Looking to pick up another inline reel. I have one that I think is a South Bend and it works well, but is a little heavy on a light jig rod being made of metal. Wondering what others are available and recommended.
Love my Eagle Claw.
cgi inline I have a couple eagle claws and I’ve always had problems with the drag being 1. really rough just comes off smooth hard smooth hard etc etc 2. in order to have the drag set light enough to not break 2lb line the drag star is loosen all the way off the threads.. yet I have some friends that like theirs but that’s the problem I ran into mine and it was with both of them but cgi drag is beautiful and the price is a plus too. but my best inline would have to be my 6061 black betty smooth as butter but it is heavier being metal and twice the price
I really like my Frabill 371 inline, I use it for eyes but it would do just fine for panfish. I’ve caught crappies on it with no issues. The drag seems to work well, I know that’s a common complaint with the inline reels. The freefall on it is light enough for panfish baits as well. It is up there in price though at about $60.
I tried the black betty and sold them immediately, they backlash too easily and drag is hard to set just right and doesn’t make any drag noise… i figured out to stop backlash by using my finger to slow down the drop before hitting bottom but just didnt like having to worry about the issues that come with using them so i went back to spinning reel… I recommend the Clam Jason Mitchel Elite reels, for everything PERIOD. They have a nice big spool that helps prevent the line from getting that spiral to it.. and i use braided for main line anyways.
Just attach a 24″ leader with the smallest swivel you can find, i like the little SPRO power swivels between the main line and the fluorocarbon or copolymer 2#-4# line.. then at the end of the leader i will put the tiniest fas-snap on the end for super fast switching out spoons/raps/etc.. If i am using light 2# for panfish i just pre-tie a bunch of jig heads to leaders with a swivel and wrap them around round styrofoam from shipping packaging or i wrap them around rubber or velcro rig holders that people usually use for spinner rigs, then in that case i tie the fas-snap directly to my main line and attach the panfish jigs leaders directly to that! super easy to swap out anything… either way there’s always a swivel for my walleye or panfish leaders and i never worry about line twist. There will still be a little bit sometimes but almost as good as an inline without the headache of dealing with the inline reels!
This setup gives me great feel with 4#-6# braided (i use fireline ice braid) on everything so there’s no stretch and fast hook sets, very low line twist, ultra quick fas-snap to anything on the fly, and as long as you keep good length on the leader the fish WILL NOT be affected by the swivel/fas-snap setup.
to recap:
Walleye rig: 6# braid main line -> tiny swivel tied to main line -> 4# 24″+ fluoro leader -> tiny Fas-Snap tied to leader -> then attach any rap or spoon or lure
^^ Best to replace that leader after every trip because they get weak over time
Panfish Rig: 4# braid main line -> tiny fas-snap -> tiny swivel tied to leader -> 2# 24″+ fluoro leader -> leader tied direct to jig
Tie a ton of leaders to all your jigs and store your jigs wound around the rig holder tubes or styrofoam.
Hope this helps i LOVE this setup, good luck be safe.
Eagle Claw all the way! Nice and light to keep things balanced with these Feather light custom rods. Although I have my eye on one of those new 13 fishing freefalls. They finally got smart and started making a lighter reel.
Thanks for the replies. Ordered an Eagle Claw. It’s just for light duty shallow panfishing and going on a ritzy HT Ice Blue rod. 
I gotta Black Betty, I’ll trade it to you for a half drank can of beer. Seriously!
I sold all my inlines because of weight and balance. When a custom rod weighs have as much as the reel, what’s the point IMO. I kept an okuma SLV, I feel it’s perfect on a TUCR noodle for my style of fishing. I have the drag loosened to strip line by hand, then if I hook into a bigger fish I can either palm my reel or backreel.
Shimano symetre 500. Seriously, I tried black Betty, 6061, and low and behold, the spinning reels are all back out on the ice. When I see the IDO staff killing it with inlines then I’ll go back. I even thought about drinking the 13 fish free fall cool-aid but stopped myself. Not trying to kill the moment, but I just didn’t get any noticeable results by running inlines.
Wade I like the sound of your set up-but do you get much freeze up on the braid?
Freefall. Once you try one you will understand.
