I’ve owned a lot of different reels over the years. Some of them have been great reels that lasted a long time, while others have been absolute trash… not worth the money I spent on them.

I’ve owned several different brands including Shimano, Quantum, Abu Garcia and some others that I don’t even remember.

Quantum 1310MGI remember reading some reviews of the Quantum 1310MG about 20 years ago when it was a new item. the reel received rave reviews from a now-defunct magazine called Tackle Test. They put the reel through some pretty rigorous tests and it passed every one of them with flying colors!

I ultimately ended up owning this reel when a client that I was guiding on a night trip accidentally broke my windshield on my boat. He felt so bad that he gave me his rod and reel combo, which happened to be the 1310MG! The reel turned out to be a workhorse and I still own it today as a backup reel.

Ultimately, though, I did find a favorite reel. Over the years I bought a lot of Shimano reels. I liked their design, their quality and the overall prices of their various reel models.

For several years I refused to spend more than about $60 for a reel. I just had a hard time justifying it… especially in light of the fact that I had two daughters and they came first, before my fishing habits.

Now that the kids are married and away from home I can spend my money a bit differently though 🙂

Shimano Curado 200E7A couple of years ago I took the plunge and bought a Shimano Curado 200E7. I have to admit that I had a hard time at first, dropping $179 on a reel, but once I spent some time on the water with this reel I was convinced that it was worth every penny of the price.

The Curado 200E7 has become my absolute favorite baitcasting reel. I have even bought two more of them over the past year 🙂