The best line counter reels 2023 offers you the perfect match of line capacity, durability and performance for fishing braid or mono. The best line counter reels measures line out in feet to make setting of trolling patterns a snap. And once you’ve hooked up, you can repeatedly drop right back into the strike zone without guessing either you’re fishing heavy Great Lakes salmon trolling or serious offshore saltwater fishing.

Top 8 Best Line Counter Reels:

New Shimano Tekota A – Best Line Counter Reel #1

Shimano Tekota A Review

This review of the New Shimano Tekota A series made by Shimano and it’s the Tekota 500 LC and Tekota 600 LC series, just a quick disclaimer before we get going first off I use every reel in my reviews for an entire season so usually like at least 50 days on the water and I’m a salmon only fisherman I’m not into multi species, so this review will be geared towards salmon trolling fishing.

So, let’s get into the specifications for this line counter reel, the New Shimano Tekota A has a 6.3 to 1 gear ratio it’ll retrieve about 38 inches of line per crank it weighs 16.2 ounces and it has a 24 pounds of drag it’ll hold 185 yards of 16 pound line, that’s the Tekota 500 LC and the Tekota 600 LC will hold 390 yards.

I really like this line counter reel and but let’s just start with the negatives when I do a reel review so starting with the negatives one thing that I notice and again, I don’t troll as much as some guys does but I used to use the old Shimano Tekota and they were only offered in right but they had a lot more power I found in this ree, so the old Shimano Tekota had approximately like a 5.4 gear ratio something like that might not be exact these guys offer a 6.3 to one which is significantly faster and Is not really ideal for trolling applications and that’s the one one thing that I really don’t like about this reel since it is very difficult to reel in those big dipsys if you’re going against the current with a bunch of weeds on the weekend, it’s gonna be a challenge we’re the old Shimano Tekota had quite a bit more power instead of speed again a little bit more gear towards salmon it’s minor but that’s offset again, it does have the big cranking handle and you can do it so it’s a minor thing yeah absolutely another little small thing.

I don’t really like about I mean kind of general but the price is kind of high for a trolling reel a lot of people will complain about that. But like I’ve always said you get what you pay for it and this reel is leaps and bound better than any other trolling reel I’ve used so for me it’s worth the money and hopefully you guys will think so as well, but again, it is a little high.

Minor thing it’s always good to have a loud clicker and it is louder than the older Shimano Tekota but again not as loud as some of the other best line counter reels I’ve used so they can keep making these louder that would be great because absolutely I’m getting old and anything helps a old man. so getting into the positives that there’s a lot of them first thing I really liked about this line counter reel is obviously real line counter trolling reels are different than the best casting reels in terms of like our reviews, you don’t cast these things 100,000 times a year you look for small things so one thing that really bugs us the trolling reel doesn’t have a line counter that works perfectly this thing I have three of them and the Shimano Tekota they all work perfectly so that’s great another thing.

And I really like it’s all metal construction so it can really withstand some of that, you know late fall trolling stuff whereas the plastic means. I’m plastic is, okay. But I just prefer metal. I guess I’m old school. And another good thing I’d like about this line counter reel is something I really look for is how easy it is to open and close that spool.

Because I’ve had other trolling reels in the past I’m not gonna mention them, you could probably find the on our old reviews that I don’t like but some other of the best line counter reels is really tough for some reason to open that bail. It’s super difficult. Like sometimes you have to like move the spool with your thumb or whatever these ones putter smooth open close, let the line out close it, it’s perfect.

And just a minor thing for me is it’s got a 24-pound drag, which is awesome. So, You can just lock it down and when you really need to get a dipsy in while you’re well the boat still moving you have the power and it won’t slip, and obviously the huge thing for me being a leftie, I love the lefty reel. Thank you Shimano. Thank God. It is it’s finally here and I’m very happy with it.

And just for a size comparison really quick, the Tekota 600 LC size and this is divine bigger. So a little bit bigger, it’s all you know, depends on your applications if you’re trolling places like a river where you’re typically. Be like you know not long lining the Tekota 500 LC probably fine but for some you know, bigger great lakes trolling applications. I just go with the Tekota 600 LC just have that extra capacity just in case you never know.

So overall consensus for the new Shimano Tekota A series is I love it. Thumbs up for sure. I really appreciate having it in lefty now. So, thank you. Definitely. So for any trolling applications salmon-wise this gets my number one recommendation. Obviously, it’s a Shimano I love it and I come highly recommend it to really anyone trolling.

