What We Consider When Selecting a Walleye Reel
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to chasing walleye, here are the points you should consider when buying a reel.
Casting, trolling, or both?
Your chosen techniques are one factor governing reel choice.
If you plan to cast jigs, spinners, soft baits, and the like, you’ll probably want to equip yourself with an appropriately-sized spinning reel. Easy to cast in the nasty, windy conditions walleye love, they’re proven tech everywhere from the Great Lakes to Missouri.
But if you plan to troll, you’ll want greater precision than a spinning reel can provide, and it’s best to turn to conventional reels that feature a line counter. Sized right for walleye, the best of the bunch will allow you to more precisely control your trolling depth.
In a pinch, both spinning and conventional tackle can handle it all, but it pays to align your reel choice with what you’ll be doing most.
Walleye line, capacity, and drag
Walleye don’t demand particularly heavy line, and for the most part, 6- to 8-pound tests will get it done as main line.
Tony Roach, a pro walleye angler, usually runs 6-pound braid connected to a 10- to 12-pound fluorocarbon leader with a double uni. That fluorocarbon helps attract line-shy fish and facilitates break-offs when his jigs get hung-up.
However, he’s willing to step up when abrasion is a risk. As he explains, “In lakes that are infested with zebra mussels, though, I upsize to 8-pound braided line and up to a 14-pound leader. It stands up much better to the abuse.”
But don’t forget about mono, especially for trolling and slip floats. Being less abrasive, the mono runs more easily through a float. And when trolling, its cushioning effect helps load the rod for more positive hooksets.
Whichever you choose, a good walleye reel should be sized to hold about 150 yards of 6-pound mono. A little more or less is ok, but you can skip the monster offshore reels as well as the ultralights.
Drag
The drag is the heart of pretty much any reel, and that’s as true for walleye as it is for anything else.
Walleye don’t demand heavy line, and that means that you need a reliable, smooth drag that works well on the low-end. Maximum drag settings aren’t that important--you’ll never be cranking the drag down to that point. Instead, it’s important to assess how well the drag functions at (approximately) 2, 3, and 4-pound settings.
Generally, you’ll be setting your drag to about ⅓ the tensile strength of your line, and a walleye reel with a good drag should release line smoothly--no binding or skipping--whether you’re running 6-pound mono or 12-pound braid.
Gear ratios
A reel’s gear ratio is a measure of how many turns of the spool are produced by each crank. For instance, a gear ratio of 6.0:1 indicates that each turn of the crank spins the spool six times.
This matters when you’re fishing the bottom, casting to cover lots of water, or fighting a big walleye that’s turned toward your boat.
In the first two instances, high gear ratios and fast retrieval rates save time. But in a fight, a gear ratio that can keep your line tight is critical.
I look for reels that deliver no less than 24 inches per turn, whatever their gear ratio.
Final Thoughts
Which style reel is best for you is something only you know. If you predominantly troll for walleye, a conventional reel is the best bet. But if you throw jigs and other lures, or run live bait under a slip float, I’d select a spinning reel.
Within these broad categories, you have plenty of solid choices, and all of the options on our list will deliver the performance you demand.
That said, if I were in the market for a spinning reel for walleye, I’d pick the Cadence CS-8 in either the 2000 or 3000 size. A remarkable reel for the money, it almost closes the performance gap with the much more expensive Shimano Ultegra. You’ll find the Cadence offers the capacity, speed, and drag to help you catch more fish, as well as the casting performance required by the nasty weather walleye love.
For trolling, the clear choice is the Shimano Tekota - as plenty of walleye anglers already know. There are many conventional reels out there, but most are simply too big - too much reel - for walleye.
The Tekota, while still overbuilt for them, is a top-flight choice for walleye, offering unbelievable line capacity, an excellent drag, and plenty of speed. If that wasn’t enough, its body is built real-world tough, and nothing you hook on the Great Lakes is going to be a problem for this reel. Finally, an accurate line counter seals the deal, making this an ideal pick for precision trolling.
As always, we’re here to answer any questions you might have, so please leave a comment below!
