I have 2 Stradic FL’s for inshore saltwater. About 4 months old, smooth and perfect. Bought them based on saltstrong insider recommendations. Probably the best of 10 spin reels I own.
Change all the bushings to bearings, add Carbontex drag washers and you have a Stella pretty much. Have 4 of these and they are awesome. Still running great to today.
I like the 5000 size for mahi/mangroves/cobia in the Gulf on closer in rigs. I find that at that size, the Stradic 5000 is just as good as the Saragossa and it holds a bit more line and is 6 ounces lighter. Its really nice when you are throwing lures all day or bait under the rig legs. 8000 and up the Spheros SW and Saragossa are the go-to. Just a note if you are on a budget....My 4000 size reels are the Spheros SW 4000 which is my redfish and do all inshore reel. The 3000-4000 size Spheros SW is 95-99% of the stradic and bulletproof at $119. They have a bit more "slop" in the handle, but also the larger tolerences take sand and waves better. I used to have a 2500 stradic from 2004 as well that was my go to trout reel until I capsized in the Rigolets pass in a storm. That reel lasted in the salt for 10 years with just a rinse off. As for sticky drags, I use Cal's even on carbontex and will trade smoother drag for a pound or two on the top end. PSA: Remember to back your drags off when you are not fishing! Set them 20-25% of your line strength while you are fishing and back them way off after you rinse them with salt water and you won't have any problems with stuck drags. I see a lot of guys who have their drags cranked down full on all the time and then have bad drag performance with flattened or warped washers.
I have 5 x 1000 , a 2500 , a 4000 and 2 x 5000. You can see pretty easily that I like these reels. The 1000s I use all year long for crappie mostly or pan fish and 5000s I use for catfish mostly. I’ve had no complaints at all with these reels. Stradic is my “go to” reel of choice.
I have the 5000 on a 7’2” extra fast rod and it has been a dream to fish plastics all day. It will work a 1/32 ounce in a good breeze with no problem. Great investment and it will last for years.
I have two Stradic's which are 19 years old now. Still great. I wonder why this model doesn't have a reverse? I also recently purchased two Nasci's, and they don't have reverse, either.
The CI4 and FL are different. CI4 is a freshwater designed reel with non corrosion resistant bearings Than with the FL and that does have Corrosion Resistant Bearings so you will get corrosion in the CI4 and not much in the FL. I’ve never seen a sticky drag in the hundreds of FL’s I’ve sold in my shop. Sorry but 200 dollars for all the specs and stuff you get is a steal. Your getting a Saragosa quality with 1/2 the weight and price!
Making compares to Ci4 is apples and oranges. Better compare is to its predecessor Stradic FK which is also a great reel except for the crap roller/bearing that gets noisy within a few uses. More interesting would be if the roller/bearing from an FL could be used in an FK? That would be a great upgrade/fix.
That would be sad. The bearing of the FK is pressed into the roller so it's not a simple matter of buying an aftermarket bearing. You are stuck with buying the unsealed Shimano roller/bearing. Saltwater in an unsealed bearing is a gaurunteed short life. A light freshwater rinse of the line roller does nothing to reduce the effect of being exposed to saltwater on every retrieve. I have a 3 year old Nasci that uses a roller and bushing. Much better design for a SW reel. The line roller still spins freely and quietly. A line roller bearing is marketing overkill and provides little advantage to most fishing applications.
@@donb1661 I guess under real pressure bearings do play their rule of supporting an easy retrieve , buying bail wire assembly could be the right thing African maasai
Previously ordered a 2500 hgfl Figured its a bit more durable and can handle more rough outings than the Vsnford would almost like to see another review of the Stradic after youve owned it for awhile The only thing bad about it is a good thing as people should learn to take care of there reels anyway 👉 Subscribed
I have many older Shimano spinners and four years ago I got a NASCI 2500. I am extremely impressed with the smoothness and torque it has. Although, it has had a bearing lock up which I replaced with a sealed ceramic and recently the bail spring guide broke (early plastic one) which I also replaced. I'm looking to get the Stradic and hopefully it will not disappoint.
Hey man , great video!! I just got a 5000 FL. but mine seems to have a audible "click" or "knock" on every revolution when turning it with the handle, if I spin it and let it free spin its gone. I tried it with spool on and off, same results. Its brand new haven't even fished with it yet... had any issues with yours? Or anyone else.
Can the Shimano Stradic Fl handle surf fishing with a few hits from waves? I have a Spheros SW6000, and it's a brute, but my wife wants it so she can fish from the shore and use it as a bait reel. I have the Stradic STC5000 XGFL on my list but I saw its specs, and it does not have X-Shield like my Spheros SW6000. I am also looking at the new-gen 2 Van Staal VR 50 reel.
Why is this being referred to as a saltwater reel? Not just here. It is not under the saltwater reel section on the Shimano website. I didn't see anything in the product description about being a saltwater reel.
I’ve heard the Daiwa Ballistic LT kills these Shimanos all day long. I just returned my Stradic Ci4+ after 1yr of use (sticky drag and knob cover fell off). Can’t wait to try the Daiwa.
As for me I just ordered a Stradic FL based on the reviews but not received yet. It will be my last try with Shimano if this reel is not better than the Ci4+. I have to say that the best price /quality reel I have tried to date is still the Fuego. So having paid twice the Fuego price for the FL, I will be very demanding...
Fishigan Milligan- you will not regret with any of the new Daiwa LT models. From the Tatula models all the way to the new Luvias (a little high) - you will see that Daiwa have really stepped up their game on spinning reels. I have switched from a lot of Shimano to Daiwa reels. I still own a Stradic FK, FL, the Exensce (Japanese model), and a Saragosa & Stella for big game saltwater fishes. All my 1000's size to 4500 are mostly Daiwa. They handle all water (fresh and salt), have a better seal system, and the drag is so much stronger than others.
Does your bail on your Stradic fl have just a little bit of “play” or wiggle in it? I don’t notice it except when I purposefully try to move the bail and was just wondering if it was normal.
Just threw my 4000 in the trash. Im too hard on my gear. I got the vr50. The best spinning reel i ever used. I love this thing, the price isnt bad bc youll have to buy 2 or 3 stradics to get the same value.
Trust me i used stradics my whole life. They are really good reels. I would recommend them for a fisherman who goes on weekends or holidays. But If you fish every day, or in a kayak lol this reel isnt for you
The CI4being lighter is not an advantage. CI4is a plastic, while stradic has hagane body which is aluminum. I prefer my car body to be metal, not plastic, so is with my reel.
I only use Shimanos. Well plus Penns for live bait, but they are too heavy for working artifacts. Have some Shimanos that are 10+ years old. Never had a drag issue, always super smooth. The roller bearing is the weak point mainly because it’s exposed as wet line runs over it constantly. The weird grey plastic they use on the handles degrades over time. I’ve got multiple Saros, Symetres and Ultegras, in sizes 2500-4000. The 3000 size is perfect for inshore, handles Snook up to 36” while still being light enough to cast all day.
I have a Stella 08 that lasted me for years catching big yellowtail kingfish in nz, reel has probably caught thousands of fish in the 40-50lb range, sure I've had to get it serviced a couple times but it's still going strong and is an awesome reel to use, my Penn slammer couldn't handle one season of the same type of fishing, reel literally failed in a couple ways with machined parts legit breaking, I don't doubt they are good reels but I think they are overrated and even though they feel sturdy aren't upto to the task of the high amount of large yellowtail we have
I wonder if some of the spools will fit the FL, like the FK, and so on? I see, for example, a 2500FK spool for sale, but I have the 2500FL, wonder if it matters as to fit?
same size spools are interchangeable. the stradic FL has a long spool (like a stella), so you have to play around with washers to adjust line lay. use a drag knob that fits the spool, but if you find that it doesnt screw onto the shaft, open the drag knob and swap out the nut inside. you should easily find the size you need on ebay.
I have the Ci4 and noticed for a $200 reel. Its not as smooth as what i was expecting and theres a slight handle play that worries me would get worst when the reel gets old, so decided to return it and get this one instead. The new Ci4 vanford is way above my budget tho so i may just go with the Daiwa Ballistic LT
Is the 1000 size stradic FL suitable for snook? I plan on throwing it with 10lb braid on a 6'7 MH for small Ned rigs around structure. Thanks everyone !
