What is a good spinning reel for blues? Couldn't search for it.

Cabela's Saltstriker SSBF-65

My brother and cousin are big cat fisherman and they like the Daiwa Regal Plus. The RGP3500BRI has been a good reel for them. The got there's at a good price from Valley Sports. Google Valley Sports and More and you should find them

I'll be checking these out for my two rods my wife bought me.

Depends on your budget........I like the Salt Strikers also but only have 1 so far.....$25 Qauntum Optix have caught many a good blue (not so much by me but.....)....a monster will break it sure but it's $25........

BPS CatMaxx run $45 - ain't Bad.......

Okuma Expixor run $69 - Alot of guys use them
Okuma Avenger run around $49 and Baitfeed model run around $69 - both pretty popular with Catfish and Carp guys.....

Pflueger President XT $89

I love the Penn FRC 7000 ($80) and the Penn BTL 7000 ($100). You can't go wrong with a Penn.

+1 on the salt striker. I recently put one on a pro angler and love it. Have only landed one fish on it thus far but it was a 17.5lber that it handled with ease. I'm sure it can handle a 50+ with no issue, I just have to hook into one! Heck, I'll settle for a 20lber!!! I love the reel though. Much better than my king kats and I like it almost as much as my abu 6500 baitcasters.

I've caught Cobia offshore on that exact set up.

We use Shimano Stradic 4,000's on "light" and "medium" salt water pier rods a good bit. The Stradics come with two spools so you can have one spool with 10 or 12 and the other with 17 and braid backing. It has a very good drag that is up to 17 or 20 pounds and still smooth as silk. No stutter. We do not feel undergunned, esp with 35 yds of 17 - 20 quality mono and 20 lb braid backing. Wheeler, Guntersville, and Wilson in Alabama.

JJ,
Did you get your boat,
or are you going to be fishing from the bank?

Saltstrikers are made by Okuma then packaged for Cabela's. They are the same reel as the Okuma Avenger Bait Feeder (ABF). The regular Avenger reels are very dependable. Been using mine for 6 years now. The 65 and 80 are the same reel except that the 80 holds more line.

The pic below is an Okuma AV65 (Avenger 65) spooled with Power Pro.

[/img]

Not exactly. They're 10bb reels where the Avengers are 6. They're really a cross between the Okuma Salina and the Coronado.

Bob got me using the Salt Strikers baitfeeders, they are by far my favorite reels. We have caught a couple 60+ lb blues on them this year. I think the 60's and 80's have 22 lbs of drag. My favorite thing about them is the clicker tension is adjustable, and the fact that once you engage the reel it turns the clicker off without having to mess with it while reeling in a fish. You can tighten the clicker enough that it will bend a 10ft PA more than halfway down before it lets out line, or you can loosen it enough to where the wind can pull it out.
Very nice reels

Of course This One ain't Bad either........ 15 bearings, 66 lbs drag !