Shimano Tekota A Video:

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Daiwa Lexa LC – Best Line Counter Reel #2

Daiwa Lexa LC Review

I am very happy with the Daiwa Lexa LC 100. I’ve been looking for a reel like this for a long time.It’s smooth light and casts very well. Works very good in freezing conditions.I’ve have it for a couple of years with no problems at all.

This reel feels comfortable in the palm of your hand when you’re cranking in the fish. Everything runs smooth, this is a quality reel.

I think the top choice currently when it comes to trolling for Salmon with the best line counter reels would be the Daiwa Lexa LC line counter reel. Simply since it’s an outstanding reel, you just can’t go wrong with this option. Far superior to conventional style reels that are overly heavy and have way to much line capacity for Salmon catching .

In my opinion the 300 Daiwa size is the winner and ideal line counter reel for salmon fishing /trolling in Portland vicinity rivers. It is light yet robust, with more than enough drag for any salmon and even oversize Sturgeon. I spooled on 165 yards of 65lb braid onto the 300 size Daiwa Lexa, a remarkable amount of line in such a small package.

The Daiwa Lexa feels less bulky and overall better quality when compared to the Okuma Coldwater reels. The sound of the Daiwa Lexa’s ratcheted clicker and star drag is very pleasing. You will not be disappointed with this line counter reel.

With its sleek and compact construction the Daiwa Lexa LC Line Counter Reel is not like most other walleye and steelhead trolling reels. Its frame is decidedly low profile, suggesting comfortable handling, yet it holds ample line and features a quality drag system.

Saltwater and freshwater tough, this line counter reel is all about handling your targeted species. The Daiwa Lexa LC balances nicely on any trolling rod, and features a sturdy aluminum (not graphite) frame and gear side plate for extra strength without the extra weight. Its top-mounted mechanical line counter reads in feet, offering repeatable precision for keeping your lure in the strike zone on each pass.

The smooth 7-bearing system includes Daiwa’s Infinite Dual Anti-Reverse to ensure maximum hooksetting power; a convenient spool click provides a buffer on the hardest strikes and alerts you to activity. Once the fish is on, the Ultimate Tournament carbon drag (UTD) delivers up to 11 lbs. of max drag, to get your adversary into the net quickly.

Dual paddle handle for easy winding. Whether you troll inland, on the Great Lakes, or even throughout the inshore backwaters, the Daiwa Lexa LC Line Counter Reel gives you a fighting chance, no matter what you hook into!

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Penn Squall – Best Line Counter Reel #3

Penn Squall Review

Let’s take a look at the Penn Squall line counter levelwind reel, basically what this is this is the Penn Squall series the you know all graphite line counter reel with aluminum accents on it with the line counter the only difference between the online counter version and this one is an obviously this one has a line counter on.

So this is going to be perfect for your freshwater trolling like saltwater trolling and that kind of stuff. And of course, you can always use it for bottom fishing. It’s got the nice low 4.9 to 1 gear ratio so you can get a lot of power on it 15 pounds drag, so it’s nice and powerful for a an inexpensive line counter reel looking at just about $130, it has a aluminum spool on it and the aluminum access.

Like I talked about the aluminum star drag, aluminum handle. You know, a nice big rubberized football sized handle here. Three shielded stainless steel ball bearings. It’s actually a very smooth line counter reel, you know, some people think you have to have a million ball bearings to be a real three smooth but but you don’t you know, this is kind of more of your workhorse type of reel with Penn Squall gearing is improved and it’s made a lot a lot more.

Clutches right there, flip it back. That’ll put you into free spool. Again, it’s not an auto engage so you have to flip it up if you want to engage the clutch, you know to feature some guys like some don’t,15 pounds of drag this reel weighs 17.8 ounces and holds just over 450 yards to 50 pounds that’s great to hold a lot of line.

I’ll share the levelwind system right there. It is a non disengaging level line, so if since free spool. And then I move the spool you’ll see that the level one actually moves with it. Penn beefed up the gearing in here and you know, it’s got the marine grade bronze alloy main gear stainless steel pinion gear they’re really put a lot into a line counter reel that has a graphite frame and I’ll sort of like it’s almost the Penn fathom, which is there $200 line counter reel just with the graphite.

And you don’t have to worry about the graphite failing right like that those those days of graphite failing is a thing of the past especially with this modern technology they use it. But if you’re in the market for a line counter reel levelwind, like I said, freshwater trolling lights saltwater trolling or even bottom fishing. This is a great option. So check it out!

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Okuma Cold Water – Best Line Counter Reel #4

Okuma Cold Water Review

Let me introduce the Okuma Cold Water Line Counter Reel, in the northwest salmon steelhead fisheries there’s been a lot of demand for both the right hand and a left hand premium line counter reel. Okuma’s got the answer and the cold water series at a size 15 a 20 a 30 and a 45 in best line counter reels for northwest salmon and steelhead anglers.

