Pflueger President Review

Today’s  review is on the Pflueger President spinning reel. I have mentioned in the context of trout fishing that I use this little reel almost exclusively for panfish.

I got my first one about five years ago and still use it to this day. Back then the smallest size was the 6725X which weighs 7.7 ounces and has a line capacity of 115 yards of 4 pound line. This reel has 10 bearings, 9 stainless steel ball bearings and a one-way clutch bearing, that make the performance of the President buttery smooth.

Since I got my first one, Pflueger has come out with a smaller version, the 6720X which weighs 6.4 ounces with a line capacity of 105 yards of 4 pound line. This slightly smaller reel is ideal for small children when mated with a light or ultra-light action spinning rod in a length that these little people can handle. While the performance is almost identical, it does have less bearing, 8 to be exact, but that doesn’t seem to hamper any part of the reels abilities.

The drag system on the President is exceptionally smooth and doesn’t exhibit a hitch no matter how light or heavy you choose to set it. It’s a pleasure to set the hook on a good fish and when it makes a run, the drag has a very pleasant tone when it’s being used and is very consistent throughout the spectrum.

You can lock it down but really, what’s the fun in that? Besides, when you’re using very light line, like four pound test, locking down your drag can result in breaking off a good fish by trying to end the fight too soon. I don’t advocate keeping the fight going longer than it has to because that can seriously increase the mortality of released fish, but at the same time, I sure enjoy a good spirited fight when using light gear like this.

This is what this reel does best. It gives the angler the opportunity to use low test pound line and still have the confidence that at least your reel is not going to blow up on you when you hook a good one.

The Pflueger President is now offered in two incarnations. The original President and  the President XT. The XT is slightly lighter than the original in the smaller sizes but loses it’s weight advantage in the larger sizes. I have not used it on the water so I can’t honestly comment on whether or not the XT has any advantages over the original President.

One thing that I know I personally prefer is the wooden crank handle on the original which has been replaced by a plastic soft-touch handle on the XT. There is just something about the color and that wooden handle on the original President that has kept me using it.

The only other difference that I see is that the XT has a twenty dollar premium over the original which in my book makes the original an even better value. So for the time being, since none of the Presidents I own have ever failed and there is no need to replace them, I will stick with the original Pflueger President. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

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