I purchased this reel on Tuesday of last week and after speaking with the pro at Bass Pro I asked him about a rod to go with it, he suggested G Loomis. I went to my favorite lake and used a 3/8 oz jig tipped with a small crawdad trailer by Zoom in black on one side and blue specks on the other the other side. I tore up the fish right before a cold front on Sunday. The reel did not show any of the characteristics I had read about such as line bunching on bottom of the spool or top of the spool. had a very smooth feel and was the lightest reel I own and I have some Daiwa's as well as Pfluger's. I have always been partial to Shimano reels since my very first Stradic in the old days! I own about a half dozen Curado's from the 201 to the MGL 150 very pleased with this ... MoreI purchased this reel on Tuesday of last week and after speaking with the pro at Bass Pro I asked him about a rod to go with it, he suggested G Loomis. I went to my favorite lake and used a 3/8 oz jig tipped with a small crawdad trailer by Zoom in black on one side and blue specks on the other the other side. I tore up the fish right before a cold front on Sunday. The reel did not show any of the characteristics I had read about such as line bunching on bottom of the spool or top of the spool. had a very smooth feel and was the lightest reel I own and I have some Daiwa's as well as Pfluger's. I have always been partial to Shimano reels since my very first Stradic in the old days! I own about a half dozen Curado's from the 201 to the MGL 150 very pleased with this reel and I am sure I will have many more outings with this reel! Thanks Shimano for making a great reel and thanks BPS for selling them. Mike

Awesome - must have mid range fesh/salt reels

I HAPPILY own four(4) of these bad boys, 2x C5000xg's, and 2x C3000xgf's. ( I buy everything in pairs :) ) The first thing that grabbed me was the weight, 6.3 ounces on the C3000xgf, it felt like a panfish reel. I was concerned until I ripped in a 31" red using 15# Power-Pro SuperSick II braid. Lightweight, but way more powerful than you would imagine. Great looks, and superior manufacturing from Shimano, and will last a lifetime if you care for them properly. with 7 to 24 pounds of drag, 6+1 smooth gearing, C14+, and salt resistant.I you are like me and like to have just a few versatile reels that can handle any species of freshwater and inshore saltwater, the C5000xgf and the C3000xgf can do it all.

Best Reel for the Money!

This Reel is money! The feel and smoothness is top of the line. It is light and durable, a tough reel. I have been using this reel in the 2500 and 3000 models since they were released. I and a wade guide in Pennsylvania and use these reels a bunch on the rivers I set them down on the ground they get dunked and dirty so far, I haven't had to replace any parts just routine maintenance. If you are looking for the best reel at this price range this is it, I highly recommend this reel.

Buy it because it’s insanely cool.

40 years plus of Shimano reels owned and this is the best UL yet beside the Stella. It’s super light at 4.9 oz and ridiculously smooth. The drag is perfect for the size and with the right rod you’ve got a featherweight combo. I use a 6’6” Gloomis UL one piece.The machining and build quality is top notch. It’s made in Malaysia and reeks of quality all around. Beautiful work by those involved.Now if GLoomis would fix their expeditor services working again I can replace the rod this goes on and get back on the water:

Delightful reel.

I love this reel! Spooled with 15 pound braid and paired with an 8 foot Shimano Salty rod, it has become my best ever dedicated squid fishing outfit. The drag is suberb, casting is exceptional and it is just oh so smooth, quiet to operate and weighs next to nothing. Not exactly a "budget" class reel, but it does offer exceptional performance at a moderate price point. I can recommend the Vanford series highly...I am a bit OCD and also own them in 1000, 2500, 3000 and 5000 sizes, so impressed am I with that typical Shimano quality. They will handle anything you throw at them...and then some! Buy any Vanford reel with confidence and boost your fishing enjoyment up to another level!

Fantastic finesse reel

This is a great reel. I started fishing again a few years ago and started with the Pflueger President. That quickly was upgraded to the President XT. I also added a Supreme XT. I love those reels, some of the best values out there. I started getting in to baitcasting around that time and dove in to 13 Fishing and Shimano reels for that. I liked them all so much that year I picked up a Shimano Miravel, and it is just smooth. Casts amazing, light weight, and looks just as good.Now I want another high quality finesse spinning set up. After looking as Nasci, Miravel, Stradic, I went with the Vanford.Vanford is lighter than Nasci, and smoother than Miravel. The stradic is up there too but is focused on power over finesse. The MGL spool just flings lures out so fast ... MoreThis is a great reel. I started fishing again a few years ago and started with the Pflueger President. That quickly was upgraded to the President XT. I also added a Supreme XT. I love those reels, some of the best values out there. I started getting in to baitcasting around that time and dove in to 13 Fishing and Shimano reels for that. I liked them all so much that year I picked up a Shimano Miravel, and it is just smooth. Casts amazing, light weight, and looks just as good.Now I want another high quality finesse spinning set up. After looking as Nasci, Miravel, Stradic, I went with the Vanford.Vanford is lighter than Nasci, and smoother than Miravel. The stradic is up there too but is focused on power over finesse. The MGL spool just flings lures out so fast and far it’s a little crazy. I’m a hear nut and it is just fun to use.I will be eventually putting it on either a Zodias or Expride B . Possibly the zodias travel rod. I do have an ultra light G. Loomis coming. It doesn’t really fit with the 2500 vanford. I will be getting a 1K Miravel for that.Long winded review shorter, if you can afford Vanford you will love it. If you can’t, buy the Miravel, it will work a long time. Vanford will work well longer because of a few different materials and better bairings. If you do inshore go vanford for added water resistance. Great reel can’t go wrong