There’s a bunch that’s gone into this line counter reel. It’s an all-new frame design totally new line counter full carbon fiber drag system. And if we take those apart one up one by one start with the line counter totally smaller reads in feet and has what Okuma’s calling they’re clear view technology.

There’s an anti-fogging agent on the inside of the line counter and if you get a bunch of water in it on a foggy day or something like that, you can pull the pin on the side of the counter totally dry out the lion counter throughout the reel. Full aluminum handle aluminum, star drag, aluminum spool big level wind on it and full brass gears and a carbon fiber drag.

Even this little size 15, which I would expect would be the number one selling line counter reel in the northwest because most of us are fishing braided line and this is gonna have a ton of capacity throughout. So even in this little 15, you’ve got 18 pounds of drag available gooey tan mouth, Attila McBay with 20 ounces of lead sometimes.

You’re gonna have tons of drag pressure. A lot of other reels out there people are going to bigger sizes to get that big drag output. You don’t need that in this line counter reel. But if you need more capacity deep water chinook in the ocean, you can go to a 20 even a 30 and a 45.

Okuma cold water is one of the best line counter reels for both right and left handed.

Okuma Cold Water Video:

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Penn Warfare – Best Line Counter Reel #5

Penn Warfare Review

Let me introduce to you the Penn Warfare Line Counter Reel, now let’s look at the sizes. It got the 15 size in both right and left. We’ve got the 20 size in both right and left and it got the 30 size in right.

It also offer line counter models, so we’re gonna offer the 15 in both right and left and a line counter and we’re gonna offer the 20 in both right and left in the line counter. It also offer star drag models, so these are non-levelwind versions higher speed than the standard levelwind and In this case, this is a 20 in size, so it’s taller and narrower. It also offer in a 30 size.

From a construction standpoint on the Penn Warfare line counter reel, we’re looking at the graphite frame and side plate reel. Two plus one bearing so that’s two bearings plus a clutch from a power stem point we’re looking at machine brass gearing inside the Penn Warfare line counter reel and inside that gearing is our HC 100 drag, so here’s the gearbox here big machined brass gear HT100 versus drag these line counter reels all get about 15 pounds of drag across the series, they all use the same drag washers.

Let’s talk about what makes up the Penn Warfare line counter reel – so it got graphite frames graphite side plate We’ve got aluminum star drag aluminum eccentric it got an anodized aluminum spool it got line capacity rings on the spool and something that’s a little different about the Penn Warfare from our standard conventional line counter reels as it has an auto engagement feature so think about letting the reel down and letting bait down to the bottom and then when you go and you can automatically engage the reel by simply turning the handle.

So that’s a different from the rest of our best line counter reels where you have to manually engage the clutch auto engage feature on the Penn Warfare, that’s a new feature there.

So really affordable reel a lot of great features in this reel.

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Daiwa Saltist – Best Line Counter Reel #6

Daiwa Saltist Review

Let’s taking a look at the Daiwa Saltist levelwind line counter reel, this is an extremely popular line counter reel in this area. Great line counter reel for salmon trolling, trout and lakers type of fishing that we do up here in great lake area. Daiwa did a great job with this Daiwa Saltist of the levelwind the levelwind is really beefed up you can see the size that worm gear there, they made it really huge so that it’s gonna have that reliability that you’re looking for that’s the one thing with with levelwind reels that you worry about is that.

The Daiwa Saltist Levelwind is gonna go but they really beefed it off it’s got the nice O-ring here and it’s been out for about two years now and I’ve had very minimal problems with the guys who take good care of their reels that levelwind the rest of reel hold up really well.

Everything on this reel is kind of big which is great big oversized handle big notched star drag. You can hear with each click that only goes a little bit at a time. So if you’re on the water, you need a little bit more drag it’s really easy to get that and if you need a little less it’s this it’s also very easy obviously to go back trying to show to you here.

The clutch is oversized which I like a lot makes a lot easier than when you have a tiny little clutch to engage. And it’s got a nice click on it. Easy to turn on easy to turn off and it’s just a it’s just a great reel. Like I said, it’s one of the most popular and best line counter reels on the great lakes.

It’s got a 6.121 gear ratio. So it’s nice and fast, but it’s got a tremendous amount of power. You’re looking at 15.4 pounds of drag on this rail weighs in in 19.4 ounces. So, it’s nice and light. It’s not that heavy. You can fish it all day without getting tired.

