Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
The reels needed when fishing for big king salmon, lake trout and Skamania steelhead have to be tough to stand up to the battle, drags that are silky-smooth when a steelhead feels the sting and accelerates to high speed in an instant and have oversized washers to stand up to the heat generated when a king makes a long runs. Then the reel has to be able to stand up to the same things the next trip and the next.
Most reels that meet these criteria are budget breakers for anglers just getting started or on a limited budget who have to balance price with quality. Shakespeare’s new Contender Conventional Reel (currently listed at $74.99 on the Pure Fishing website) tilts that balance in favor of the angler. Available as a “30” size reel, it features a graphite frame, a stainless steel levelwind, brass gears and ball bearings to make the reel run smooth the first time it’s used and will continue to perform years into the future.
“Conventional” is a term often used for reels in the saltwater market – differentiating between a revolving spool – conventional – and spinning reels. Shakespeare used this term because this reel is aimed at the saltwater market primarily, but that certainly doesn’t preclude using it in freshwater. Many of the top-quality reels found on the hardest working Great Lakes charters are “crossover” models equally at home on the lakes or on saltwater.
I got the reel during the winter months and wanted to give it a solid test before the 2026 Great Lakes open water season gets going. I took it to the Texas Gulf in February to test it on mammoth red snappers. Snappers are shaped like bass, sized like four-year-old kings and are as stubborn as any fish that swims. I spooled it with 30-pound test braided line with a 50# fluorocarbon leader.
Pulling a 20 pound plus snapper up from the bottom in 100 feet of water isn’t an easy task. Every inch of line is earned and every ten feet or so the fish pulls back and peels off eight or nine feet, even on a drag tighter than I’d ever use on salmon or trout. The reel held up, fish after fish, after fish.
I wanted to put it too the test since I plan to use it as the reel for my “secret weapon rig” – two colors of lead core deployed on the deepest downrigger to present a deep lure far behind and deeper than any of the downrigger weights. Often, the biggest fish of the day come on the “SWR.” My experience with the snappers proved to me it will be up to the task.
The Contenders will likely be available at many retailers this summer and is available now at www.purefishing.com.
FISHING TOYS 