13 Fishing Trick Shop Reel Review: The Smoothest Inline Ice Reel?

Here’s a Hands-On Review of the 13 Fishing FreeFall Special Edition Trick Shop Inline Ice Reel—It’s Very Good, But Is It Worth the Price?

Looking for a smooth inline ice reel? The 13 Fishing Trick Shop review covers performance, pros, cons, and whether it's worth the price for ice anglers. | 13 Fishing

First Impressions: Lightweight & Smooth Performance

If I had to describe the 13 Fishing FreeFall Special Edition Trick Shop reel in one word, it would be "smooth." Pull the trigger and your lure begins its descent almost effortlessly. And when you reel in, it's like cranking in air.

That was my first takeaway when fishing with the Trick Shop, and it has been my go-to reel this winter. When I've been the ice, the Trick Shop has almost always been in hand.

I'm fairly new to the inline reel market, but this reel has quickly emerged as my favorite. With a retail price of $149.99, it's not cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for.

This nice crappie couldn't resist, thanks to the ultra-smooth ultra smooth lure delivery of the13 Fishing Trick Shop reel. | 13 Fishing

Key Features of the Trick Shop Reel

Everything about this reel is first class (I mean, I was even impressed with the packaging!). With a carbon-fiber frame, the reel is lightweight and durable. Some reels just feel too large and unbalanced for the rod, but you won't get that feeling with the Trick Shop. Using cork for the reel handles further reduces weight and gives the reel a classy look.

The 13 Fishing Trick Shop ice reel lowers your line without line twist. | Joe Shead

Pros & Cons of the 13 Fishing Trick Shop Reel

One benefit of an inline reel over a spinning reel is no line twist, and thus, no jig spin, which is important to getting fish to bite. Pull the FreeFall trigger and your lure drops down smoothly. A magnetic drop speed adjustment controls how fast your lure descends.

Now to be honest, I have used this reel exclusively for panfish this winter, using small tungsten jigs most of the time. Even at the fastest setting, I don't feel the jig pays out that quickly, so I usually pull out the line with my hands, like you would with a spinning reel. Bump your lure up to a spoon and the lure drops much quicker and you get the full benefit of the trigger mechanism. 

The 13 Fishing Trick Shop inline ice reel has a magnetic drop speed adjustment. | Joe Shead

When retrieving your lure (hopefully with a fish) the four ball bearings give a super-smooth performance. With a 2.5:1 gear ratio, you're cranking in 18.9 inches of line with every turn of the reel. The carbon-fiber star drag is equally smooth.

The Trick Shop is available in both left- and right-hand retrieve models. Everything about this reel is quality.

The 13 Fishing Trick Shop has a lightweight carbon-fiber frame and cork handles. | Joe Shead

But now the cons. If I never left the warmth and comfort of an ice shack, I would have no complaints with this reel. But I'm a hole hopper. I'd rather bounce around the ice, searching for active fish than sit in one spot all day in comfort, and fortunately (or unfortunately) a good parka and bibs allows you to stay outside longer than ever.

Inevitably, at some point in the day, the line is going to get caught under the spool and start wrapping up inside. I think it's caused by wind, in the same manner you would get a backlash more easily fishing in windy conditions with a bait-caster.

Now to be fair, I've never fished with an inline reel that HASN'T had this problem in windy conditions. To temper this problem, I usually leave the drop speed adjustment on the slowest setting to keep more tension on the line so I don't get a "backlash." Also, I rest my fingers on the spool as I pull line off of it to keep tension on it and thereby reduce the chance for the line to flow off too quickly. When a backlash does occur, it's a simple matter of unscrewing the spool nut, unraveling the tangle and reattaching the spool. Sometimes if I catch it quick enough, I can simply unwind the line. Other times it may be too tangled and I have to cut the line.

The 13 Fishing Trick Shop ice reel delivers smooth performance. | Joe Shead

My other con with the Trick Shop, is the double handle, and admittedly, this one is a personal preference. Again, if you stay inside a warm ice shack and fish with your bare hands, it's not a problem. But if you're hole hopping with mittens, a single handle with a counterweight would make reeling easier.

Is the Trick Shop Reel Worth It? Final Verdict

Overall, the many pros far outweigh the few cons. The Trick Shop is a great reel and if you fish with it, it will quickly become your go-to reel. It certainly has become mine.