Five bearings make it super smooth. You can see how after a little effortless it is when you turn the handle and it holds a almost 300 yards of 2500 yards of 20 pound mono which equates to you know, 300 yards of 50 pound braid. I’ll fit on this line counter reel, no problem.

So if you’re looking for a powerful line counter reel with a really bulletproof levelwind system then check out the Daiwa Saltist Line Counter Reel.

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Okuma Cold Water 350 – Best Line Counter Reel #7

Okuma Cold Water 350 Review

Let me introduce to you probably the most exciting line counter reel from Okuma, called Coldwater 350 coldwater low profile.

First thing you’ll notice it’s a 350 size bait cast reel with a line counter on it Now when you go to the other side of the line counter just like all newer generation Okuma line counters, what we’ve done is we’ve recessed the counter and moved to the side. So when you’re cranking that reel, you don’t accidentally bump it knock it into a zero position. So it’s a little more hidden a lot more user-friendly.

For those you that love to troll you guys are targeting fish, like salmon, striped bass, walleye and trout. This is the best line counter reel. We’ve heard of this as a game-changer from Okuma. There’s Nothing like it out there in the market It’s a mechanical line counter which measures off the rotations of spool It’s calibrated what we call 0.42 millimeter monofilament line.

So it’s going to be most accurate based on a full spool line with that point four two millimeter line. So if you’re using braided line real thin diameters, it’ll be more of a reference point but as that school diameter goes down, it’ll become less accurate so it’ll be important for you to understand the reference point and how the reels calibrated.

Now, one thing that sets this line counter reel apart from the other coldwater line counters that we produce and the regular coldwater series is. It the frame and the gear side side plate are aluminum. We’re on the regular coldwater line counter reels all the side plates and the frame are graphite.

This’ll have a graphite side plate aluminum frame and aluminum frame. So it’s extremely rigid extremely strong and the reason why we did that is that it outputs a tremendous amount of drag pressure 25 pounds of drag. So if you hook that trophy salmon or that trophy striped bass, you’re gonna be able to land it with this Okuma coldwater line counter reel.

Just like the other cold water line counter reels Okuma quipped the 350 size cold water with our CVT or Clear View technology. What that is is a lens coating technology that helped prevent the reel from fogging up in cold weather early morning when you have condensation. Now, if for some reason you do get some condensation in there, you get some water in there.

The Okuma also have the drain port here. All you do is back that screw out and it’ll help dry out help get some airflow in there. For those of you that are really diehard trolling fans and you’re interested in a cold water line counter check it out.

Okuma Cold Water 350 Video:

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Penn Rival – Best Line Counter Reel #8

Penn Rival Review

PENN’s Rival line counter reel was engineered to be an extremely versatile all-around reel at an affordable price. Features a lightweight graphite frame and side plates with aluminum frame rings. HT-100 drag washers provide smooth drag under heavy loads. Line Capacity Rings eliminate the question of how much line you have left when fighting a fish. Reels in 15, 20 and 30 sizes, available in a variety of Line Counter and Left Hand retrieve configurations. 4 combos with stainless steel guides and aluminum oxide inserts complete the offering.

Let me tell you more about the Penn Rival line counter reel today, a fairly new product that’s available now, this is the Penn Rival conventional line counter reel. So I’ve got them arranged by size here we’ve got the 30s in the back the 20s in the middle and the 15s up front and within the sizes we’ve got standard right and left retrieve and we’ve got line counter reel right and left retrieve so the very complete assortment of 12 reels in total.

A wide range of techniques and styles so what makes the Penn Rival reels different graphite side plate graphite frame and side plate over here, you can see once we get inside the rail once. I’ve popped the side plate off already, of course, we’ve got a brass main gear and a brass pinion gear there, so very smooth very durable material

When I pop the main gear off there. we’ve got a double dog system we also have an additional HD 100 washer there underneath the main gear but this double dog system this does not also work with a clutch so this is a multi-stop in our verse as we call it but again two dogs there.

Once we get into the the main gear here which is which basically houses the drive system, you can see an HT 100 washer in there and we’ve got another steel washer another HT100 washer and then those steel washer so total of four washers two HD 100 and this is our Versa dry system, you can tell by the cutouts here in the main gear and that means that we’re using those sides of the drag washers and AC100 materials, very proven material, it’s a grease material or what we call a wet drag system and we use our penn X1R or penn grease and blue lube on those drag washers, so there’s not many reels in on the market today at eventually level price point where you can get an 1800 drag system and the machine brass gears.

