It’s reel review time!
A few months ago I made a video where I unboxed the Shimano Stradic FL and talked about the specs of it.
Since then, I’ve caught a lot of nice fish with it and I have an accurate view of how it performs in real life.
And the unique part about it is, I got two of these reels at the same time, and I actually noticed that there was one slight difference in how they performed over time.
Check out the review below where I’ll share:
- What my overall rating of this reel is
- What happened to one reel and not the other (but how to easily fix it)
- Why this reel can help you cast farther
- And much more
Check out the full review below.
Shimano Stradic FL Review [VIDEO]
Overall, I highly recommend this lure.
I fish a lot, and I fish from a kayak, so I put this reel through a beating while getting saltwater on it nearly every time I went out.
It’s passed every test I’ve thrown at it and keeps performing well.
Here’s what I like about it:
- It has a taller spool, which helps it cast a little farther
- It’s lighter than many reels in its class
- It’s durable
- It’s smooth
You can see the specs and unboxing video here.
However, it’s not perfect.
I ordered two reels and on one of them, the drag got a little sticky.
To fix it, I just took the cap off of the spool, popped the spring out, washed off the drag washers, and then re-greased them.
They say you don’t need to grease carbon drag washers (which is what this reel has), but I’ve found that it helped.
And if you do grease your drag washers, make sure to use drag grease.
Shimano makes their own grease, or you can use Cal’s Drag Grease.
The other con was that it’s expensive.
It’s about $200-220, depending on what size reel you get.
We do have it in our online shop, though, and if you’re an Insider you can get 20% off.
Conclusion
After using these reels while kayak fishing the past few months, I can confidently say that I recommend them.
They’ve held up well and have landed a lot of fish for me.
That being said, they are expensive, and you may need to re-grease the drag washers.
Have any questions about this reel?
Have you used it before?
Let me know in the comments below!
You can get this reel from our online shop here.
And if you’re an Insider, you can get 20% off of this reel, as well as all of the other rods, reels, lures, sunglasses, and other products in the shop.
Click here to join the Insider Club and start saving today.
- Shimano Stradic FL Spinning Reel: Unboxing, Specs, Comparison
- Unbelievable Snook Catch (All Caught On Film!!)
- See all of our reel reviews here
