Budget reel advice
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Popper and Topwater Fishing
Forum Description: If you're into a bit of action on top, this is the forum for you
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=135073
Printed Date: 28 Jan 2026 at 7:55am
Topic: Budget reel advice
Posted By: u13turbo
Subject: Budget reel advice
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2021 at 10:47pm
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Hi. I'm currently interested in going after some kingfish. Still researching myself but a reel that I have been looking at is the Penn pursuit III 8000. Looks like a bargain at $120, and I'm hoping it could be used for top water aswel as jigging? Any advice and/or other options around that price point would be appreciated Cheers |
Replies:
Posted By: jac
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2021 at 6:13am
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How budget do you want to go? Both these are quality entry level reels Saragosa 8000-14000 Daiwa BG You might pick up one of these second hand if you look Don’t know much about the Penns |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2021 at 9:58am
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I think that of all the common fish species in NZ, kingies test your gear the most and reels that aren't up to it will be toast pretty quickly - and therefore false economy. Better to spend in the middle range, look after it, and have something reliable that will last. In terms of size, it really depends on where you're planning to fish, and therefore the likely size of the kingies you encounter - therefore the braid PE rating and capacity, and the reel/rod to suit the fishery. My Daiwa BG5000 with 50lb braid has handled legal kingies okay on topwater - it has excellent retrieve rate which I think is handy for top water, and seems robust. Only 10kg max drag, but I read/heard conflicting advice on the level of drag required so went with the BG. It's not like I'm fishing Three Kings etc. the downside to fast retrieve is - as I understand it - that jigging is best done with slower retrieval reels with more torque. I haven't got into jigging, so went for faster retrieve. I stayed clear of the mag sealed Daiwas, for ease of servicing. I have several Penn Slammer III reels for other uses and really like them. I would probably buy a bigger one for top water if I was in the market for a new reel. They are a heavy reel for their size, but I have found the drags powerful and smooth. Or as Jac says, the Saragosas seem to be highly regarded, and have been a mainstay of 'budget' recommendations for kingie fishing for years - and you can probably pick up the older model at a decent price.
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Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2021 at 11:36am
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The experts reckon the Penn Slammers are more reliable than Shimano Saragosas. I would not be targeting Kingies on entry level $120 reels, save your pennies and get something that you will be confident with and will last the distance. It will save a lot of disappointment.
------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2021 at 2:53pm
| Agree with the above comments about the Slammer III reels. Not cheap, but good value. Regarding the weight, they are heavy, but be realistic about what size you really need. I've been using the 4500 for inshore kingfish and haven't come close to being spooled. It's loaded with 30lb braid. Note that Penn reel sizing is at least one size bigger than their Shimano or Daiwa counterparts. |
Posted By: spin king
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2021 at 3:31pm
| I use a 8k gosa for top water and pe6casting braid with 130 lb mono leader, top water is all in the rod... |
Posted By: coroben
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 4:44pm
Caught any big kings on it? Advice RE budget reel for topwater is don't, get a slammer. second hand be a good option
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spin king wrote:Posted By: shaneg
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2021 at 10:40pm
Rather than a penn pursuit go for penn fierce if on a budget. I‘ve had an 8000 fierce for couple of years and is a nice little reel for money loaded with pe3 Edge braid from burnsco. Wouldn’t put it up against massive kings but handles them up to 15kg. Fine for smaller stick baits and poppers, and would be fine for lighter to medium jigging. Can compare against 2 other spinners I owned for quite a long time, the shimano sustain 10k and Diawa opus bull 4500, those reels were both more expensive, although opus was pretty cheap when bought it - under $150. Diawa Opus bull is still going strong and dealing to kings over 20kg sits on old blue Diawa pe 7-8 jig rod but only fish pe5 over it. Same with the sustain 10k, which use on top water rod occasionally but it did fine on trip to white a few years ago. Personally prefer jigging and livebaiting for kings. Have just bought a 20k saragosa for more line capacity and heavier work. The older models are going cheap now the new 2020 model is out. You also probably can’t go wrong with slammer3s from penn - very solid reels as recommended above. But again more expensive but probably better investment longer term. |
Posted By: jac
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2021 at 9:36am
| The new twinpower swc is due for release in April and is meant to be available in NZ in most sizes including the 8000 and 14000 hg models 😍👍🏼 |
Posted By: u13turbo
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2021 at 2:11pm
| Thanks for all the advice everyone. I have ended up splashing out abit.. Went with a slammer 3 6500... Looks like a very nice piece of kit. Looking forward to trying it out |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2021 at 4:00pm
| I don't think you will be disappointed, enjoy! |
Posted By: Tammi
Date Posted: 07 May 2021 at 3:05pm
The furious looked great, I loved the possibility of the LL version with the flip switch. 
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Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 07 May 2021 at 5:07pm
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I had a Saragosa 25000 but found it too heavier for all day casting. I now use a Saragosa 14000XG, much better with weight for casting, 80lb power pro, 15kg of drag and an IPX8 waterproofness... ...couldn't help myself I had to get Swordfish Steve to add a power handle to complete the bling.  Poor man's Stella   ------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: kingiFiddla
Date Posted: 08 May 2021 at 10:35pm
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I'm late to this party but my new favourite cheap reel for kingis is a sub-$40 Okuma Revenger 55. I've tried cheaper - the Shimano IX rear-drag reels - but they kept breaking ;-) Shimano really needs to sort that out. After seeing a little Revenger 30 take a 45 minute beating on a shark a wee while ago and giving it heaps to bust the shark off, I was impressed. Sure, the plastic spool may not be perfectly round anymore, but it handled the jandle! So my "you can't catch good fish on that POS" eclipse rods will be rocking the Revenger 55's on the next kingi hunts. I would prefer to have stayed with Shimano reels but they don't do a good enough cheap one ;-) |
Posted By: Jammy
Date Posted: 27 Dec 2021 at 12:27am
| It depends on what's your budget. I would recommend Daiwa BG, Okuma Ceymar, and Pflueger President Spinning reels. These are best https://sensiblefishing.com/best-budget-spinning-reels/" rel="nofollow - budget reels and if you are beginner then you can easily use these products. However, my first recommendation is to buy Daiwa BG spinning reel. It is very smooth and durable. I use to fish with nothing but stratics after a long season they would freeze up and had to preform surgery on them and bring them back to life. I have fished 2 seasons with the BG. They still kicking strong with just rinsing them. They are heavier but they are tough and well designed. Outperforms reels twice the cost. Do yourself a favor get one. You won't regret it. |