Ht tightline reel is all you need for pan fish.
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Yes every now and then i have to take my thumb nail and grab the line and scrape the ice off.. which isnt a big deal, i actually have 3 different kinds of braided on different rods, some ice up less than others but i dont remember which brand i put on what rod! hah..
Bought it last ice season, didn’t really like it but this year I tried it again and wow, I can drop down to the fish 3x faster than my other rods or friends rods. I like it a lot.
I gotta Black Betty, I’ll trade it to you for a half drank can of beer. Seriously!
I got one this year and I would nearly consider that trade as well. I like it in the heated shack, but out in the open I just have trouble getting it to freefall at all. I have to pull the line out with my hand. I need to do a little more research though, I may have the wrong line on or have it spooled wrong.
have an eagle claw inline reel this year. haven’t really seen an advantage over my spinning reels.
Though I’m not totally sold on the benefits of inline reels over spinning reels for panfish, I tried an upgrade this year and went with the 13 Fishing Black Betty 6061 in the left-handed model, like my spinning reels.
I sold my three CGI inline reels, which I think are a junk product with poorly adjustable drags that went from 0-to-60 with only the tiniest turn of the drag star, as well as inconsistent quality control. All three of my reels operated, felt, and sounded differently. Only one could drop a 3mm tungsten jig with all three having the settings the same.
The plan was to get a Black Betty for $70 on sale, and if I didn’t like it, I would write off inlines completely since it’s widely considered the best inline on the market. However, I actually like the reel quite a bit, aside from he cold metal handle. It’s far smoother, has a better drag system, and just feels much better built than the CGI inlines. Granted, the Black Betty goes for $80 while the CGI goes for $35. I think it’s worth double the price, though. I don’t see the Black Betty 6061 wearing out anytime soon. I could get many, many years out of a reel like this.
I think folks in the inline crowd should give these a shot. Worse case scenario, you might have to return it to the store you bought it from or sell it on this site’s classifieds for a $20 loss.
Wade, I cannot find the Elite series of the Clam you mentioned online-Where did you get yours?
The 6061 and cgi reels have identical internal components. If I were to say one is better than the other I would say the cgi. The cgi is lighter and your hands do not freeze to the reel.
I must already have a CGI reel because I think that’s what’s on my No.8 “Snitch” rod I bought at Fleet Farm. I have to say I really like the reel and setup. I fish pretty shallow and never really use the drag at all…just lock in down. The other thing I like is stripping the line off with the clicker on to get back down in the water. The sound might be annoying to some, but I like to not going into a touchy free wheeling backlash.
Tim Hurley,
Its this one:
http://stores.clamoutdoors.com/jason-mitchell/rods-combos/jason-mitchell-reel.html
Also HT makes one called accucast wide arbor
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LDYJA4O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A31RQKPZBVEW1B
Have and use both of them they are great, both around the same price.. i wouldnt use anything else personally
And as an added treat the sound of the drag is fun to hear! 
the eagle claw drag is not good and its release button too sensitive. storage is an absolute pain.
i’m not really a fan of any inline but the cgi’s were the best value vs function i found.
I think if you asked 100 people experienced with any given inline reel their opinion on that reel, minimally 50% of all respondents would say any given reel is complete junk. Every inline i’ve used for more than a couple hours, except for maybe the Beam ice reel, has been terrible.
I like the Eagle Claw with the exception of the drag. Drag adjustability sucks. Very happy with the HT inline reel for shallow water (<20ft) panfishing. It is simple and functional. Drag adjustability is pretty good.
Thanks for the replies. Ordered an Eagle Claw. It’s just for light duty shallow panfishing and going on a ritzy HT Ice Blue rod.
I’m running the same set up. It works great for me. I’ve had it 2 yrs now.
Thanks Wade-you also have me rethinking braid-used to be all I would use till I got tired of the freeze ups (hole hopper-I go outside to BE outside!)
I gotta Black Betty, I’ll trade it to you for a half drank can of beer. Seriously!
I’ll give you a six pack. Love mine in the shack, but still use spinning reel outside.
I gotta Black Betty, I’ll trade it to you for a half drank can of beer. Seriously!
Is this a Black Betty or a Black Betty 6061?
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