Quote Originally Posted by livemusic View Post
...If anyone has a strong opinion on a good reel, please let me know!
For a tight budget, the American market Okuma Ceymar has been a great ultralight reel for me. The C-10 is tiny, perfect for bluegill and smaller panfish. I don't care much for my Okuma Helios. It was $130 and not worth it.

For about $80, I bought a JDM Daiwa Revros from a Japanese webstore. It is an SS (Shallow Spool) model and casts as far as my favorite reel: the JDM Daiwa Ballistic FW. You might be able to find the Ballistic FW on sale for close to $200, but $250-300 is more common.

I strongly recommend the JDM Daiwa reels: the Revros for tight budgets and the Ballistic FW for a nicer, smoother experience. BTW, I have not tuned or added bearings to my reels. Maybe will do so next winter, but the JDM reels are great straight out of the box.