When you’ve decided to purchase a new spinning reel, the first step is to choose the appropriate reel size for your needs.
When you contemplate all of the other aspects to consider when purchasing a new reel, this adds an extra layer of difficulty that you may be inclined to overlook. However, bear in mind that selecting the appropriate size spinning reel is just as crucial as selecting the appropriate brand, and it’s not as difficult as it may appear.
When you begin to look at the large selection of spinning reels offered in the market, you’ll see that each model has a number assigned to it. The size is indicated by this number. The basic premise is that the fewer the number, the smaller the reel will be.
It is important to consider several factors when choosing a spinning reel that is the right size for you. Some of these things are the type of fishing that you are going to carry out either in freshwater or saltwater, the size of the fish that you are thinking of catching as well as the line strength that you normally use.
It is important to keep the above in mind since not all reels can be used in all situations. For example, freshwater spinning reels are smaller than saltwater reels, so they will need to handle less strong lines as well as smaller fish.
Saltwater reels will need to have greater line capacity, and that is because powerful saltwater species tend to struggle after being hooked.
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What are the Sizes of the Spinning Reels?
Since there are two separate size categories that are both in circulation, spinning reel sizes might be a bit confusing. Some companies label their spinning reels with numbers such as 10, 20, 30, and so on, while others label them with numbers such as 1000, 2000, 3000, etc.
However, there’s no need to be concerned about this because the two systems are nearly identical. For instance, a reel size 10 correlates to a reel size 1000, a size 20 to a size 2000, etc.
Put another way, you only have to focus on the first two digits of the reel size, not the zeros, and then contrast this figure throughout all models and brands that you are thinking to check.
We can categorize the sizes of the spinning reels into small, medium and large.
Small Spinning Reels
These are best suited to poles with a length of 6-7 feet. They operate best with 2 lb to 10 lb monofilament or 4 lb to 14 lb braid and are excellent for tiny species up to roughly 15 lbs. They’re most commonly employed for freshwater fishing, although they could also be used in sheltered coastal waters.
- A 1000 size reel will require 4 lb to 8 lb of braid line strength and 2 lb to 4 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 2000 size reel will require 4 lb to 8 lb of braid line strength and 4 lb to 6 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 2500 size reel will require 5 lb to 12 lb of braid line strength and 5 lb to 8 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 3000 to 3500 size reel will require 6 lb to 14 lb of braid line strength and 6 lb to 10 lb of monofilament line strength.
Medium Spinning Reels
These reels are best for rods with a length of 7-8 feet. They perform well with 8 lb to 14 lb monofilament or 10 lb to 25 lb braid and are suited for fishing mid-sized fish up to roughly 30 lbs. They’re frequently utilized for saltwater fishing or heavier freshwater uses.
- A 4000 to 4500 size reel will require 8 lb to 20 lb of braid line strength and 8 lb to 12 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 5000 to 5500 size reel will require 10 lb to 25 lb of braid line strength and 10 lb to 14 lb of monofilament line strength.
Large Spinning Reels
These are designed for use with hefty poles for rock fishing, surfcasting, or offshore boat fishing. They perform best with 12 lb to 60 lb monofilament or 24 lb to 100 lb braid and are ideal for hunting huge fish up to 150 lbs. The larger variants are used to target aquatic big game creatures such as sailfish, and they are excellent for heavy saltwater uses.
- A 6000 to 6500 size reel will require 12 lb to 30 lb of braid line strength and 12 lb to 16 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 7000 size reel will require 15 lb to 40 lb of braid line strength and 14 lb to 18 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 7500 to 8000 size reel will require 20 lb to 50 lb of braid line strength and 16 lb to 20 lb of monofilament line strength.
- An 8500 to 9500 size reel will require 30 lb to 50 lb of braid line strength and 18 lb to 22 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 10000 size reel will require 30 lb to 60 lb of braid line strength and 20 lb to 25 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 10500 size reel will require 30 lb to 60 lb of braid line strength and 22 lb to 27 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 12000 to 14000 size reel will require 30 lb to 60 lb of braid line strength and more than 28 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 16000 size reel will require 40 lb to 70 lb of braid line strength and 32 lb to more than 36 lb of monofilament line strength.
- An 18000 size reel will require 40 lb to 70 lb of braid line strength and more than 36 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 20000 size reel will require 50 lb to 80 lb of braid line strength and more than 40 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 25000 size reel will require 50 lb to 80 lb of braid line strength and more than 50 lb of monofilament line strength.
- A 30000 size reel will require 80 lb to 100 lb of braid line strength and more than 60 lb of monofilament line strength.