I use a baitcaster 95% of the time when I'm fishing, but I want to learn skipping under docks and overhangs for largemouth bass and decided to try a spinning reel + rod first to get the muscle memory down.
I believe that type of fishing may involve winching fish quickly out of docks and limbs.
The decision I had to make was choosing between the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT 3000 or Shimano Vanford 3000 for the spinning reel. I decided to think outside of the box and maybe go shorter than the typical skipping rod; therefore I also went to look at a St. Croix Eyecon Walleye Heavy Metal spinning rod at 5'8", heavy power 3/8 to 1oz, and 3.5oz weight(St. Croix lists it at 3.7 but my scale says 3.5, my scale is right on the money for my other rods and reels).
So here I go, headed to the store to look at the reels, couldn't decide, and went home with both of the reels and the St. Croix rod!
After playing with both of the spinning reels at home, I decided to keep the Ballistic and will be returning the Vanford. The way I was going to use the reel was the biggest deciding factor.
If one needed an open water reel with light line and M to ML rod, then it's a no-brainer to weight your decision more towards the Vanford(I already have a 3000 size ci4+ and Luvias LT for that); however this reel is going on a heavy powered spinning rod with heavier line, throwing around/under docks and into/under over hangs.
Reasons for choosing the Ballistic MQ LT 3000:
-Feels like there is more torque (I put my finger on the rotor and started reeling, and the Ballistic wants to push my finger away, while all the Vanford does is tighten the handle more
), perhaps due to the lower gear ratio(30 IPT on Ballistic MQ LT vs 37 IPT Vanford 3000), or perhaps due to the larger monocoque housed main gear of Ballistic MQ LT(which is noticeable when both reels are side by side). Either way I "think" I want the torque for horsing fish when dock skipping(haven't tried both reels on the water and probably won't get to simultaneously as I don't want to ruin the "newness" of the Vanford for someone else by spooling it with line, using it, and then returning it).-When pushing on the spool (to mimick a fish pulling line perpendicular to the spool shaft on a locked down drag), both reels have about the same play, but the rotor also moves when the spool on the Vanford is pushed. Good or bad thing I'm not sure, but the Ballistic felt more solid as the only part that moved when pushing the spool was the spool itself.
-The Rotor on the Ballistic MQ LT is beefier. It doesn't deform as much when I squeeze both ears towards the spool.
-The stem on the Ballistic MQ LT is beefier/thicker (probably a non-issue as both are pretty stout for being a composite material but it is something to note)
Vanford c3000xg Pros:
-The shaft that the spool (spool shaft?) rides up and down on is slightly thicker on the Vanford.
-The rod I'm using is 3.5 ounces and the Vanford at 6.3oz feels perfect and falls below the magical under 10oz combo weight number.
Final thoughts:
The pros of the Ballistic outweighed the 1.3oz difference in weight between the Vanford 3000 and Ballistic MQ LT 3000.
The Ballistic MQ LT feels and looks like a beefier reel compared to the Vanford. (Possibly why it's 1.3 ounces heavier even though both use composite materials)
I would go with an all aluminum MQ reel, but weight is also an important factor to me.
On the spinning reel side of things, I already have a 3000 sized ci4+, 2000 size Luvias, and a Vanford 500 (ice fishing), but wanted a new spinning setup for dock/overhang skipping.
I would keep the Vanford also if not for the redundancy it shares with my ci4+ and Luvias, it is a fine reel.
