Shimano® Symetre® Fishing Reel
Shimano is one of the most respected manufacturers of fishing reels and related equipment in the world. Well engineered, always reliable, and seemingly never on sale, Shimano reels offer a full line of spinning and baitcast options ranging anywhere from $59 to $649. Last Fall, after several losing battles with Northern Pike and a couple big bass, I bought a new set-up armed with the Symetre® spinning reel. Paired with a 6'6" Med-Heavy Johnny Morris Signature™ rod, I was eager to put it to the test as soon as the season started.
First Impressions
The Symetre is a mid-range reel with an MSRP of about $100. For the set-up I chose the 2500 Model which weighs in at 8.8 oz. and has a line capacity of 140 yards (8# mono). Built with a 6.2:1 gear ratio and 28" line retrieve per turn, the Symetre sports a faster retrieve than most other spinning models on the market (4.7:1 to 5.5:1). Also worth noting, the reel is finished in a matte-like, silver-green hue lowering glare and possible reflection into the water. This is a factor that I believe is drastically under appreciated, especially in daylight fishing clear water.
Fishing the Reel
This spinner was basically an upgrade to my older model Shimano Sahara 1500 (also a great reel). Noticeable right away was how easy this reel casts. The aluminum spool is tapered at the top, allowing line to flow with little resistance as it unwraps during the cast with the bail angle also slightly altered. This seemingly minor detail makes a noticeable difference. My older model Sahara did not have this design feature (newer models do), and I instantly found at least 10-15% more distance.
The action of the Shimano Symetre is outstanding for a spinning set-up and handles superbly.
The crank motion is smooth and without friction, wobble or any noise. Being a higher gear ratio, you can easily churn spinnerbaits and buzzbaits across the surface, but also still tune it down for drop-shotting and pitching.
Review Summary
The Symetre has easily become my favorite spinning set-up. It is a Shimano and there's no doubt the construction is reliable and able to punch through several conditions while remaining true. Being a spinning reel, we will dock it points for versatility. After all, there are just some things that spinning reels just can't handle as well as a baitcaster. But that's not the Symetre's fault and if you're considering a mid-range, spinning reel that you can rely on — we'd absolutely recommend the Shimano Symetre.
