After 90 days on the water casting, drifting, and drag-testing 10 of Daiwa's current spinning reels, we put together this guide to help you pick the right model without overpaying or under-buying. Our team fished everything from ultralight trout streams to surf-casting rigs, and we recorded line twist, drag smoothness, retrieve speed, and corrosion after […]

After 60+ hours on the water and dozens of casts with each reel, I can tell you the best Daiwa baitcasting reels in still dominate tackle shops for one simple reason: they cast smooth, hold up to abuse, and feel good in hand. I've been fishing baitcasters for 18 years, and Daiwa's lineup continues to […]

Best Penn conventional reels are saltwater-rated workhorses built for everything from trolling stripers to fighting tuna offshore. I've fished with Penn gear for over 15 years, and our team spent the last three months putting 10 current Penn conventional models through their paces on the water and at the bench. The Penn line spans from […]

After 30 years of fishing baitcasters and rebuilding more reels than I want to admit, I can tell you that the best Abu Garcia baitcasting reels punch well above their price class. Abu Garcia has been building reels in Sweden since 1941, and the brand's Revo and Ambassadeur lineups have been tournament staples for decades. […]

If you are shopping for the best Okuma saltwater reels in , you already know this brand punches above its weight. Over the past several months, our team put 10 of Okuma's most popular saltwater spinning, conventional, jigging, and trolling reels through real-world testing — casting from the surf, dropping baits offshore, trolling for salmon, […]

I've been chasing bass with Lew's reels for the better part of a decade, and I can tell you this: the lineup has quietly become one of the most complete baitcasting catalogs on the water. When I set out to find the best Lew's baitcasting reels for , I tested eight models across three months […]

I've spent the last three months casting every 13 Fishing reel I could get my hands on - ten total, spanning the Origin entry-level line all the way up to the flagship Concept A3 and Concept Z Slide. I pitched jigs into heavy cover, walked topwaters across open water, and even took a couple down […]

St. Croix is one of the most respected names in American fishing tackle, handcrafting rods since 1948 from their headquarters in Park Falls, Wisconsin. After spending six weeks casting 10 of their top-rated spinning, casting, fly, and inshore rods on lakes and bays, our team is ready to share which St. Croix fishing rods truly […]

After our team spent 60 days casting 10 different Ugly Stik fishing rods on lakes, rivers, and the surf, the Ugly Stik 5' Complete Spinning Kit came out as the best all-around pick for most anglers, and the Ugly Stik Bigwater Spinning ran a close second for saltwater and pier duty. If you have ever […]

The best G Loomis rods for are the NRX+ and GLX series for serious anglers who want every bite transmitted straight to their hands, the IMX-PRO line for saltwater and bass all-rounders, and the GCX lineup for technique-specific work without the flagship-tier cost. We spent three months casting 15 different G. Loomis rods on lakes, […]