Fishing Reel Brands: The Ultimate List for Saltwater, Freshwater, Offshore, Inshore & Fly Fishing

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With so many different fishing reel brands to choose from, it can get quite confusing to pick the right one. Arguably one of the most important parts of my fishing gear are the reels so while I want everything to be of the best quality I can afford, the fishing reel itself makes the most difference to me. I’ve used cheap reels and expensive reels and while I’m by no means a gear snob one thing is for certain. If you hook a fish on a bad quality reel, it makes it so much more work and stress to land the fish. Not to mention increasing the chance that you’re not going to land them at all.

I’m also the type that likes to get a shortcut when trying to look up new information and when looking around at who makes these various brands of fishing reels, I quickly found that there wasn’t a good source for a list of all the fishing reel brands. That’s why I created the list below. To help you research the various brands of reels and make a more educated choice as to what is right for you.

Brands of Fishing Reels

For each brand, I list whether they make freshwater, saltwater or fly fishing reels, the average aggregate ratings of all the reels for the brand(where available) and a price range so you can get an idea of the quality vs cost. I also have links to where you can buy each brand of reel online. You may find some duplication in the list where a given brand may be listed in more than one category due to offering reels for more than just one type of fishing.

To skip to a specific section, click one of the links below:

One word of caution on saltwater fishing reels. A number of manufacturers make both freshwater and saltwater reels, and a number of the cheaper brands may not have much, if any difference between the two. If you’re spending the money for a fishing reel you want to hold up to saltwater usage, be sure that the reel is made to withstand the elements. This means using materials less prone to corrosion and better sealed designs to make sure saltwater doesn’t get inside the reel.


Freshwater Fishing Reels

Brand

Price Range

Avg Rating

Retailers

13 Fishing$30-4004
Abu Garcia$20-17354.5
Ardent$35-1704.5
B'n'M$16-203.5
Bass Pro Shops
Browning
Cheeky Fishing$129-24765
Como$10-19
Daiwa$15-83534.5
Dam$47-4454
Docooler$7-404
Dr.Fish$33-863.5
Duckett$163-2505
Eagle Claw$17-1064
EverTrust$16-117
Fiblink$30-623.5
Fin-Nor$46-23474.5
FishDrops$17-3753.5
FyshFlyer$10-543.5
GigaMax$16-117
Gotaout$19-48
Goture$26-544
Hooss$16-44
Isafish$7-884.5
KastKing$20-1004.5
Kingzer$14-59
Lew's $10-2974.5
Ming Yang$34-524.5
Mitchell$30-1184.5
Noeby$35-1524.5
Okuma$18-9054.5
Penn$30-29004.5
Pflueger$26-2504
Pinnacle$18-5504.5
Qjoy$6-35
Quantum$38-4954
Shakespeare$11-613.5
Shimano$11-14574.5
Sixgill$21-2904
Sougayilang$18-804
Tica$27-2724
TTnight$7-40
Uxcell$8-173
Wright & McGill$54-2494
Yumoshi$7-200
Zebco4.5


Saltwater Fishing Reels

Brand

Price Range

Avg Rating

Retailers

13 Fishing$30-4004
Abu Garcia$20-17354.5
Accurate$250-21504
Alutecnos$602-15905
Atlas
Avet$180-19325
Bass Pro Shops
Blisswill$36-404.5
Blue Marlin
Cheeky Fishing$129-24765
Daiwa$15-83534.5
Docooler$7-404
Dr.Fish$33-863.5
Elec-tra-mate$399-17594
Everol$390-24505
Fiblink$30-623.5
Fin-Nor$46-23474.5
Gomexus$160-3804
Goture$26-544
Hooker Electric
Isafish$7-884.5
Jigging Master$314-1048
KastKing$20-1004.5
Kristal Fishing$1500-4000
Lead Masters
Lew's $10-2974.5
Lindgren-Pitman$4995-56955
Maxel$276-4295
Ming Yang$34-524.5
Mitchell$30-1184.5
Noeby$35-1524.5
Offshore Angler
Okuma$18-9054.5
Penn$30-29004.5
Pflueger$26-2504
Qjoy$6-35
Qualia
Quantum$38-4954
Sea Striker$20-403.5
Seigler$275-3503
Shimano$11-14574.5
Sixgill$21-2904
Sougayilang$18-804
Star Rods
Tica$27-2724
Tsunami$18-2695
TTnight$7-40
Uxcell$8-173
Van Staal$390-30224.5
Wright & McGill$54-2494
Yumoshi$7-200
Zebco4.5
ZeeBaaS


Fly Fishing Reels

Brand

Price Range

Avg Rating

Retailers

3-Tand$105-6005
Abel
Blisswill$36-404.5
Cabela's
Cheeky Fishing$129-24765
Crouch$18-324
Dr.Fish$33-863.5
Eagle Claw$17-1064
Echo$15-1104
Fiblink$30-623.5
Galvan$155-6405
GigaMax$16-117
Gotaout$19-48
Goture$26-544
Hardy$270-525
Hatch$380-7505
Hooss$16-44
Isafish$7-884.5
Islander
KastKing$20-1004.5
Loop$110-1065
Orvis$89-2604
Pflueger$26-2504
Redington$20-2204.5
Ross$15-9755
Sage$110-13634
Seigler$275-3503
Shimano$11-14574.5
Sougayilang$18-804
Temple Fork Outfitters$40-4004
Tibor$125-965
Waterworks / Lamson$46-4304
Wright & McGill$54-2494