Ray Spinner Hand Reel 150 (CNC Machined Aluminum 6061 T6) Crappie Jigging Reel Ice Fishing Reel Boat Fishing Reel Freshwater Jigging Reel

I just received the reel today and have to admit I was on the fence about buying it. It's just so different from anything that I have used before buying such a reel gave me pause. Fortunately I had enough reward dollars to spend from previous purchases it made my out of pocket cost low enough that I decided I would give it a try. I own many reels of almost all imaginable types except a spincast model. I gave those when I was a kid in favor of spinning reels and baitcast reels. I have several makes of inline jigging reels. One of the inline reels is from the Japanese Domestic Market only so getting one of those here in the US is quite expensive. I have a few fly reels of various sizes and price range as well as several high end spinning reels and JDM only baitcast and saltwater jigging reels so I know what I am looking at when it comes to quality. I have to start by saying I am right handed and I buy all my reels with a left hand retrieve so I can hold the rod in my casting arm and reel with my left hand. So the first thing I wanted to do is take the Ray Spinner apart and see if it could be reverse handed simply by turning the AR bearing over as most inline jigging reels and fly reels can be swapped from right to left retrieve. Bottom line is you can't do this to this real. The little lever that turns the drag on or off must move a small plastic tab which is molded into the AR bearing housing making changing the handing of the reel impossible.CONS: After taking it apart I'll list the cons first. It has some small delicate parts and springs inside and the spring that hold the drag switch is extremely weak giving the little lever a lot of wobble and it is so easy to move I fear it could be turned on or off by accident.This problem I fixed to my liking by taking it apart a second time and installing a very small O-Ring between the drag switch lever and the body. This simple modification served two purposes. First it give it enough friction that I am certain it won't be turned on or off by accident. Second it takes all the wobble out of the part and get rid of what I can only describe as a "cheap" feel. This is the way the reel should arrive and not something you should have to"fix"At first I was rather disappointed I could not just turn the AR bearing over but after putting it on a rod and playing with it I am quite happy with the handing it comes with.The drag is fairly light but since you can set it as light as you like you can add drag by either thumb pressure on the EVA stem of the reel or if you want more drag you can palm it like a fly reel. I personally would NOT recommend fishing this reel with the drag all the way off. If you were careless and failed to put thumb pressure on the EVA stem or palm pressure on the spool you may be in for a monumental backlash from trying to set the hook.Pros: It has a very good free spool for a reel of its price. So good in fact you could get away with substituting it for a center-pin reel and it it's not good enough to suit you you can help it along with the EVA covered stem and your thumb.It is an extremely simple reel with very little that could go wrong if used correctly. If you want to vertical jig with it you can simple turn the drag off to drop your lure down while controlling drop speed with your thumb on the EVA stem. Re-engage the drag when you reach the desired depth and you are ready to jig. The free spool is good enough I am confident it will easily free drop a 1/32 ounce jig and you can always help it along by rolling the EVA covered stem for lighter lures if that's your thing.Although it lacks a handle it is very easy and feels quite natural to retrieve line by either rolling the spool back with your left palm or your right thumb (Right hand held rod of course).Bottom line: I have no quality complaints other than the now fixed floppy drag switch it came with. I'm very glad I bought one and will most likely buy another in a different color. I can already tell it's going to be a blast to catch fish with and you are sure to have it noticed by fellow fishermen who have never seen such a reel. Being a 1 to 1 gear ratio the retrieve speed is still quite fast thanks to it's massive 150mm diameter spool. I say if you like to try something different give this a try. Chances are you will love it. I believe you could land a good size fish with it and by retrieving with your thumb or palming the reel back in even little fish will be fun on this reel.A few words of caution: If you choose to take it apart keep in mind the screw that holds the drag knob on is reverse threaded so if you try to loosen it in the wrong direction you could easily strip or break the screw. It has some very small, delicate and easily lost parts inside the drag switch area so if you disassemble it do so at your own risk and pay close attention to where every little part goes. Unless you have a lot of experience taking reels apart and putting them back together I would advise you don't disassemble it at all.If you are the type that likes to try new ways of fishing this reel may just become your favorite new toy. If you don't like trying things totally different from what you have been using for years it may not be for you.

The media could not be loaded.  Or, if you prefer to have drag, it has that too!In all seriousness though, its a great way to fish. You can even fish one handed! Or you can leave it in free spool & experience fighting a fish mano a mano, something that doesn't really seem available in the conventional spinner/baitcasting reels that we commonly use today.Another really cool thing this allows you to do is finely adjust the depth, making it great for poke poling, rock cod, or even striper fishing when you may need to constantly adjust your depth to find where the fish are at!