Reels
Pflueger Supreme Spinning Reel Review
Pflueger has a habit of providing anglers with quality value at seemingly impossible prices. The Pflueger Supreme is no exception. Value priced, this amazingly light spinning reel features a premium magnesium body and rotor that are typically reserved for much more expensive reels. While this does seem like an amazing value, is the Supreme everything it’s cracked up to be? Read our full review here.
Pflueger Supreme Overview
There used to only be a handful of good reels. Now there are more good reels than one person could possibly own. This abundance of choices makes it difficult to narrow down your choices when buying a reel.
Do you look for a reel that has all the latest features or do you prefer a reel that is simply built well and does the job? If you’re like me, you’ll take the latter option, and I’ve found that a lot of time and money can be saved by simply avoiding the latest and greatest and instead choosing to go with a tried and true design.
One such design is the Pflueger Supreme spinning reel. Released in 2014, the Supreme is still a very strong contender and an excellent option for those looking for a new fishing reel.
Pflueger has a long history of providing anglers with decent quality products at a reduced price. The affordability and quality products continue to make Pflueger a popular choice for many anglers.
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Supreme Specs:
- Reel Sizes: SP25X, SP30X, SP35X, SP40X
- Ball Bearings: 9
- Gear Ratio: 6.2:1
- Anti-Reverse: Yes
- Weight: 7 to 9.6 ounces
- Max Drag: 8 lb to 14 lb
- Braking System: None
- Drag Type: Star drag
- Mono Capacity for the SP30X (lb/yd): 4/255, 6/145, 8/130
- Braid Capacity for the SP30X (lb/yd): 6/275, 8/190, 10/160
- Handle: Right or Left hand retrieve
Burt's Thoughts:
For me, the Pflueger Supreme spinning reel is one of those rare reels that gives me two things: fantastic performance at an incredible value.
I like the simplicity of the design. It's one of those reels that is basic and straightforward, but gets the job done. It has a relatively lightweight frame that features a magnesium body and rotor, the Pflueger won't tire you out after prolonged use. A nine-bearing system, with an aluminum handle and a carbon-fiber drag star, enables the Pflueger to rotate smoothly, and deliver a strong retrieve action even under a heavy load.
Pflueger has rated the Supreme as saltwater ready. While it has a sealed ball bearing system, my only hesitation is that magnesium is much more susceptible to corrosion than other materials. I don't typically fish in saltwater, so I can't really test this, but I would be more reserved fishing with it in that environment.
Overall, the Pflueger is a solid reel at an excellent value. If you're looking for a spinning reel that will give you good performance at a great price, then I'd recommend the Pflueger Supreme.
Features:
The Supreme is a lightweight spinning reel that is extremely straight forward to use. If you’re looking for a new reel to fish for the first time, this is a great option. The Supreme is available in a variety of sizes, but for bass fishing you’ll probably want to go with the SP30X or the SP35X.
The SP30X is a standard sized reel with a 6.2:1 gear ratio. The SP30X is a great reel to fish for bass because it is a light weight and only weighs about 7.5 ounces.
It’s made of a magnesium rotor and body, has a one-way clutch anti reverse, 6.2:1 gear ratio, and a 62mm aircraft grade aluminum handle. The reel has a very smooth drag, has a large bail opening, and a nice ergonomic knob that fits well in the palm of your hand.
Material and Weight
Magnesium is the primary material housing the body, side plates, and rotor of the supreme spinning reel. Magnesium is durable and can withstand saltwater for a long time with proper maintenance.
Furthermore, magnesium is much lighter than other metals, making the reel ultra-lightweight.
This reel is about 7.5 ounces making it one of the lightest spinning reels we’ve reviewed. The lightweight nature makes the Supreme perfect for those looking for a reel that doesn’t weigh you down.
Braid-ready Aluminum Spool
The spool is made of double-anodized aluminum, which is harder than typical aluminum. In addition, the spool is highly resistant to corrosion.
Aluminum is relatively heavy, and for this reason, the spool has ported sidewalls. The holes help to reduce the weight of the spool. The porting also helps your reel to dry out faster.
This Pflueger reel comes with a braid ready spool design, so you don’t have to use some make shift backing for your braid.
Sealed Carbon Drag
The drag washers are sealed and lie on top of the spool. The sealing helps to avoid dirt, grime, and water from entering the drag system.
The carbon washers help to dissipate heat faster and thereby maintaining the smoothness of the drag system. The carbon washers offer a high degree of strength, while also being fairly light. This provides a robust drag system, without sacrifice to the lightweight design.
9 Steel Ball Bearings
Good ball bearings help to reduce friction and improve the smoothness of your casts and retrieves. Generally, the more the ball bearings, the smoother the reel turns. The Pflueger Supreme has eight stainless steel ball bearings for nice smooth performance.
In addition to having more ball bearings, the quality of the material that’s used goes a long way in overall performance. The Supreme uses stainless steel ball bearings which are highly resistant to corrosion. They also offer a great performance overtime as long as you keep up with regular maintenance, cleanings, and lubrication. Keeping up with regular maintenance is very important in preserving good functionality.
The Supreme is also equipped with an instant anti reverse bearing that prevents the spool from turning in the wrong direction. This helps prevent backlash in the spool so that you don’t end up with a tangled mess.
