I saw an Okuma spinning reel at G.I.Joes, today it looks like a nice reel for the price $29.99. My question is are they a decent, reliable reel for a backup for my shimano? ,I've never heard of them and would like an opinion or two. Thanks..

Hey,

Which Okuma reel did you see?

I have used a few Okuma's and
they perform well for the price.

TackleTour did a review on the
Metaloid which is good and
casts nicely. You can check out
the review if you like at
tackletour.com

Let me know what else you wanna know.

Jack Ip
TackleTour
http://www.tackletour.com

The reel I saw was the Avenger AV15, 6+1 BB,ceramic line roller,5:1 retrieve rotor equalizing system, 115yds 4lb test.

The reel is a good one. Try the AV 30 or AV 40.

Ah, the Avenger AV15, are you using that for
trout fishing or ?
That reel is at a good price with those specs.
You can't buy a reel like that for that price.
The Avenger AV15 normally sells for like $40 or
so. Depends where you look.
You found it at $30... that's a good price.

Go play with it a little first if you see
it at a store. I am not sure what GI Joes is.
Maybe you can go to a store that has it and
crank that reel and feel it. That's the best
way to know if you like it or not.
Your Shimano will feel smoother, and probably cost more. I am not sure which Shimano you
own.

Like with many other fishing products it's a preference. Some people are fine using less than $100 rod and reels. Some just have too much money and want the best stuff out there.
It all depends on what you want, how picky you are with gear, if you want to spend the money, etc...

But overall, Okuma makes good stuff for their prices. I think in our review it says that Okuma makes OEM reels for Shimano and other people, but of course they cannot tell anyone which reels those are.... TackleTour doesn't even know, even though we try really hard to dig that info. up. =)

All right, good luck!

Jack Ip
TackleTour
http://www.tackletour.com

I went back to G.I.Joes and bought the okuma reel, the regular price was $38.00. It's hard to tell how the reel will perform in the store but it feels nice and everyone here seems to like them. I will use it for trout fishing,and it feels good on my 6 1/2 ft UL rod. I am partial to Shimano reels but I can't afford to spend $60.00 for all my reels. The last Shimano I bought was a sahara 1000fa, it's an awesome reel. I decided to try the okuma because the features are way better than a Shimano priced at $29.99. Thanks for the opinions... P.S. G.I.Joes is a sports and auto store chain in the N.W.