaking off a few bigger fish. Those break offs are what sparked my interest in baitcasters when I was a about your son’s age. My son is 5 and he can cast my Pfleuger President I used to use fir crappie no problem. His problem is he can’t sit still long enough to shore fish and he is throwing rocks and sticks within 2 minutes. We do catfish by boat every weekend but he uses my Tekotas and I do all the casting.

Some of that is correct, but spinning reels will outcast baitcasters pretty much every time. There’s a reason long distance casters use spinning reels. I also disagree about accuracy. For short range accuracy, like throwing lures, you may possibly be right, but at distance I don’t think it matters at all either way. There are also some benefits to spinning reels. Line capacity being a huge one. And you can often get equal quality reels for less money than a baitcaster.

That all being said, most of my catfish reels are still abu 5500/6500s. But spinning reels certainly aren’t inferior to bait casters.

Everybody has their own personal preference Caribou. I used spinning reels for sandbass and crappie when I was a kid but I prefer baitcasters for catfish and always have. I’ve fished with quite a few Bluecat guides over the years and they all used baitcasters for catfish unless it was for channel cats and punch bait. I’m also buddies with quite a few high level Bluecat anglers and none of them use spinning reels either. If I need a reel with more line capacity I buy a bigger bait caster. The #1 reason spinning reels are used for surf casting isn’t because they cast big heavy rigs further either. It’s because they are much cheaper in price.


Here is an article on baitcasters vs spinning reels for catfish.

https://www.catfishsutton.com/baitcaster-reel-vs-spinner-reel/

Here is another good article of spinning reels vs baitcasters for catfish. .

https://www.catfishedge.com/catfish-reels/

I know if you drive down PINS (Padre Island National Seashore) you'll see long rodders staked out fishing. Most of their gear are bait casters not spinners and their throwing 700-800 feet to the 3rd gut.

I do agree there are plenty of spinning reels that will hold up to any freshwater catfish on a daily basis. Penn didn't make their mark in the industry by selling bait casters. Their spinning reels are used daily to bring in 500 pound tuna. A good spinning reel will no doubt get the job done.

Comes down to what you prefer to hold and throw. IMO it's easier on my hands/arms to fight larger fish with bait caster.