One of the features on the Penn Rival conventional reel that’s different than most Penn conventionals is the automatic clutching gauge which is right here basically it just by turning the handle you’re automatically in gear so you can sit there and free spool when you want to reset your bait check your bait set the hook on the fish, you automatically just turn the handle and you’re in gear

other than that, you know, it also have the aluminum spool with the line capacity rings, it’s a super line spool, you can type superline braid fuse braided line anything like that directly to the spool of the reel without putting any backing first.

Check out the Penn Rival line counter reel.

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Learn how to use a line counter reel and what features you should look for in a trolling reel or a jigging reel with a line counter fishing reel and how to use it details about the casting recon line counter trolling reel are explained here a trolling reel with a line counter is often used for trolling for walleye, salmon fishing, striped bass fishing, lake trout fishing coconut and steelhead fishing or bumping for catfish simply said you can match the depth of your bait to the depth of the fish, this is often done with multi color fishing line that has a different color for a section of lines usually 10 yards per color depending on the brain by counting the number of colors you let out from your fishing reel you will know approximately how far away your bait is, this fishing technique can be helped further by in line counter trolling reels because you know exactly where your bait is rather than an estimated zone that covers many yards of fishing line that can often be the difference between catching and fishing.

Those about trolling not that kind of trolling when depth control is critical using line counter reel today’s high. Electronics will pinpoint fish at various steps and tell you exactly how deep you should be fishing getting their consistently and accurately requires a quality line counter fishing reel like the casting recon level line reel with a line counter trolling depth is dependent on these key issues number one controlling speed number two line diameter for three how much fishing line is let out behind the boat number four, we were tied and number five trolling weight diver or lead core line used there are a number of different trolling charts out there that can help you reach a desired depth but they all require the angular to know exactly how many feet of fish in line they are releasing from the reel to consistently reach the desired depths here are a few examples of these trolling charts that are readily available for English to use example number one, if you are trolling at two and a half miles per hour using a size zero dipsy diver on the zero setting and using a thirty pound braided fishing line, you’ll need to let out about eighty five feet of line to reach a depth of thirty feet example number two if you’re trolling at.

Two point o miles per hour using a six oz snap weight on 30 lb mono fishing line, you will need to let out 100 ft of.30 foot depth. At both speed line diameter and weight all effect how much fishing line needs to be released from the reel to hit a predetermined depth and hit that depth consistently no matter which trolling technique you are using the line counter reel plays a critical role in returning to the proper depth over and over and ultimately catching more fish, even if you are not trolling a conventional level wind reel with line counter can be very effective as a deep digging reel or hover pushing to suspended fish in this case because you are fishing vertically, all you need to know is how deep the Targeted fish are.

And then using a heavy digging lure or weight to sink your bait simply drop your bait to the desired depth by releasing line and watching the line count. You’ve reached the proper depth simply engage the lever and start fishing the casking recon line counter reel as an important tool for angular targeting salmon steelhead walleye coconut stripe bass catfish or any other species that requires accurate depth control of the lures or baits, whether you are trolling or jigging, they will make you a better and more effective angler and improve your results.

Cask King recon trolling reels with more fishing line capacity are the best fishing reels for trolling with lead core fishing line and also gives you the option of fishing with heavier pound test fishing lines the size twenties. One pulls over three hundred twenty yards of twenty five pound mono or equivalent diameter braided line, if you are trolling for salmon steelhead striped bass lake trout or other large fish, you will need a conventional reel with a good amount of drag the cat king recon conventional reel size 20 with a mechanical line counter has.

Carbon fiber drag or lighter drags often don’t hold when trolling heavy lures and strong currents the size 20 casting trolling reels with line counter is equipped with a power handle which is also helpful for really in big fish the smaller casting recon size 10 has 25 pounds of carbon fiber drag and is excellent for walleye fishing they have a double paddle handle salt water if you are saltwater fishing for example trolling for salmon or straight bass having corrosion resistant components in a trolling reel for salt water, such as brass gears stainless steel.

Ball bearings and a graphite fishing rope body are all needed testing recon line counter reels have those features casting recon main gears and worm shafts are made of precision breasts, it’s pinning gear and line guides shaft are high quality stainless steel both reconcile size 10 and size 20 trolling wheels feature an exceptional accurate mechanical line counter with a reset button that measures line out in feet both casting wheels have a line clicker function that makes releasing planer boards simple and easy you can use that feature as a strike.

System while trolling so there you have it that’s how to use a line counter fishing reel and some thoughts on the best price round baitcasting reels with the best value and the best trolling real features check out the new casting recon line counter trolling wheel with level wine, graphite body, aluminum, spool, durable stainless, steel and brass gears large line capacity and powerful carbon disk drag for fresh water or salt water fishing available on two sizes at an affordable price.