Need advice on reels

[ChrisL]

I'm getting ready for my preseason shopping.  Looking to replace my cheap equipment with some new decent stuff.
I do mostly surf and some inlet/canal fishing.
For my main setups I'm thinking about the Slammer reel.  But for the secondary setups I'm trying to keep it more budget friendly.
How good or bad are the Captiva series?  And Cabela's Salt Striker reels?

[Luna Sea 5]

I love my Penn SS spinning reels.  They come in many sizes to accommodate your needs. 

[Bucktail]

Give us a dollar amount.  I love to help people spend their money!

[ChrisL]

Bucktail- Probably $50-75 depending on size, I'm looking for a couple different sizes to match with different rods.

Nick- SSg or SSm?  Both equally good?

thanks guys

[Luna Sea 5]

they are both good.  The best part of Penn is there service department.  If anything goes wrong with the reels, send them back, for a reasonable fee you get them back pract. brand new.

[Bucktail]

SSg is the smaller series (550 and under).  The g = graphite for the body material.  SSm is the larger series (650 and up).  The m (you probably guessed it) = metal.   You can probably pick them up for around $80 or $100. 

I'm partial to Shimano.  If you're looking to spend that much, I'd go with a Spheros.  If you want to stay within the $50 to $70 range, check out the Spheros "A" series reels.  They were discontinued last year and were replaced with the new "B" series.  If you're lucky you may still find some retailers who have them at a decent clearance price!

[Great American Fisherman]

I'm a total Penn guy.  And, Fisherman's Headquarters in Ship Bottom has great sales.  Go to their web site or call them for information.  They will ship to you.

Take a look and see what they have.  Sometimes you don't need to spend big bucks for good stuff. 

I hope this helps.

[PeggyLee]

Penn SSm, Abu and Shimano hold up good.Some of the Diawa fell off earlier than the others.

[Pfishingruven]

I hate my Penn Captiva.  It is the CV2000 and I "use" it for freshwater.  Most of the time, I want to chuck it in the water with the lure.  It is the worst reel I have ever used, and especially the worst Penn I have ever owned.  Very disappointed with it.  It is not very smooth at all, 99% of the time, the bail gets stuck open(I have resorted to manually closing the bail every time), the drag is horrible, and the writing on the spool has already worn off.  It has always been cleaned properly and not abused.  I just bought it in April and it has only been used 20 times max.  Maybe it is just a lemon??

Sorry, for my rant there, but I would hate to see someone, IMO, waste money.

[Bobby Wilds]

with all you guys all about the penn reels, i dont know what happened with mine.  maybe it was just a dud.  i bought the 560 slammer in august to start off the season with a brand new reel.  had to replace the reel by november 1st.  i fished the reel hard, but took care of it after every trip.  always closed the bail manually.  at first the reel started to make noise on the retrieve.  then the reel started to slip.  was told by others that they had the same problem with penn reels.  anyways, that reel was a waste of 135$.  in my opinion that reel is not made to handle the surf.  maybe it would last on a boat, but i wouldnt suggest it for the surf.

[Bucktail]

Abit, why don't you send it to Penn for repair?  If it's less than a year old they should fix it under warranty.

IMO, unless you're willing to pay $500 to $1000 for a Van Staal or ZeeBaas you will not find a perfect surf reel.  However, if you want an inexpensive reel with a simple design, that's not all that smooth or refined, but is built like a tank, try to find yourself a new or used Penn 704Z or 706Z.  Although, come to think of it, I've broken both the anti-reverse and bail spring (twice) on mine.

[ped579]

I use Penn and I have a Penn 560 Slammer I fish it hard off the surf and have had no problems with ti at all.

It is a good product especially if you can get the ones that are made in America, BTW the Slammer is coming back to be made in the US once again.

[Bucktail]

BTW the Slammer is coming back to be made in the US once again.

  That's very surprising and great to hear!  I never would have thought that Jarden would move any of their manufacturing back to the U.S.  Where did you hear this from?

[ped579]

A little birdie told me...

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[Pfishingruven]

The Z Series are work horses!  I have 2 old Penn 710z's I use for the Bay and Canal.  They were both passed down to me...the one is from the first year they went from green paint to black paint.  They are solid reels, but I have had to replace parts in both of them.

There certainly isn't a perfect reel, especially made for saltwater or the surf.  I don't even think the Van Staals or Zeebaas are perfect.

It is good to hear some of the Penns being made in the US again!  I just hope they get rid of some of the cheaper parts they have gone to using on some of their reels.

 

[Bobby Wilds]

well, i ended up getting a reel with a snorkel.  haven't had any issues yet.  its been dunked and washed off in the surf, turns brand new.

[catfish hunter]

well, i ended up getting a reel with a snorkel.  haven't had any issues yet.  its been dunked and washed off in the surf, turns brand new.

what the hell is a reel w/ a snorkle ?

[Pfishingruven]

Never heard of it...I am interested to see as well.

 

[ChrisL]

Thanks for all the input guys.  I'm gonna hit a couple places this week and take a look at the Penn and Shimano reels.

[Bobby Wilds]

hahaha.....its a VS.