There are a million fishing reel models on the market, but which fishing reel is best? There’s no one answer to that question, because different reels are best for different needs and budgets. That said, one serious contender for bay and inshore anglers will be the Shimano Stradic line. Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, let’s join FishTalk Editor Lenny Rudow for a quick first-hand look at the Shimano Stradic C3000, which he reviewed for boats.com.

That video was shot a year ago. What does Rudow have to say after outfitting his boat with six of these spinning reels, used by novices and experts alike, through an entire season?

“I utterly love the feel and performance of the C3000,” he said. “But the old Stradic FJ was such a workhorse, so bulletproof, that honestly I was a bit worried the C3000 wouldn’t hold up quite as well. I’ll stipulate that my FJ went through eight years of heavy-duty use (seriously heavy-duty) on the Chesapeake before it needed any repair whatsoever (the line roller bearing finally fried) and is still in service today. The C3000 reels on my boat have only been in service for one season. One was killed off early on, when a certain teenager who will go unnamed cranked the drag down nuclear-tight with a pair of pliers. But you’ve got to chalk that up to operator error, and not one of the reels currently in service shows a single sign of wear, corrosion, or damage of any sort.” CRITICAL UPDATE: Six years after this was written four out of the six Stradics are still in service; a second one was lost, again due to operator error, when it was dropped overboard. All of the remaining four have required the same repair through this timeframe, replacing the bail roller. After a few years the original bail rollers begin making an very annoying scratching sound. That's it, though - otherwise these things are basically bulletproof.

Stradic C3000 spinning reels we tested
The Stradic C3000 spinning reels we tested saw plenty of use, and held up like champs.

Rudow went on to say, “We’ll circle back in a few years and see if the C3000 continues to hold up this well (see the above update!), but I do want to point out that my boat reels get used and abused at a rate of maybe three or four times the average. So I feel pretty comfortable saying that this model will hold up for the long haul.”

Additional Pros and Cons asessed six years later:

  • You won't find a smoother reel for the price.
  • The bail-closing system is much better than on most other reels; usually they give out after four or five years but these still click shut every time.
  • These reels show zero corrosion. Nada, nil, zilch. And they've seen a bit of oceanic use in the coastal bays as well as being used in the Chesapeake.
  • We love, love, love these reels... and just for the record, though Shimano has advertised with FishTalk a bit through the years they currently do not. This is not a paid post (and in original form was written years before they bought any ads). It's based on experience, period.
  • Oh and by the way, remember the mention of the eight year old Stradic FJ still in service? That remains true today; the reel is now 14 years old and still going strong (on it's third bail roller, but that's still the only part that ever needed replacing).

Editor's note: This review was originally posted in April of 2017 and was last updated May 8, 2024.