The ultralight spinning reel is something that I prefer to use because of it’s bigger cousins that I have been using for years. Ultralight spinning reels are made small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, but still have large enough bails to hold a decent amount of line. The thin line diameters we use add to the amount that we can fit onto the spool with the manufacturers building wide spool models now. It doesn’t matter how big of a lake you are fishing in, with the wide spooled spinning reels, you could easily load 200 yards of line on, and it doesn’t matter where the fish wants to run; he is going to have plenty of room to stretch.

On the other side of the fence there is the spincast reel, and is where most beginners start their fishing journey. The spincast reel is often called the closed faced reel because of the way that it is built. Having a case on the front side of the reel with a hole in it to guide the line helps you with your casting distance, but it is really tough getting a good accurate cast with one of these types of reels. You really have to focus on getting the timing perfect between when your thumb hits the button in comparison to where the rod tip and lure are located through your swing. Do it too soon, and you are going to throw the lure straight in the air. Too late, and the lure is going to slam against the top of the water.

The first thing you should look for is the quality of the materials used in manufacturing. This is a big indicator of what the inside of the ultralight fishing reel looks like. If there is any plastic at all, disregard the reel, and move onto the next one. Plastic parts on the outside of a reel mean inferior parts on the inside, and besides, plastic parts flex. You want to minimize flex wherever possible on your ultralight fishing reel, to ensure maximum pressure on the fish.

The next thing, is the arm and reel seat, where the reel connects to the rod. This should have some meat to it. You shouldn’t be able to flex it by pulling on the lip that holds it to the rod. On a quality ultralight fishing reel, there will be almost no flex at all. This helps with apply every bit of pressure possible while setting the hook, and turning the fish away from objects or cover. If you can bend any of the parts on the reel, disregard it and move onto the next.

One other thing that I would check for, is the drag. Try tightening it down, and spinning it by hand. It should have a smooth motion, and can’t stick at all. If the drag sticks, your line WILL snap. Most ultralight fishing reels have drags from 2-4 pounds, with some going even higher. On a baitcaster that I use to flip 1/4oz and 1/8oz jigs, it has 10lbs of drag. Most ultralight spinning reels will go up to about 5lbs of total drag pressure. This is plenty, as your line is at most 4lb test. With the drag on a 5lb ultralight fishing reel turned all the way up, when the fish snaps his head, he snaps your line as well.

The last thing, is product branding. By this, I mean the actual brand name of the reel. If the company has been around for a while, it is a safe bet that it is a decent product. Their low end items, and discount or discontinued items may not be the best choices, but usually the second level up in their product line is a safe bet. And remember, when you are ready to start searching for some ultralight fishing reels, know your budget before you go reading or checking them out!