please share your experience with this reel

its highly regarded by the guys on 'walleyecentral' forums

im generally an abu garcia guy and most of my spinning reel experience has come at the hands of shimano.

these are the models im considering
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im mainly looking for these traits in a size 25 or 30 reel...

low gear ratio, under 6:1, i want it for everything from small panfish plastics to trolling 15 ft deep cranks----advantage pflueger president

lots of high quality bearings (stainless if possible) ---- advantage pflueger president, due to number

value-quality/durablity/price---- they are about even price-wise and i trust all 3 companies---advantage none, its a wash

decent FRONT drag- im not the biggest drag guy as i like backreeling on spinning rods, but i dont turn backreel on until AFTER the hookset IF it feels like a good fish. i need enough drag for absorbing bites while trolling. i also prefer front drags to rear because i feel that front drags require less engineering/more even drag distribution due to not having to run the length of the reel for the drag pin----advantage abu garcia (imo, carbon matrix >>> felt washer)

aluminum spool- probably gonna run 8lb fluorocarbon on this reel being as i plan on using it as my 'if i can only have one rod' setup, but i want it to be able to run braid if i land a couple spare spools. advantage---again, a wash

weight- in the size im looking at they are all between 9 and 10 oz. advantage----again a wash

id like to hear positives/negatives/your thoughts.
thanks!!

I can't help you with a reel choice but thought I'd toss out a comment on trolling and drag setting. I set my drag fairly light for trolling. Lighter than anyone would cast with at any rate. My reel has a dial on the back but also a leaver adjustment. The lever goes from loose enough for trolling to very tight with just a shove. I thought it was a gimmick at first but it's great for trolling.

So, a fish hooks themselves and once they realize it (and if I don't) the drag starts whining ... I drop the paddle, grab the rod and reel and flip off the anti-reverse while tightening the drag all the way with the lever. I like to back reel or palm and finger, too. It's just quieter - less machinery between me and the fish.

Trolling with a front drag was a pain IMO. The only time I flip on anti-reverse is for trolling and stowing/portaging. OK, maybe vertical jigging and drifting too. Drags don't sing IMHO. ;)

I always kinda assumed that was why folks prefer bait casters for trolling. No reason to make that hook hole any larger by setting a hook that's already been set either.

Just my thoughts on it FWIW. YMMV

My son has a 3 year old Pflueger President. Generally does not get hard use but has been to Q one time (one week of very hard use). Still smooth and in my opinion, worth the couple bucks extra over the Browning Medallions that i bought.    (You need to Login or Register

I agree with db.  I have 4 rear drag Sedonas and love them, but they don't work well with popping plugs.  There is an unwanted movement in the spool.  I have a President and it is my favorite reel because of the smoothness.  I fished all day with it several times in the Q and it makes casting and reeling easy.  I will try the trolling tips with the Sedona.

I remember the older phleuger reels being fairly cheaply made but the rub on there newer stuff is that they are much improved. I haven't heard anyone complain about them.

Bear in mind the more ball bearing the heavier your reel will be.

I generally fish a little bigger reel than smaller.........especially so since I fish mono. I dislike the tight coils that happen when mono gets packed on a small spool. Plus your casting distance is greatly improved with a bigger spool........not to mention how quickly I can take in line on a hard charging fish.

I am opposite of db (of course I am  ;) ) and run my trolling line with a fairly tight drag which is front mounted. Does anyone remember the old zebco Cardinals? I loved those reels and they had a rear drag, but since I generally locked it down it didn't much matter.

I read somewheres that the rear mounted drags are at a disadvantage physics wise. But that was 20 years ago much has probably changed. It has been that long or longer since I fished a rear drag.

Does anyone else find it odd that International House Of Pancakes IHOP has the worst pancakes? Very strange world that we are living in. If you want really good flapjacks get them at Perkins.......clearly superior.

mastertangler wrote on Jun 27^th, 2013 at 11:03am:

I remember the older phleuger reels being fairly cheaply made ........... Does anyone else find it odd that International House Of Pancakes IHOP has the worst pancakes?

friend has an older ~6yrs pflueger pres and the tightener opposite the crank always comes loose. my son hasn't had that prob.
IHOP =  :thumbdown

I have 2 of these and they always come with me to Q.  Never had a problem.  They cast very smoothly.  Not sure what line I prefer on them, but they are legit.

I brought a Pflueger President (30 mm, with 12 lb mono, medium heavy) and a Browning Gold (25 mm, with 8 lb mono, medium) on my last trip with the intent of catching Northern on the Pflueger and SMB and Wallies on the Browning. 

The Pflueger is great, but it was a bit stiff for me.  Not just the rod; the reel was smooth enough but not quite as sweet as the Browning.  By the end of the trip, I was using the Browning exclusively for all species.  There's probably nothing wrong with the Pflueger reel at all; I just found the softer, medium action Browning more comfortable.  I wonder if I would've liked the Pflueger more if I'd gotten the smaller diameter. 

I was casting the whole time,  no trolling.