Make the Best of This Spring
Largemouth crappie will take just any bait you throw at them. However, they might develop a fondness for different baits on different days. Every variety of fish requires specific equipment with specific mechanical parameters to make an easy catch.
Crappie may be the most delicious fish on the table, catching crappie is also a very tasteful sport. They eat a large variety of food but catching them requires more than just baits. It’s a matter of precision and sensitivity because the fish will flee as soon as it arrived.
It can be difficult to decide upon one option from amongst so many. Fishing equipment is a whole another world and any passionate angler is bound to get lost. To ease your mind, we have brought you the best crappie reels in America.
The Best Crappie Reels for the Year 2022
Pflueger President Spinning Reel

Pflueger is a prominent brand in the angler’s community and is best known for its efficient and affordable fishing equipment. Pflueger President is smoother than any other spinning reel you’d come across.
The excellent smoothness of the reel is owed to a system of seven stainless steel ball bearings. It is possible to throw smooth casts with minimum backlashes and no disturbing noise. Aren’t smooth casts everything anglers desire?
The material of construction for this reel is graphite. The body of the reel and the rotor are specially made from strong and lightweight graphite to ensure the ease of operation. The spool is braided and convenient to use. Some users consider the drag rougher than expected. Although, the drag for this reel is otherwise adequately sealed to prevent corrosion and avail durability for long-term function.
The gear for this reel is mounted in the front and is also sealed to ensure protection from corrosion. One peculiar property of this reel’s gear system is the slow oscillation feature which further enhances the performance.
Although the system of the braid-ready spool is meant to enhance smoothness and improve the overall performance of the reel, it ends up complicating the whole operation of the reel and is hard to manage if the reel gets stuck.
This reel is ideal for those looking for the smoothest performing spinning crappie reel. This reel combines groundbreaking performance with affordability. Although the braided spooling can be a bit hard to get used to, it works really well once you get used to it.
Pros
- This reel is made of solid and lightweight graphite which promises strength, durability, and comfort of use
- The ball bearings are made of stainless steel
- There are a total of seven ball bearings which work effectively in smoothening the operation of this reel
- This reel allows you to throw the smoothest casts ever
- The additional lubrication in this reel also adds to the smoothness
- The gear system and the drag system for this reel are sealed and protected
- The graphite rotor and body, stainless steel bearings, and the sealed gear and drag systems favor excellent protection from corrosion and damage and greatly enhance the reel’s durability
- Even the braided spool for this reel is resistant to corrosion
- The drag system is very powerful, efficient, and durable
- The gear system has a slow oscillation feature which further improves the reel’s performance
- The front drag system is less complicated than the drag systems in other reels
- This is a high-quality reel which will land every crappie you spend efforts at
- The braided reel is very efficient and greatly reduces the backlash
- This reel is more affordable than many other comparable reels with similar features
Cons
- The braided line spool can be quite complicated to handle at times
- The drag system is comparatively rough even though it is powerful
KastKing Summer Spinning Reel

KastKing is a reputable fishing equipment brand that promises excellent quality at a genuine price. KastKing Summer Spinning reel has a very solid structure that promises endurance and high performance. The shaft for this reel is built out of hard metal and the rest of the body is made of lightweight graphite. Overall, the design is tough and good looking at the same time.
One special feature in this reel is the incorporation of one main gear and one machined pinion gear. This reel will not only provide admirable force, it will also give you an unmatchable speed for appropriately and carefully landing crappies. The performance is efficient, powerful, and balanced.
The spool is made of anodized aluminium and is dual-colored to provide more visibility. The spool has a special power-launch lip for enhanced ability. The casting distance with this reel will be impressively improved. This reel has an incredibly powerful drag system. The special ability of this drag system is an excellent stopping power. Beginners especially admire this reel for its less price and superior abilities.
Pros
- This reel may be the most economical spinning reel for catching crappies
- This reel has two special gear systems, a mesh main gear and another machined pinion gear
- The structure of this reel is solid with a metal shaft and a compact graphite frame
- The reel is lightweight, efficient, and easy to use
- The drag system for this reel is supremely powerful and efficient
- The anodized aluminium spool has a special power launch grip and is dual-colored for good visibility
- This reel is capable of achieving long casting distances
- The performance of this reel is adequately balanced for efficiently catching crappies
- Beginners prefer this reel because of the cheap price and high quality
Cons
- The spool for this reel is very difficult to handle
- Beginners can face disappointment while exerting extra pressure in bailing this reel’s fishing line
FyshFlyer Fire Premium Spinning Reel

