ctjenkins54 Loc: Apex, North Carolina

I do almost nothing but saltwater surf fishing and maybe some inshore or pier fishing as well. I have gotten so disgusted with paying big bucks for fancy reels that don’t last. I switched to using vintage reels almost exclusively now. They last forever, are easy to clean and service, and are very collectible. I went a bit crazy on the collection though and now have 60 reels none of which are younger than around 1980. I love my Penn “Greenies” and Z series, Daiwa Silver Series, and all the French-made Garcia Mitchell saltwater reels. For a rod I prefer my old Offshore Angler Ocean Master rods. Recently I picked up two Academy Sports H2O Xpress graphite rods that I really love. With a good vintage reel say a Penn 704Z or a Mitchell 302,a nice Academy H2O Xpress Premier rod, and good line (braid or mono), It would cost you a little less than $200. It would last forever if well taken care of. This would be my recommendation. Wal-mart is just not a good answer for meeting your long term fishing requirements.

doc alden

You need to provide some sort of evidence to back up the claim that Walmart has fishing reels made in China and then buys a royalty from companies to use their name. Why would any reputable company allow some other company to use their name if that company isn't making equipment to the specs of the licensee? That doesn't make good business sense and I don't believe it. Show something to prove your contention otherwise you're just skating on the edge of libel.

ctjenkins54 Loc: Apex, North Carolina

Historically the branding of fishing reels has been difficult to trace for decades. As a collector of vintage fishing reels I have learned a great deal about this practice. One has to be careful about buying what they think is a name brand that is actually being farmed out to Chinese companies for manufacture. This is particularly true with lower priced reels such as many that are sold at Walmart. Research the Pure Fishing Inc. conglomerate and see the brands they make or rather get others to make for them. ‘Pure Fishing, Inc. is a leading global provider of fishing tackle, lures, rods and reels with a portfolio of brands that includes Abu Garcia®, All Star®, Berkley®, Chub®, Fenwick®, Greys®, Hardy®, Hodgman®, Johnson™, JRC®, Mitchell®, Penn®, Pflueger®, Sebile®, Shakespeare®, SpiderWire®, Stren®, and Ugly Stik®.” This quote is from their information on the web. The higher end - higher priced brands are a much safer purchase but they cost a lot. You need look no further than the internet to discover what a complex world fishing tackle branding really is. These bargain priced reels cut corners in manufacturing using cheaper materials, poor warranties, and inadequate or non-existent repair parts. Good luck finding schematics for these reels. You really have to consider them to be “disposable.” This is why I own and collect only those reels that were manufactured before roughly 1980 or so. Not all Chinese reels are bad but you have to be careful. All fishing reels require periodic and thorough maintenance. I have 60 fishing reels and I know almost everything about every single one. As for that royalty idea it is surely possible. I just avoid that possibility. The primary business model for these Chinese brands and other low cost bargain tackle is quite simple - PROFIT!

doc alden

Thank you for that informative post. I'm not sure it answered the question about "All of the fishing rods-n-reels from Walmart are junk" as stated by the original poster. I've seen Daiwa and Shimano reels at my local Walmart and I can't take them apart to determine if the internals are "cheap plastic" or quality metal unless I buy them. And if I take them apart, I can't ethically return them. Saying that "All of the fishing rods-n-reels from Walmart are junk" tars every reel they sell with the same brush, which seems unfair at best and libelous at worst.
But thanks for your reply; I appreciate it.

ctjenkins54 Loc: Apex, North Carolina

The old adage “you get what you pay for” might be the best answer. I shop at Wal-Mart a lot and buy some fishing tackle there. I think an Ugly Stick is a decent bargain for a fishing rod. It does sound a bit elitist to label their entire inventory as junk. I just spent 5 hours restoring an old Garcia Mitchell 402 high speed Saltwater Spinning Reel that I paid $18 for plus postage. You can’t get a reel better than that one for $100 at any store. That’s why I like vintage tackle and love to work on them myself.

brandon90210 Loc: Florida

Walmart equipment is junk. Its like buying a kit with Rod, Reel & maybe a small tacklebox with some stuff inside. But these are usually in the range of $25-45. Better to make the investment at Dick's sporting goods
or Bass Pro Shops (Cabellas).

ctjenkins54 Loc: Apex, North Carolina

The Dick’s where I live has totally dropped all Fishing tackle. They don’t sell it at all any more. Academy is a better place for fishing tackle in my opinion. Bass Pro shops and Cabellas are good but often pricey.