Are they better than a 200 dollar reel, pretty sure they are. I would bet they are lighter, have better drag systems, and are coated to better resist corrosion. Are they something I would buy? Probably not unless I win the lottery.

Is a $1200 Matthews bow better than a $400 Bear bow? It might be a little better but both will absolutley get the job done.
The only thing that you can't do with a $400 bow is say it's $1200. Same with a reel. If you buy a $150 reel, you can't tell people it's a $700 reel...

I think the question is is it better, not whether it is worth it. Have you ever fished with a stella? Its a sweet reel. I cant ever justify spending that much for a reel but say if Santa delivered one for Christmas I surely wont turn it down. Its also nice to show off to friends on the boat. We can have the same argument for everything that we spend in our daily lives. I mean who needs a 60-70,000 dollar boat to fish our marshes?

If your fishing inshore i don't see any reason to purchase a $1000 stella, but i can tell you we have two of them we use to tuna fish and they are awesome. I think the biggest difference is the drag system. When we purchased them i asked the people at Professionals ' y buy a $1000 stella when i could get the same size PENN for $400' that's when they showed me the difference in the drag.

...just can't figger the logic of having a $700 reel w/a dump truck grandma clutch that's used inshore ???...some people would spend the difference in high end PFD's,safety equipment or a spare prop...it just don't add up !!! cheers

If you can afford a $700 reel , use a $700 reel if you want . Its not going to make you catch anymore fish than a $100 dollar reel would . If you can afford a $700 reel then you can afford a less expensive reel too , so buy both and see which one you like the most .

You can get Nice Spin cast@BassPro for $100-$150 you wont be Disappointed, I've bought all mine@Walmart for $35-$80 for Combo&it works for that price, Secret is Have right drag setting, Now if you're gona fish deep water for Big Bull Reds Go Penn 350 No complaints on mine have caught some 36-48 in Reds in the Pass@GI

I had a 2012 Shimano rod and reel guide around here somewhere , I can't rememeber the name of it but was just looking at Shimano's highest priced spinning reels and rods for this year , it was $2,500 for the rod and reel , the bearings were made of something called Liquid Steel and were suppose to be lifetime corrsion proof and also acted as a seal to keep water and dirt out the 'innards' ----- same technology will be available in a few years at a much lower price , you pay for the reasearch and development on new models

is a cadillac better than a chevrolet, yep, until it breaks!!!

Is a choice steak better than a can of Spam?
Both will fill you up but which one will you enjoy better?
I have 6 Stella's and love everyone of them.
I live in central MS but I own a camp off Bayou Dularge. When I drive 4 hours to fish, I won't to know that my equipment is not going to let me down. I also have 8 Shimano Calais and all of the reels are on G'Lommis rods.
Waste of money? To some, maybe. To me, never.
It took me a long time to convience myself to by the first one, but after that, I was hooked.
Fishing the IFA Redfish Tour, I wanted every advantage I could come up with.
Buy you one and enjoy. If you can't borrow one of your buddies as my friends all do!

$700 for an inshore reel? Are you sure the brand name is Shimano and not Obamano?

Tackle Wharehouse

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Pflueger Patriarch Magnesium


Best Spinning reel on the market end of story.
Have fished with every spinning reel you could imagine including the JDM (japanese domestic versions). This reel is HANDS DOWN the best and all I fish with. The Daiwa JDM Branzino is the only reel in it's league but it's close to $800

The patriarch MG weighs only 6 ounces and is super super strong. Pair it up with a dobyns champion rod and you wont know your holding anything in your hand.

Here is the link's to both
Pflueger Patriarch Magnesium Spinning Reel - $199.95
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Pflueger_Patriarch_Magnesium_Spinning_Reel/descpage-PSRR.html

Dobyns Champion Spinning Rods - $239.99
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Dobyns_Champion_Spinning_Rods/descpage-DCST.html