Which fishing reel brand should I go for?

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Penn's star drags are among the best.

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I always thought so also until I latched onto something big down in the out islands and totally smoked the drag clutches. It ended up going free spool about half way through 400 yards of expensive line.

[Terra Nova]

TD--BS--you must have been using a reel that had not been maintained.

[deblen]

If you are trolling for food from a moving boat :
Handline Fishing from a Sailboat Will Keep the Crew Well Fed

Not as sporty or fun as a rod & reel,but very effective.
300Lb test with 150-200Lb at lure end-reduces catch of fish too big to eat in a day or two,but is strong enough to gives you lots of time to stop & reel in the smaller ones.

Cheers/ Len

[oregoncycle]

I owned and operated a multi boat salmon fishing charter company in Alaska for years and used Penn Senators on all of the boats. Same reel could handle a 200 pound halibut or a 15 pound silver salmon. Used different poles depending on what we were fishing for, but always the same reels. Fresh water rinse and a dry lube after using and they will outlast your boat.

[akprb]

They grew up on us! Those are precious memories.

I can also say with certainty that Walmart deep sea reals explode upon contact with actual fish :-)

[a64pilot]

I have several Penns, senators, but my favorites are my 30SW's. No longer manufactured but I believe great reels.


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Maka]

Originally Posted by reed1v

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Well that is BULL S&*T. Have been involved with the old Billfish tournaments out of Kona for decades. Penn Senators have reeled in marlins weighting over 600 pounds. Now that is big. Not perhaps the idea reel to do this but some folks have their "lucky" reels, and Peter would let them go with what they desired.

Interesting.
There is ONE old Bill fish tournament in Kona. The HIBT. If you were involved then we know each other, I was a judge in that Tournament in days of yor.

Give me the name of just one Kona Charter fishing boat that uses Penn Senators please.
Ive fished on many of them and am familiar with the Captains and crew of others. They run Penn Internationals as a rule. Never senators
The Kona "Mosqutio Fleet" uses Senators some, but not the Pros.

Having said that. A Senator 10/0 or 12/0 can, and has, caught big marlin and Ahi. Does that mean they should be your reel of choice?
If that's all you can afford .... then I say run em.

A Penn Senator 9/0 with a star drag is certainly adequate for trolling off a sailboat. Even a 4/0 113/HW.
IMHO

[Kreef]

Greetings to all.Back in 1964/65 when I was a boy of 14 to 16 I fished for Atlantic Bluefin tuna and the only reels that we and most others landed our fish on were either Penn Senator 12 or 14 O's with a 130 lb dacron line.Some fish were over 900 lbs and ours were in the 600 lb range giving us an All Africa record the one year .So those old black and chrome reels are really tough .Another reel used here was a Policansky a gold colored reel not sure where they were or are made but the guy who was catching up to five fish a day was using the Policansky and remember a fish can take up to 3/4 hours of intense labor bringing to the gaff .Ours took 3 and 3.5 hours each and one swam 23 nm in that 3.5 hour period dragging about 300 to 400 meters of line through the water exerting a tremendous amount of drag on the fish besides the fight given by the angler.He seemed to be able to land them faster than anybody else .His name was Bruno Mercurio an Italian guy .He was not very popular with most of the other guys out there as he was so successful .Look there he goes "VAS" again.Vas meaning the fish is on the line in Afrikaans the Dutch language derivative spoken by most of the South African population to some degree or other .
My brother has recently being using Tiagra reels for catching long and yellowfin tuna off Cape of Good Hope from his 45 ft Roberts Charter .They are also good reels but as you will not be fishing commercially I think investing in a couple of older Penn Senators will stand you in good stead to fill the pan with fresh fish .Try and eat the smaller ones of a species as they will have less toxins in them than the adult fish .
STYWE LYNE to you !!!(that means tight lines)

[mawtty]

I am still using the Alvey Snapper reel i bought in 1979.

[belizesailor]

For trolling another vote for Penn Senator. Good solid reel, easy to service, good parts availability. For trolling, I run Penn Senator 114H reels on LamiGlass rods. Plenty strong for anything Im realistically going try and boat on a cruising sailboat.

Rigged with braided wire leaders, mono shock leader, braid main line, mono backing. Mounted in a good strong all stainless rod holder.

Rig visible in background of pic.

[a64pilot]

This is a good price for a 30SW, used.
Penn International II 30SW Reel Excellent Conditions No Reserve Free Shipping | eBay

I have no conncection to this at all, just looked up for Penn International 30SW on Ebay
One real important thing, a good reel needs to be overhauled / serviced annually, be sure you pick one that has readily available parts and is popular with the "Pros", that way service is quick, fast and good.

[belizesailor]

Ive found lots of good gear (new and used) at good prices on eBay.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

This is a good price for a 30SW, used...

The price shown on a live auction, more than 3 days prior to end of auction, is completely meaningless.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

The price shown on a live auction, more than 3 days prior to end of auction, is completely meaningless.

Your right, I didn't even notice it wasn't a buy now.
Just sometimes you can buy a used, high quality item for less money than a new, lower quality item, and get better service out of the high quality one.
I had 6 30SW's, one fell into the bay when a POS WM rod holder broke, so now I have 5.

If you want a fishing reel, buy a high quality one, and you'll never have to buy another is what I'm saying. I expect my Son to inherit mine. Taken care of, they will last forever, or until they fall into the Bay.
Nothing wrong with My Senators, and I have heard Shimano's are great too, but pick up an International and you'll know this thing isn't plastic.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

TD--BS--you must have been using a reel that had not been maintained.

I'm a lazy SOB with most things but I keep my reels well serviced. With the starwheel Penn nothing made a difference so I threw it into 300m deep fjord