Oh my internet influencers, where have you all been. Living it up to your likes and failing to do the reel real service to your fans.
Not that I have a need for a new spinning reel, as since I don't get to go fishing as much as I would like to. Rather I just don't run to go fishing anymore if it's just for a few hours or more like just a few minutes as I used to do so when I was young. Anyways as it is always the yearly ritual of which reel should one buy in terms of price and performance merit. I have been out of the loop and out of sync as since it's become the times of internet influencers doing their thing for views. A bunch of no sense U-tubers or Tik-docters just reinventing the wheel that someone else has already done. Cuz they fail to offer any real world advice in the field.
So which spinning reel? I am used to say a Shimano Stradic, but since that reel has been given such a price hike just for the spool oscillation system that's proven to work in real world trials. It's the standard that anything that performs below that, well is less than the ideal standard. And anything that performs above the Stradic, well seems like a lot of money for a little more of diminishing returns. Sounds all good on paper specs, but real world scenarios and examples often is very coincidental or situational unique. One just never know the true value of any tool, until one has found the exact benefit for the right situation.
So it seems that for freshwater fishing, I have overlooked the Shimano Ultegra spinning reels. Don't know how I did that, but going back to the Ultegra since inception for USDM models and the quick followup to the FA series. As of current version is the FD series so it's been a few generations. So a lot of technical jargon specs gets added to each generations as trickled down from the flagship spinning reel from the Stella. That's how Shimano does it. So back to the Ultegra, it features the worm gear oscillation system. That is unique to all upper tier Shimano spinning reels. Previously the Stradic would've been the lowest tier of spinning reel that separates it from low tier. Making the Stradic the actual mid-tier spinning reel in the echelon of all Shimano spinning reels models. However as the world evolves with the changing technology and economics of price tiers. The Stradic has essentially become an upper middle tier. Such that marketing strategy of renaming the Stradic Ci4+ successor as the Vanford to even price hike it way above the upper mid price tier semi premium bougie tool. I have to look a lot closer at the Ultegra and what it really means as affordable mid tier reel. Yes I have truly overlooked it.
So the Ultegra has the worm oscillation gear, unique to all Shimano upper tier reels. Separating it from all lower tier Shimano reels that uses a normal round gear for the oscillation system. The direct results is plain even line lay onto the spool that one can rely on, especially when spooling on new fresh line at home. More importantly is over the course of a day's fishing, the more reliable even line lay plays ever more as an integral importance to preventing the foul bird nest of a rats den. As much as I liked my old Sahara/Symetre reels that was position just the below the Stradics of old, the line lay was evidence and proof of the performance of the worm gear oscillation system. Now we have multiple reels below the Stradic and multiple reels above the Sahara models, because the price point has expanded. The Sahara has now become a breaking point of $100-120. That's a far increase from the days of the old $50 and has been steadily climbing throughout the last decade. The Nasci, is the replacement for the Symetre model. A few cosmetic changes and added one bearing upgrade is really the difference overall and now priced at $125-145. The the prized Miravel, which is marketed as an upgrade but really cosmetic changes and the featured Ci4+ material for the frame and possibly composite rotar of the same material for the Magnumlite rotor technical jargon. It's really a Nasci to Miravel, but like the marketing strategy of the Stradic to Vanford. And we are back at the Ultegra, the secretly lowered tier Stradic. It really is a sleeper model. It's the Stradic mimicry if it were to be labeled as anything else for a comparative analogy.
So I only own one Ultegra 4000FA model. It's been years, so this reel can be said to have been great to me for me. I will also say that I've pretty much use it for catfishing only, so it's a cast and sit and wait thing. Not heavy use, nor abused for it's purpose. As since it's been used as a comparison to the Stradic C5000FL, it wasn't a fair comparison to begin with. If I were to had compared it to my Sahara 4000FB, it would totally blow the competition at this level. At the time of purchase the Ultegra FA was $150 retail and I bought mine on clearance price - so I got it much lower by 20% discount if I remember right. It was just ICAST July 2025 when the Ultegra was price from $159 to $179. Then the August 2025 import tariffs price jacked that to $179 to $199. That's Stradic level pricing so Stradic mimicry.
So my internet influencers, why are so few of them like probably only one of them actually will say, "The Ultegra is the best performance value mid tier spinning reel." Yes it's been a real sleeper reel. Don't waste your money on anything below the Stradic mimicry - um Ultegra and own the only actual technological upgrade that has the best performance merit in a general open face spinning reel. Even if one uses it for some lame old catfishing cast and sit and wait, but what if one just decides that hey, I want to cast a lure for cat fishing. Bawhooom! It's a saving grace the Ultegra has the good levelwind line lay oscillation system. Feel free to cast as much as you like, in the dark and not have to worry so much about a birds rats nest of a line do-ZZZZZZ's tangle. But it may still hapen due to user error and not actually equipment malfunction. Well at least the odds will be in ones favor to reduce that with the Ultegra.
Yes going forward, I will recomment the Ultegra as the alternative to the Stradic. If I ever do need another freshwater reel and trying to be budget conscious in some form.
Ultegra!
Sounds a lot like Acura Integra...That kind makes me think Shimano Twin Power is a lot like Toyota Supra Twin Turbo. Where does that put the Stradic? Celica Supra? GT4 AWD? RCS concept really. If only zombie apocalypes happened the RSC concept would'be been realized.
