Anyone make a decent inshore spincast reel?

Downeast

Twelve Pointer
Looking for a spincast reel for inshore saltwater use for a kid. I remember many years ago using an Abu Garcia 170 and 220(?) series reels and they were tough. Caught a lot of fish (even big Lake Trout and Northern Pike!) on those reels. Before I start looking I was wondering if there was anything better built today. To be honest I haven't even checked to see if the AG's are still being made?
 

Downeast

Twelve Pointer
Penn battle 2 or 3 and the Diawa bg’s are a great ~$100 option.
I think those are spinning reels. I was hoping to get the kid started with a spincast and then later introduce him to the fiendish sorry :poop: spinning reels for the rest of his life. When I was a kid we used spincast reels and the adults used baitcasters. Only fairies used spinning reels. It's amazing how the world of baitcasters has steadily improved but that hideous twisted wire bail and open spool hasn't chained at all. Poor kid. :)
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Inside of every spin cast I’ve ever taken apart is a few gears and other odds and ends. Even if they are made for saltwater, there are still going to build up deposits. I can only imagine it being bad due to the cover of a spin cast.

I can’t imagine a serious fisherman today that doesn’t have a few spinning reels. Some things you just can’t do well with other rods/reels.
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
My 9 year old duaghter does pretty well with her spinning reels. I got her a nice pink rod and matching reel for her birthday. I would agree with the above post about corrosion. Keep it rinsed.
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
My 9 year old duaghter does pretty well with her spinning reels. I got her a nice pink rod and matching reel for her birthday. I would agree with the above post about corrosion. Keep it rinsed.
 

Downeast

Twelve Pointer
I have a bunch of spinning reels. Just had a taste of nostalgia about growing up with a spincast and thought I could pass on the fun. I bet if someone was to invent a rugged saltwater spincast reel for inshore it would sell like hot cakes. Ease of use, cast a mile and highly accurate. As a kid we would take Zebco 202's to the piers and try to catch blues on them. It was a hoot. Pieces of plastic Zebco guts flying everywhere. Good times!
 

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I saw a couple the other day at a Bass Pro. They felt like they were well built. Can't remember what they were though. And they were not Cheap
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I think those are spinning reels. I was hoping to get the kid started with a spincast and then later introduce him to the fiendish sorry :poop: spinning reels for the rest of his life. When I was a kid we used spincast reels and the adults used baitcasters. Only fairies used spinning reels. It's amazing how the world of baitcasters has steadily improved but that hideous twisted wire bail and open spool hasn't chained at all. Poor kid. :)

There are a lot of fairies using spinning reels these days. They dominate salt inshore applications.
With braided line they are pretty much kid friendly.
$50 spinning reels today are better than any spincast past or present for salt. imo.
 

stiab

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Ugly Stick and Zebco both have some new ones out, can't remember the names but they get good reviews. My wife uses spincast for surf fishing, and they do OK on the small stuff, the last puppy drum she caught I had to pull in hand over hand.
 

Nana

Big Ole Nanny
Contributor
We started kids on spincasters in the fresh water, but they were just too hard to keep going in the salt. For salt we started them on a smaller spinning reel setup with a fairly heavy bait so it was easy to toss. Didn't take my 5 year old grandson long to get going with it. That ugly stick reel looks promising as an option.
 
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