Pflueger Contender Spinning Reels Review

Contender 7540, 2006-05-28
Reviewer: pinfish

Paired with a 8'6" Pflueger Trion rod, this is my heavy perching/shore salmon combo. Small and big fish! Yes I use this for all day casting in big waves or all day casting for big fish. Its probably my favorite combo for spinning since its easy on my arm and strong. The reel is simple and lightweight with a strong drag. The spool capacity is big for its class. Its an average shaped spool that is not necessarily condusive to casting far but the rod helps fling it far. There are not too many external bells and whistles, you can't even switch the reel to reverse but who needs such features especially when you don't want sand to get inside this reel. Also the reel is a simple black and all metal, with no unnecessary bling to collect sand or turn ugly from the sun and scratches. I believe the reel has good corrosion resistance as I haven't seen or heard of anything wearing down after a year. I also like the size of the handle and knob giving this reel good rotation and cranking. I guess there is a slight backplay with the not entirely instant antireverse. And it would be cool if the spool was longcasting.