Will you Twitch or Slide? Pinnacle’s Vision Slyder Baitcaster (continued)

Pushing the wheel forward allows anglers to move baits in small increments while faster continuous slides of the wheel allows anglers to pick up line quickly. I found that making precise movements with the finesse wheel was easier than with the Twitchin’ bar and the movement did feel relatively natural though fast retrieves were obviously still easier with a standard turn of the main handle versus continual spins of the finesse wheel.

With ten settings the Slyder gives anglers the ability to use the reel to make both long and pinpoint casts with ease

Like the Daiwa Megaforce the Vision Slyder features an ultra fast 7:1 retrieve so even small movements can advance lures forward. The patent pending Finesse reel is a clever implementation for anglers that really want to make subtle movements during particular applications, for example drop and split shotting and even shakey head or jig fishing. While this reel is good for finesse applications I found it a lacking when fishing reaction baits.

The plastic looking and feeling knobs are a turn off

When the drag is fully locked down there is some noticeable spool slip when fishing reaction baits like jerkbaits, you can duplicate this simply by pulling on the line, the spool will bounce forward slightly before the drag kicks in. If you are fishing using the Slyder in finesse applications you will likely never even experience this slip, but the tension on the end of the line created by reaction baits like jerkbaits can quite easily reproduce this observation. When there was a fish on the line the Slyder did a good job bringing them back to the boat, the Slyder’s 7:1 retrieve is fast but still powerful enough to move bass out and away from structure.

The Slyder's paint finish held up well throughout our season long tests

Drag: The Slyder features a pretty simple multi-material drag system which is contained within the reel’s master brass gearing. Unlike other Pinnacle reels that possess a large multi-stack the Slyder only has a few washers and in our lab was only able to generate 7.1lbs of drag pressure under full lockdown. This is less than the competing Daiwa Megaforce reel which delivered just over 8.5lbs. Though not very powerful the Slyder’s drag is relatively consistent.

The reel features a wide profile and easy access to the spool, from the back the Slyder looks like a normal reel

Price & Applications: The Slyder retails for 69.99 which is ten more dollars than the Daiwa Megaforce, both these reels feature a second way to retrieve finesse baits. Some anglers will find both implementations more of a gimmick than a real means in which to better fish finesse lures while others will welcome the ability to advance lures with just a twitch or slide of your thumb. Which execution is the better one? When fishing for extended periods we did find the Slyder’s Finesse Wheel a little easier on our thumbs and the ability to advance the spool in any range of small increments gives the wheel a slight edge in subtle movement functionality.

A look underneath at the reel seat

The Slyder also is noticeably lighter weighing in 8.1oz. versus the Megaforce which weighs 1.3oz. more, but when it comes to build quality the Slyder’s abundant use of plastic components like the drag star and spool tension knob are a big turn off. The Sylder’s brisk 7:1 retrieve and wheel feature make this reel best suited for slower moving finesse applications.  Hard core anglers will likely take a pass when it comes to the Slyder and you may wonder why the company doesn’t offer the “finesse wheel” on their premium reels but it all makes quite good sense when you think about it… tournament anglers will prefer to use traditional reels while weekend warriors will more likely appreciate the extra implementation.

The Slyder's Finesse Wheel is a unique take on a secondary retrieve system and proved to be effective for slow moving plastics including fishing worms and jigs

Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):

Pluses and Minuses: