Best Panfish Reel
Best Panfish Reels - Your Top Choices in 2023
The ultralight tackle you use for fishing panfish turns each of these little fish into whales, adding to the addictive excitement angling for this species offers. In fact, just one afternoon catching these speckled devils will have you as hooked as they will be!
And the good news is that reels for crappie doesn't need to break the bank to provide awesome performance. If you're in the market for a new panfish reel, or you're new to the sport and unsure of where to turn, we'd like to help. Below, you'll find our advice about selecting an ideal reel, as well as a set of reviews of some of our favorites.
A quick glance at the best reels for panfish:
KastKing Summer 500
Shimano Sienna 500
1 Best Panfish Reel Reviewed
1.3 KastKing Summer 500
1.6 Shimano Sienna 500
3 What We Consider when Selecting a Reel for Panfish
3.1 Size matters!
Check out our reviews for the best panfish rods!
Best Panfish Reel Reviewed
Cadence's CS-8 is an exceptional reel, potentially unseating more established brands in terms of performance.
The CS-8 is incredibly smooth, and its build quality is impressive. That Cadence has packed this ultralight with high-quality components is obvious, and for the price, it's a real contender with even the most expensive alternatives. Indeed, it fishes like a much, much pricier reel, easily offering the performance of high-dollar options.
The drag is awesome, as you would expect, employing a carbon fiber braking system that's reliably smooth and effective. Cadence says that its reels compare with models costing twice as much. We think that's true, and if you pick one up, you'll likely agree, too!
Casting is reliably excellent as well, and for a medium-priced reel, the CS-8 is extremely hard to beat.
Check out the full Bass Pro Micro Lite Elite Reel Review!
You may shy away from a store brand, but BassPro's reels won't let you down, and in terms of performance for the price, they'll keep a smile on your face! In fact, I'd put the quality level of these inexpensive reels quite a few notches above their price-point.
Low-quality knob on handle
Durability may be a long-term problem
KastKing's Summer 500 is an excellent reel at a truly bargain price. If you're unsure about switching to ultralight, on a really tight budget, or just need a backup reel, we'd recommend you consider the KastKing carefully.
The Summer 500 is as smooth as many of its competitors, something of a surprise given its price. You'll notice a difference between this and the Pflueger Patriarch to be sure, but you can buy 10 KastKing's for the same price!
But don't expect the ultimate in refinement. The bail can be a bit hard to close with a crank, offering a moment of stickiness as you do. On the other hand, don't worry about naysayers concerned about durability: the larger models will probably suffer on heavy fish like reds as the internal gears aren't super robust, but for panfish, this inexpensive performer will do its job.
The front drag system is good and smooth, and this reel casts well, too. While not perhaps as smooth as the Shimano Sienna or some of its more expensive competitors, it's impressive, nonetheless.
If we had one quibble about this otherwise awesome reel, it would be the low-quality knob on the handle.
The C-10 is silky smooth as you crank it, and the spool closes easily on a crank. Indeed, this Okuma reel is winning converts from more well-known brands because the build quality is awesome, translating into excellent overall performance.
Like pretty much every other reel we review, this Pfluger outperforms its price-point, easily competing with high-end alternatives. Its operation is silky smooth, and you won't be disappointed by how well it fishes--guaranteed!
The front-mounted drag is smooth and reliable even with light line, and like all of the reels we recommend, it casts exceptionally well. Like the Okuma and Shimano, this reel has been designed with a tiny spool, holding just 100 yards of 4-pound mono. That's not a problem for us, but if you're worried, there are larger capacity ultralights on our list.
That said, Pflueger reels are popular for a reason, and many panfish anglers swear by them. Give one a try, and you might be hooked!
Shimano's reels are legendary for a reason, as they typically set the standard against which all other spinning reels should be judged. The Sienna 500 is no exception, and though quite affordable, its quality and performance are excellent.
Shimano has a reputation for smooth operation, and the Sienna is a testament to that. Although this reel needs to be re-lubed and winterized for extreme cold like ice fishing, summer anglers will find the Sienna spins freely right of the bat. This smooth spinning offers a great example of why more bearings aren't necessarily better.
The front drag system on this reel is as smooth as butter, too, and it works very well, even with the lightest line. That's an important consideration, and something that sets quality reels apart from their competitors.
It casts well, and in my experience, narrows the performance gap with more expensive reels from the same company as well as other manufacturers.
Built to accommodate monofilament ranging from 2 to 6 pounds, it's a great size for panfish--and one you should definitely consider, especially if you like a slower reel.
This was a very tough call, and as we note at the outset, you don't need to spend big bucks to get high-performance in an ultralight reel. Any of the models that made our reviews will impress you, and you'd be well served by all of them.
We chose the Cadence CS-8 because it delivers the highest performance at a price that's still reasonable. In fact, it offers the smoothness, casting, and drag quality you'd expect from a $200 reel, setting a new standard for affordable excellence. It holds a huge amount of light mono or slender braid, and can tackle pretty much any fishing adventure the rod you mate it with can handle.
That said, it's worth remembering that the other reels we review are roughly ½ to ⅓ the price of the Cadence, and offer nearly the performance it does. If you're on a tight budget, want a slower reel, or just can't get your hands on the CS-8--no worries! Any and all of these reels will deliver in spades.
If you like (or hate!) our choices, or would like to add your experience to the conversation, please leave a comment below.
What We Consider when Selecting a Reel for Panfish
You want a quality reel for your money, and with a huge range of options, it's good to know what to look for.
Size matters!
Panfish can swallow a larger lure and hook than you'd think, in truth, they're armed with pretty flimsy mouth tissues. One of the easiest ways to improve your odds when fishing these little devils is to move to lighter gear, and we recommend ultralight rods with a fast to medium-fast action to help cushion hookset.
Ultralight tackle is a common choice for panfish for a reason, and to match the rod, lure, and line you'll use, you need an ultralight reel, too. While you can fish with a larger size, it will unbalance your rod and reel combo, and you won't make the most of the equipment you've bought.
The designations on a reel typically list the midpoint line weight it's intended for. When you see a reel with a listed capacity of "4 LB/110 YDS," keep in mind that it's designed to handle 2 and 6 pound as well. These numbers usually refer to monofilament. It's worth noting that more, or heavier, braided line can be spooled on these reels, if you wish.
For panfish specifically, and ultralights generally, look for reels that can accommodate monofilament line weights of 2 to 8 pounds. They'll hold more than enough line for long casts and all-day fishing. And if you need even greater distance or strength, you can always use braided line.
For many fishing applications, it's fair to say that baitcasting reels are superior to their alternatives. If you're trolling for marlin, for instance, a large, powerful baitcasting reel with incredible drag settings is just the thing you need. And if you're fishing for largemouth and need the ultimate in casting distance and drag control, you'll turn to baitcasting reels to provide the performance you need there, too.
Robust, incredibly smooth, and equipped with enviable drag systems--why wouldn't we be reviewing baitcasting reels for panfish?
The answer is pretty simple: when you're fishing ultralight tackle, baitcasting reels will often let you down. Whether that's 1/32 ounce jigs, tiny beetle spins, or itsy-bitsy rooster tails, you want to avoid these otherwise excellent reel choices.
On a spinning reel, you cast with the bail open, and line unwinds outward from the reel with very little friction. The spool isn't moving; only the line does as it slips around the end of the spool.
By contrast, on a baitcasting reel, the line unwinds by spinning the spool itself, basically the reverse of retrieving. As it leaves the reel, it must turn the spool, and this creates friction as you cast--no matter how excellent the construction and components of the reel.
Ultralight reels tend to be spinners for a reason, and most dedicated panfish anglers choose spinning reels for their smooth casting with ultralight lures.
When I shop for a reel, I like to spin it up, and then assess its balance on the rod, how smoothly it functions, and how easily it snaps the bail closed on a post-cast crank.
Spinning reels offer one of two drag systems. They're either mounted at the tail, behind the reel, or on the front of the spool. If you look at really high-end reels, especially those designed for saltwater, waterproof drag systems that are carefully sealed are available, too.
Generally, low-quality drag systems will be jerky or too tight on light line like 2-pound mono. We look for reels that run like butter no matter how light they're set.
Sealed drag- When you can afford them, waterproofed, sealed drag systems provide longer service lives as they protect the innards from corrosion. But they are a good bit more expensive, and it's up to you whether they're worth the cost for freshwater. In our view, the answer to that is "no," and none of the reels we recommend feature a watertight drag.
Front Drag System
A final thing to note when selecting a reel is its gear ratio, for instance, 5:1. These numbers described how many turns of the spool one full rotation of the handle produces: in this case, five full spool revolutions per crank.
Retrieval speed - The higher the gear ratio, the faster the retrieve. When you're jigging deep or casting at distance and need to cover a lot of water quickly, a high gear ratio can help. But too much speed can be counterproductive, and you need to get the retrieve right for the lure and for the panfish!
That's because these little guys don't take much of a beating from panfish. Larger, heavier reels take a lot more abuse from the big fish they're designed for. There, the housing material really can matter.