I would suggest trying a bait cast reel qnd teach yourself , i taught myself watching videos on YouTube at 57 years old and it was the best thing I ever did. I rarely pick up a spinning rod anymore . Baitcast reels have higher retrieves also . I have a 10 :1 abu garcia revo rocket that pulls in 4pinches a rotation almost . I find 7 to 8 gear ratio is perfect for me . Keep topwaters up and can slow retrieve for swimbaits and worms . Then reel in when retrieving it back quickly. I fished my whole life and wish I had started earlier with a baitcast combo one you start using its hard to go back

Abu garcia makes a rocket reel i believe in spinning also checknout the abu garcia website they have great sales. Revo rocket

Checkout kastking they havr a few 6.2:1 gear ratio spinning reels $ 40 -60. I have a few low priced kastking reels that work fine

Thank you Rob. I like baitcasters, but I fish a lot of clear water with 10lb or less line and finesse lures: dropshots, ned rigs, shakey head, wacky rigs, neko rigs...I've looked at that KastKing Royale Legend (6.2:1), just hard to commit $90 to a brand I don't have a history with. What models are you using? I didn't see any 6:1 rations in the sub-$60 range.

I have 2 good spinning reels , first I bought when I moved to shimano saragosa and the other a vanford . I recommend the vanford to anyone with a $250 range. Great reel for the price . I have a lot of baitxast combo and usually try to stay in the 150-300 range because there are some quality reels in that price range . I came very close to recently buying a zenon recently since they are on a great buy sale . But i really like my revos and curados .

You make a good point on the Laguna. For strictly replacing the President, that's probably the closest match for the price. I think I will try to upgrade on the speed though. When the visibility is several feet, I make long casts and wind a lot of the cast back to the boat, so faster is better.

Thank you. Can you explain this, "I actually use my Shimano Stradics as loaners now."? I have had good experience with Shimano baitcasters. Also, had good history with Johnny Morris/Bass Pro rods, but I'll leave it at that.

Shimano and abu garcia are personally my favorite reels for durability and performance . I think everyone has a preference that suits them . Abu garcia website always has sales going on end I have bought some hi end reels for 70% off . I also have bought several new reels on ebay really cheap and new, I am always looking for deals on fishing gear . If I were you look at abu garcia site you can probably find a combo for under $100 and be very happy with it .

Yes, I love my Stradics, I just like my Johnny Morris platinums better. So I use my stratix when I take people fishing with me that don't have their own gear.

Wife vetoed this as soon as the page loaded 🤣

Thanks for the recommendation. I've never fished a Lew's reel. Grew up fishing against David Fritts who was fishing the old 3:1 reels without the instant anti-reverse and maybe I got the the perception of them not being "cutting edge".

I really like the looks of Lew's American Hero, it's 6.2:1, but I wish they had a 250 size. The 200 is probably ok at 120yds of 8lb, but the 300 jumps all the way to 180yrds of 10lb. I realize the line pickup would be even faster with a bigger spool, but I feel like that would overpower my finesse rods. Also, Tackle Warehouse doesn't have them and says they'll be back in stock in April?!?