Thank you for your question! We have a massive library of fishing tips on our website along with a search feature to let you quickly filter down to find help you're looking for, so just go to www.saltstrong.com/fishing-tips/ and use the Search feature in the top menu. Note: If you don't see the exact answer you're looking for, just leave a comment in the post that most closely matches up with your search and one of our coaches will respond to your question... our coaches only make time to answer questions that get submitted to our website.
Thank you for your question! We have a massive library of fishing tips on our website along with a search feature to let you quickly filter down to find help you're looking for, so just go to www.saltstrong.com/ and use the Search feature in the top menu. Note: If you don't see the exact answer you're looking for, just leave a comment in the post that most closely matches up with your search and one of our coaches will respond to your question... our coaches only make time to answer questions that get submitted to our website.
Looking for a reel to pair with my ST Croix 7 foot Heavy rod. This is going to be a frog set up made to pull large mouth bass thru heavy pad cover on the BRACKISH water of the St. Johns River in Florida. Will the Shimano ST4000XGFL work, or is this more of a salt water only reel?
got a 7'4' mh fast edge rods delta series coming and im torn between the 4000 and 3000 size fl for it. gonna be throwing mainly soft plastic paddle tails and jerkbait style baits. Gonna use for schooly striper and large/smallmouth. Im assuming that the 3000 would get the job done but curious if id like the 4000 just for throwing a little heavier to target some bigger striper sometime. havent gotten the edge rod yet but i run all gloomis atm so id imagine it will have that same light feel that I love. Im not trying to throw off the balance. HELP!
Shimano no longer sells us reels because they decided to not let us sell reels to members at a discount. Before buying your Stradic, make sure to check out the Daiwa Ballistic... when equating for line capacities, the Ballistics are much lighter with similar drag power and overall smoothness while also having better protection from salt exposure compared to the stradic fl reels (this is coming from a diehard Shimano guy who finally decided to give some Daiwas a try a few years back and shortly thereafter converted).
I've havnt found any good shimanos available still outside of shitazom so I got the last one in shop today as a demo to 10% off. Checked it over and had to get
Great reel but the roller bearing goes bad rather quickly on fish that scream drag. My advice, use it til the bearing goes bad ,then replace it with a ceramic bearing (eBay). Don’t replace it with stainless, it will go bad as well.
Shimano no longer sells us reels because they decided to not let us sell reels to members at a discount. Before placing the order, make sure to check out the Daiwa Ballistic... when equating for line capacities, the Ballistics are much lighter with similar drag power and overall smoothness while also having better protection from salt exposure compared to the stradic fl reels (this is coming from a diehard Shimano guy who finally decided to give some Daiwas a try a few years back and shortly thereafter converted).
Is this new model targeted towards salt water? Or is it just a replacement for the last model? Interested in getting it for freshwater “I k ow it doesn’t really matter” just curious since they have the vanford now also.
Thank you for your question! We have a massive library of fishing tips on our website along with a search feature to let you quickly filter down to find help you're looking for, so just go to www.saltstrong.com/ and use the Search feature in the top menu. Note: If you don't see the exact answer you're looking for, just leave a comment in the post that most closely matches up with your search and one of our coaches will respond to your question... our coaches only make time to answer questions that get submitted to our website.
I just bought a c3000 fl, it seems to be well made. My only gripe is that the spool has a play up and down. Is that normal and beneficial, or did I pick up a lemon? Appreciate if someone could enlighten me on this matter. Thanks!
You shouldn't be fishing for cobia with a 2500, it has a felt drag meant exclusively for freshwater fish or very light saltwater, you can't blame the reel for what happened
Just depends on what we're after, but usually 10 or 15lb. Feel free to check out the full blog on our website at www.saltstrong.com/articles/shimano-stradic-fl-fishing-reel-review/ and post your question there. That way, Tony can respond back directly to you. Let him know what you'll be fishing for and where you'll be fishing and he can provide some better recommendations.
Does the spool static or can move up and down? Just bought one today, and find out that it can be move, slightly moving kind of shaking. I got another china brand reel to compare, it can be move up and down. Just curious
My old shimano line laying top of spool. It’s front drag. Any body do I need new washers/shims also any parts contact numbers please thanks in advance buds