Gear Ratio
The Supreme is available in a 6.2:1 gear ratio, which provides a sufficient speed for most bass fishing presentations and lures.
The gear ratio informs you of the number of times the spool rotates for every 360-degree handle turn. The higher the ratio, the faster the speed of cranking and retrieving the line.
A 6.2:1 ratio provides a good balance between being too fast and too slow while still providing a good amount of torque. This enables you to fish using a wide range of techniques.
The Supreme also has a low oscillation level that helps improve the line lay on your retrieve.
Reel Handle
The handle is made of machined aircraft grade aluminum. The material is durable and resistant to corrosion.
The soft rubber knob is comfortable to use and provides plenty of grip even when wet.
The Supreme allows you to easily change the handle location, allowing you to switch the reel between right hand and left hand use.
Sure-Click Bail Design
Pflueger’s sure-click bail design is solid aluminum with an anti-twist titanium line roller. When the aluminum bail wire is open and ready for casting, it produces an audible snapping sound signal upon closing the bail.
Darren Is Less Than Impressed:
In fishing products, value is a relative term. It doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. It's usually defined by the price you have to pay for a given piece of gear. In general, if a piece of gear costs a lot less than similar gear, it is considered to be very good value. The Pflueger Supreme is a magnesium spinning reel that's priced around $100. This should be considered a great deal when compared to the typical $300 price tag that accompanies magnesium reels, but for me, the lack of quality of the Supreme ended up making this into not such a good deal.
The general performance of the Supreme was good during use before the issues began, but only after a few days of fishing with the Supreme the bail wire fell off. Thankfully, I was able to re-attach it without too much work and continue to fish with it. However, after less than a month of use, the retrieve started feeling sticky. I performed some cleaning and maintenance on the reel, which did seem to help, but it's not as smooth as I'd expect.
Others haven't had this same experience with the Supreme, so it very well may just be a quality control issue during manufacturing, but regardless I was not happy with the Supreme after my experience.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Lightweight magnesium body and frame
- Smooth retrieve
- Good drag performance
- Instant anti reverse prevents backlash
Cons:
- Quality control issues
- The spool portholes are prone to dirt and grime
- Magnesium is a little soft to be trusted in saltwater
Stephen's Review:
The Pflueger Supreme offers anglers an exceptional ratio of performance, value and quality. This reel is exceptionally comfortable and lightweight.
The reel's 9-bearing system is smooth, durable and casts very well. The reel's drag is smooth and predictable and for those who like to fish with braided lines, this reel will accommodate that well.
The Supreme's line management worked well during use and prevented most line twist. Though some minor twisting did occur, it wasn't that big of a deal. The Supreme's bail closure is very positive, and the handle provides great cranking power.
This reel is an amazing value for the price and I recommend it for anyone looking for a lightweight, affordable reel.
FAQs
Yes, they make a lot of quality gear. They are typically considered more of a budget brand, but despite this, their products usually hold up well.
Pflueger is owned by the American company Pure Fishing, however, all of their reels are made in China.
Pflueger Supreme is available in 4 different models, SP25X, SP30X, SP35X, and SP40X.
For bass fishing you’ll want to go with either the SP30X or SP35X. Either of these will work.
The SP35X is rated for heavier fish, but weighs more. The SP30X is a lighter model and should provide sufficient power and drag to pull in bass that most hobbyists will be fishing for.
The Supreme line of reels is rated for saltwater use. However, it’s very important to make sure you’re washing off your reel with freshwater after using it in brackish or saltwater.
Since magnesium is more corrosion prone we’d advise a little more caution when using in or around saltwater.
The best rod will depend on the type of fishing you’re wanting to do. Since the Supreme is a lighter weight reel, you may want to pair it with a lightweight rod.
We’re big fans of the Abu Garcia Veritas and the Ugly Stik Elite. You can read more about those rods as well as other good spinning rods on our page reviewing the best spinning rods.
No. Comparing mono and braid lines, the braid has many advantages, such as no tangles, casting and more sensitivity. However, mono has better abrasion resistance and ease of changing lures. Click here for the best line for bass fishing.
This is a tricky question with no exact figure. The vital aspects to consider when looking for spinning reel ball bearings are the material that makes them and the methods used to cut and shape them. Many experienced anglers recommend getting a reel with at least six ball bearings for smooth casting and retrieving.
A spinning reel is easier to learn and use for all skill levels than a baitcaster. You enjoy excellent control features than the alternative casting model reels. Light lures are favorable since stationary spools tend to have less drag and higher chances of catching light lures out. Lastly, spinning reels are easy to switch from right to left-handed reels.
Reel Score:
We’ve given the Pflueger Supreme spinning reel ratings in four categories. They are as follows:
- Price: A
- Build: B-
- Feature Set: B
- Design: A-
The Pflueger Supreme earns an overall score of: B+
Conclusion:
The Pflueger Supreme is an excellent value for a reel with a magnesium body and rotor. It performs well and is comfortable to fish with. The reel’s drag is smooth and consistent and the spool does a decent job fighting line twist.
Overall, we recommend the Pflueger Supreme if you’re looking for a lightweight spinning reel. However, we would advise testing it out thoroughly upon getting it to make sure you didn’t get a lemon. It’s much easier to return a defective unit to a retailer than working with a manufacturer through their warranty process.
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