Shimano Vanford 3000 Spinning Reel

I just bought my second Vanford 3000 to use on the Tennessee River in North Alabama for smallmouth and striped bass fishing. I much prefer the 3000 to the 2500, since the reels weight exactly the same, but the 3000 holds 30 more yards of monofilament line. That extra capacity means that when drift-fishing in the current, I have a little cushion to keep me from having all my line stripped off my reel if I don't react quickly enough to retrieve my lure.I mounted my Vanfords on two different St. Croix spinning rods - a 6'6" Med Lt Fast Action Avid, and a 6'10" Med Lt Extra Fast Action Mojo Bass (my favorite rod) - and rig both reels with ~ 100 yds. of 8 lb. Berkley Trilene Big Game as backing and ~ 75 yds. of 10 lb. Berkley Nanofil, with 6 ft. of 8 lb. Berkley ... MoreI just bought my second Vanford 3000 to use on the Tennessee River in North Alabama for smallmouth and striped bass fishing. I much prefer the 3000 to the 2500, since the reels weight exactly the same, but the 3000 holds 30 more yards of monofilament line. That extra capacity means that when drift-fishing in the current, I have a little cushion to keep me from having all my line stripped off my reel if I don't react quickly enough to retrieve my lure.I mounted my Vanfords on two different St. Croix spinning rods - a 6'6" Med Lt Fast Action Avid, and a 6'10" Med Lt Extra Fast Action Mojo Bass (my favorite rod) - and rig both reels with ~ 100 yds. of 8 lb. Berkley Trilene Big Game as backing and ~ 75 yds. of 10 lb. Berkley Nanofil, with 6 ft. of 8 lb. Berkley Trilene Big Game as the leader. I use Quadruple Surgeon's Knots for the backing to line and line to leader connections with good success.The Vanfords are extremely light, extremely durable and smooth, and fit my medium size hands much better than the Daiwa Tatula in the same spool size. (The space between the reel foot and the rotor is too small on the Tatula, which results in the bail hitting my fingers while reeling.) I own two Shimano Stradic 3000 FJ's and two Shimano Stradic 3000 Ci4+ reels, and while the four Stradics are excellent reels for the money, the Vanfords are even better.Try one and you'll be glad you did.

The best reel on the market, PERIOD!

This is the best reel on the market. You can spend more money on the stella or whatever reel you want, and it won't touch this reel. That's just the truth. If you want the best then this is your reel. I own three of these and they are the best reels I own. I have one stella and several Daiwa's and Penn's, none touch this reel. If you don't want to spend this much on a reel and want one that feels almost as good, then The Shimano Miraval is the answer. I paired my Vanfords and Miraval's with the Abu Garcia Tournament Edition 7' MHF and MF and they are perfectly balanced and are meant for each other. Good luck fishing, take a kid next time you go.

Vanford regret

A bit noisy in use. The rotation is stodgy. The drag is not good. It takes effort closing the bail are through winding the handle. The higher ratio is not needed,and contributes to the bail closing difficulties. I prefer the previous model.Contemplating returning it for a replacement. Hopefully they're not all like this one.Diawa reels are better.

Way better than my usual $100 reels

I’ve bought $100 and under reels my whole life and they have never cast far even when new with fresh line. I was always disappointed.I finally bit the bullet December 2022 and bought the Vanford 3000 reel.I am more than impressed. It cast about 70% farther than my usual reels! Seriously…it really does! The line flows off so smoothly when casting. My other cheap rods and reels when I would cast you would hear and feel the line slapping while casting. This thing cast smooth and far!The retrieve is super smooth too. I’ve caught up to a24.5 inch trout bay fishing and it reeled in nicely. I’ve also caught up to a 25 inch striped bass. The drag is smooth and not catchy. I’m sure it can reel in a 30+ inch redfish and can’t wait to do it!I put 30 lb Suffix 832 ... MoreI’ve bought $100 and under reels my whole life and they have never cast far even when new with fresh line. I was always disappointed.I finally bit the bullet December 2022 and bought the Vanford 3000 reel.I am more than impressed. It cast about 70% farther than my usual reels! Seriously…it really does! The line flows off so smoothly when casting. My other cheap rods and reels when I would cast you would hear and feel the line slapping while casting. This thing cast smooth and far!The retrieve is super smooth too. I’ve caught up to a24.5 inch trout bay fishing and it reeled in nicely. I’ve also caught up to a 25 inch striped bass. The drag is smooth and not catchy. I’m sure it can reel in a 30+ inch redfish and can’t wait to do it!I put 30 lb Suffix 832 Braid on it. In my opinion it’s the best braid.I have it on a Shimano Zodias 7ft 6in Medium Spinning Rod. They look like they were meant to be together and match beautifully if you’re into that type of thing!