I fish in areas that involve a lot of rock scrambles, and I've bent and destroyed two cast reel spools banging them on rocks.
Since I rarely utilize the drag (most of my fish are under 20"), my thinking has previously been, buy the cheapest reel possible so that I won't cry when it's destroyed again.
It happened again last week (a Cabela's Wind River), only this time with an accidental drop onto pavement. It got me to thinking, should I consider going another route, and pay the big $$ for a reel that's built like a tank? I've never owned a machined reel, so I don't know if that will be a lot sturdier
If I knew that a $300 reel could take the equivalent drop/fall/scrape abuse as three or four $50 reels, it would easily be worth it for the added qualities of better drag, aesthetics, etc. What has been your experience?
Since I rarely utilize the drag (most of my fish are under 20"), my thinking has previously been, buy the cheapest reel possible so that I won't cry when it's destroyed again.
It happened again last week (a Cabela's Wind River), only this time with an accidental drop onto pavement. It got me to thinking, should I consider going another route, and pay the big $$ for a reel that's built like a tank? I've never owned a machined reel, so I don't know if that will be a lot sturdier
If I knew that a $300 reel could take the equivalent drop/fall/scrape abuse as three or four $50 reels, it would easily be worth it for the added qualities of better drag, aesthetics, etc. What has been your experience?