FyshFlyer has made it a point to offer every feature all the other fishing reels lack. There is no reason you shouldn’t invest in a reel that aims to make crappie fishing a thinkable and doable business.
The design of this reel may not be the most attractive feature and the frame is not as much corrosion resistant as it should be. But the overall longevity of the reel is owed to the other important parts.
Unlike other crappie reels, FyshFlyer doesn’t just promise smoothness, it works smoother than ever. There are five stainless steel ball bearings that work wonderfully in providing ease to the reel operation while also remaining resistant to corrosion. So the bearings are not just gliding smooth at the start, they remain like this forever. The operation of this reel is comparatively noiseless.
The front drag system is powerful the way it is meant to be for landing crappies. The power of the drag is maintained uninterrupted by the stainless steel bearings.
There is one excellent feature in this reel which almost all other reels lack. Almost all fishing reels have an anti-reverse system that operates to a certain extent after which the ride gets bouncy. All reels are bound to suffer backlash at some point. Things are not so old with FyshFlyer. This reel has an infinite anti-reverse system so that there is never a possibility of any backlash.
It is easy to throw long distance casts with this reel. The makers have also paid significant attention to comfort. The handle for this reel is made of plastic and is foldable to maintain compactness. There is also an accessible knob which can be used to reduce slips.
Pros
- This reel has the smoothest performance and is deemed the most comfortable crappie reel
- The incomparable smoothness is owed to the five stainless steel ball bearings
- The anti-reverse system for this reel does not have any limit
- The spool has a graphite rotor which reduces the overall weight of the reel
- While the design of this reel is not very attractive, it is definitely compact and lightweight so you can be more accurate while aiming for crappies
- This reel has made it easy to throw long casts
- The design is made extra compact by the presence of foldable handles
- The gear system for this reel works smoother than all other crappie reels
- The drag system for this reel is placed in the front and is extremely powerful
Cons
- The outer body of this reel is not enough resistant to corrosion
- It has been reviewed that this reel is not very efficient in catching big sized crappies
- The foldable handle does not have enough stopping power
Pay Attention and Select the Best Crappie Reel
The best crappie reel is bound to have some specific features. You must first understand the need to buy a different reel for hunting this particular fish. This is generally because of the peculiar behavior of this fish that doesn’t allow the use of ordinary equipment. Crappies are sensitive and quickly detect abnormalities even though they are big-time foodies and eat almost everything. The equipment meant for crappie needs to be lightweight so that it can be gently handled and the fish can get caught.
It is important to choose a reel of the right size, a drag system of good quality, and gear ratios best for the particular fish.
Select the Right Reel Size
You ought to choose equipment that is easier to handle. Like this, there would be lesser chances of you scaring the fish away. Be gentle where the sport requires delicacy. Crappies bite on different baits at different times and their big mouths can easily swallow all sizes of baits. You must also remember that their large-sized mouth has very fragile tissue. It is easy to hook through their thin-skinned mouth.
This art seems easy but it requires equivalent patience and precision of movement. It is not possible to fish crappie with large sized gear which might not perform accurately. Select the lightest fishing rods and the lightest crappie reels. This will add to your advantage of outsmarting crappies by detecting their nibbles as soon as they approach.
Make Sure That Your Drag System Is of Good Quality
It is very important to have a smoothly functioning drag system when fishing for crappies. An inefficient drag system could make your line twist during casting and turn the easiest catch into a failure. A smooth drag will add to your effort and get you every crappie you work hard at.
Prefer waterproof drag systems and check for corrosion-resistance. These systems will be more durable and the reel will last longer. Fishing equipment’s quality is determined less by performance and more by the time that they last. A smooth drag will allow you to easily retrieve catches while a drag of bad quality will keep getting stuck and result in frequent backlashes.
Trust me, you don’t want to fish crappies on a jerky ride. Neither would the fish stay near such a reel. Check whether your reel has a front, rear, or a sealed drag system.
A front drag system will be more difficult to handle by beginners but it will certainly be more powerful. Experienced crappie fishers generally recommend front drags for their smooth operation and reliability. The mechanical breaks in this system should be easy to access and apply.
Rear drag systems are the ones that aren’t directly in contact with the reel’s spool. It may seem that the rear drag systems are more accessible. But they certainly aren’t as simple as front drag systems.
Sealed drag systems are a popular choice these days especially in combination with spin fishing. Sealed drag systems are waterproof and more durable because they are protected from corrosion-related damage. Experienced anglers recommend sealed drag systems for crappie fishing.
Conclusion
Understand that all people will have their own specific choice when it comes to crappie reels. No two people will select the same reel because everyone has different preferences, likes, and dislikes.
Be it Pflueger President. KastKing Summer, or FyshFlyer Fire, each one of the above reels is well regarded in terms of performance. Select the one that suits you and your love for fishing crappies. The baits are waiting!