1000 vs. 3000 Spinning Reels: On The Water Performance & Feel
- By: Luke Simonds
- on November 20, 2020
1000 series reels are flying off of the shelves!
They’re lighter than the comparable 2500s or 3000s, and they’re certainly strong enough to handle just about any fish you’ll come across inshore, but how do they actually feel and perform on the water?
In my mission to find the best inshore spinning reel, I took a 1000 and 3000 Daiwa Fuego paired with the same rod, line, and lure to see how they compared.
A few weeks ago, I did a casting distance contest between these two and the 3000 won by about a foot or two, so I was eager to see how they performed in this new experiment.
The results were surprising as something that I thought definitely would happen didn’t happen.
I also found a really compelling reason to use one over the other that I hadn’t really considered before.
Check out the video below to see the results!
1000 vs. 3000 Performance Contest [VIDEO]
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Gear used:
- Reel: 1000 and 3000 Daiwa Fuego
- Rod: 7′ 6″ Medium Power TFO Pro
- Line: 10 lb. PowerPro
- Leader: 30 lb. Ande Mono
- Lure: Slam Shady BOMBER
- Glasses: Smith Optics Guide’s Choice Green Polarized Green Mirror
This was a windy day and since the 1000 has such a narrow spool, I thought for sure I was going to run into some wind knot problems.
As it turned out, I didn’t get a wind knot with either reel, which is a win for both of them.
They felt equally capable of handling any fish I came across (I hooked into a decent size red and snook on this trip), and the 1000 was obviously lighter.
However, over my three-hour trip, the weight difference (which was just about one ounce) didn’t seem like it made a difference either way.
The real difference I noticed was that the 3000 reeled in my lure much faster.
This is especially important on a trip like this where I was power fishing and quickly covering a lot of ground.
Do you use a 1000 or 3000 size reel?
What are your most important pros and cons?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who’s thinking about getting a 1000, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Love the information, thinking about the 1000. If possible, please send me ordering information and pricing.
Thanks for making time to leave the nice comment Rudy! Here’s a link to the 1000 sized reel that’s featured in this video (Daiwa Fuego LT): https://fishstrong.com/collections/saltwater-spinning-reels/products/daiwa-fuego-lt?variant=32601522667605
I have 3 and love them… I use them for Salmon up here in Canada..
I recently got a Diawa fuego 1000. I wanted the 3000 but received the 1000. Probably my fault but it is the best reel I’ve ever had, it is so smooth like a Cadillac!
What about line capacity? Seems like the 3000 would hold more line also.
Yes, the 3000 will hold a lot more line than the 1000. But for most inshore fishing, the 1000 sized reels can hold plenty of line assuming a max of 10 lb braid.
Would it take longer to fight and land a fish on the smaller reel, and would a prolonged fight put more stress on the fish thereby reducing its chances of survival upon release? I guess if you’re keeping them for dinner it’s ok, but if they are out of season or slot, then what?
The faster retrieve reel can technically get a fish to the boat faster than a slower retrieve reel. But the difference is likely minimal because the fish is typically pulling away so it’s more about how much force the fisherman can apply to the fish without breaking (vs. how quickly the reel is capable of retrieving line). For example, a fisherman can land a 20 lb redfish much faster with a slow speed reel spooled with 30 lb line than a high speed reel spooled with 10 lb line simply due to being able to overpower the fish.
Not a surprising outcome… Which is why I prefer to use a smaller/lighter reel with an extra-high gear ratio so I can cover more water with less fatigue — the best of both worlds!
Yes. That’s why I like the 2500 Fuego LT high speed so much… light, smooth, and fast retrieve.
Smaller reels line capacity and line size can be a plus or minus depending on species targeted. Small reels with smaller line capacity offer a cost savings if you spool multiple reels with braid.
Very true! The cool thing is that even these 1000 sized reels can hold over 100 yards of line 8 to 10 lb braid which is more than enough for pretty much any sized redfish or snook (unless fishing from shore in heavy current zones).
Luke I just put a set up together for finesse fishing, namely Ned rigs and small jerk shads for when it gets cold and the fish just want a smaller bait. I used a 2000 Daiwa Procyon LT for the weight reduction and the smaller reel will force you to slow down which is an advantage when finesse fishing. I just need to wait for this year to be over to put it to use after my topwater experiment. Those two things are really the only pluses that I can think of for going with a smaller reel. Other than that I’ll stick with my 2500’s and 3000’s. It’s very interesting that now knowing these smaller reels can handle these types of fish. But if you think about it the 3000 reels we were using 10 years ago didn’t have the strong gears and drag that these 1000’s have now a days so it makes since.
I look forward to see how you do with the Ned rigs. I tried using a ned rig in saltwater once earlier this year and had issues with the small hooks that come with them being too weak for snook… had issues with the hook straightening, but that was likely due to me having to pull fish away from dock pilings. If in more open water areas, I could have lighted up on the drag.
I use both these exact reels but the real (no pun intended) difference is where I use them. First, the drag value is the main difference here, 22 lbs vs 8.8. So around docks, bridges or any hard structure I would never go with the 1000. But out on the flats where a fish can run on me and I don’t worry about wrapping around something then the 1000 is just plain fun. The other thing is rod size. Bump down to a 6.5 ft med/light rod paired with the 1000 and I can cast this baby all day and not ache (hands, shoulders, etc). One more note: going for large fish? Use the 2500 or 3000. You may need the extra drag. That’s my two cents.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment John!
I prefer the larger reels for line capacity
It definitely is nice to know that there is extra line capacity on the spool if needed.