Penn 4 = cool offshore flyreel!

[josko]

I'm looking at the Penn 4G offshore fly reel. It's holding 600 yds of 50# spectra, 100' of 50# mono, and a 550 gr line easily.I can get 12# of smoooth drag straight off the reel, and it maxes out my 15 wt dead-lifting 15#. Back off the drag, and it slides down soo smoothly. Penn does have drags figured out. I'd say this drag is smoother and harder than an Abel or Pate. Bet it doesn't fade, either.
Best of all, it was $275 from www.bigfishtackle.com, and spare spools are $99 from offshore Angler.
On the down side, the spools are a pain to change, with 1/2 doz small parts ready to fall out, and it's an ounce or so heavier.
Best deal around, for my $. I'd say if you're adter big tuna, this thing won't let you down :-);

[Adam-Albino]

<FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>I looked at them before I settled on my Fin Nor. Too complex was my only issue - Brian has had to send a few back to Penn that "blew up". Not sure I'd say the drags are as smooth as a cork one either. Moore likes the Penn's I think - wonder if he owns the 4ar?</FONT>
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[bassman]

Mike Hayes owner of The Angler Pro Shop in PA and holder of many offshore fly records and who runs some of the most succesful charters for BFT told me the Penn4 was the cheapest best way to go for a reel to get into offshore fly fishing. Sounds like Josko got a GONGA of a deal!!...I think one of the pluses in the Penn is that it uses a SCREW to hold the spool on instead of being quick release...I like quick release spools for my inshore fly fishing but for Offshore I think I would want a SCREW......Anybody who has a Penn 4 who wants to unload it cheap just email me...;-))).........Jeff

[Slamdance]

I have the whole line of Penn fly reels except the 4AR. I'm a direct drive kinda guy and went with the 4G after having a few bad experiences with big fish on AR reels. Some guys I know won't fish offshore with anything but an AR but my personal feeling is that if I'm working hard to crank on a fish, I like to know I'm making progress with every turn and not just spinning the reel on its AR gear.

Sounds like Josko landed a whopper of a deal! $99 bucks for spare spools makes me think I should be calling.

[josko]

They still have them as of this a.m. www.bigfishtackle.com for reels and Offshore Angler for spools. Next best source for reels is stripersurf.com ($299 for 4G) or you can get used ones on ebay for $375 :-);

Adam, I'd really like to know why those reels 'blew up' It would help me avoid the same.

[Slamdance]

I'd be very surprised if one of them blew up, unless they were put together incorrectly after converting from right to left hand retrieve. Convetring them is not a pleasnat experience and I know I have made mistakes when putting them back together after cleaning them out. This has caused them to not function properly. After I downloaded the exploded-view schematics off the Penn website I realized my mistakes and fixed them myself.

The drag in the Penns is bulletproof and equal to or superior to any of the large cork drags available, IMHO. I have had big, expensive reels from other manufacturers blow apart on me, but I just can't see anything in the Penns that would cause a reel to "blow up", unless they were re-assembled incorrectly. If you find out the specifics I'd be interested in hearing about them.

[Adam-Albino]

I spoke with Brian today on the specifics to this reel... He told me the "several" that he had problems with were caused by two things:

1. The drag sytem (I think he ment Two little springy catches on either side of the drag plate), get "gunked up" the drag will fail. He found them to need a higher amount of cleaning then his Abels, Pate's, and Tibors, etc. to keep this from happening. It seemed one reel seazed up because of this.

2. The others were caused by improper "conversion" between Left and right hand drive (as you folks already mentioned). This was done by the FACTORY. Because of this I believe he will not do the conversion in the shop, but send it back.

With that said, he is a carrier of the PENN line, and has a 3.5 in stock that he will make a VERY good deal on. He also will make a VERY good deal on the 4g and 4ar. He's going to call me back with prices. He may be able to beat that other shop.
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[Slamdance]

Hmmm. I've been told by Ed Mesunas at Penn that ALL fly reels are shipped from the factory as right hand retrieve and must be converted aftermarket.
They were designed as right hand retrieve and you actually lose the annoying outgoing click when you make the conversion. Granted my reels are a few years old, and maybe they've changed this.

I have found maintenance to be a non-issue with the Penns. I generally break them down once a year for a thorough cleaning and rinse them off with a garden hose after use the rest of the time. I do the same with my Islanders, Orvis Odysseys &DXRs, Abels and everything else, and I have not noticed any issues with this maintenance schedule for any of them. I don't do a lot of beach fishing with any of them (Use the old Sys II for that), so maybe this has contributed to their longevity. I can imagine that once dirt or sand got into them, they be a little trickier to clean out since they have very close tolerances.

BTW, I've never heard of the 3.5, do I need to add another to my list?

[Adam-Albino]

They are RH or LH - then he ships back to the factory for conversion - thats where the problem starts I guess...

Brian says he should be at least 10.00 LESS then that other shop (he's waiting for one more price for a final quote).

I never heard of a 3.5 ether.... maybe he ment 2.5? I'll ask....
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[josko]

One last thing - i was very surprised to find how mych weight the line and backing added to the reel - a total of 6.5 oz for the 650 yds of backing and a 12 wt line. it made a huyge difference in the balance of the reel with a 12 wt rod. When i first tried the combo, I had an empty reel and a line just loose on the ground, figuring I'd have it stripped out anyway. It balanced fine. With the backing on the reel, it's way out of whack on a 12 wt.
if you think of it, all the volume inside the reel spool gets filled up with stuff that's heavier than water, and that can be an appreciable amount of weight on large offshore reels.

[JoeA]

I don't understand why a heavier reel would really matter. In fact with those 550gr-850gr flylines a heavy reel might offer better leverage when slinging those things. Besides in alot off offshore applications your not blind casting. Am I missing the boat on something? enlighten me. Also I was wondering if you guys had some recipes for good patterns to take small tuna with from the New England area.

[josko]

I'd say when i tried it, it was pretty obvious. i was talking about casting an 11 wt line on a 12 wt rod. both for sight-casting and for very heavy duty shore fishing. the heavy reel makes a large difference on a 12 wt. It's been relegated to a 15 wt rod, where it feels and blances properly.

[watchhill]

Hey Guys,

If the Penn reels are so great, why is Brian trying
to unload them?

[Adam-Albino]

<FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>Brian isn't "unloading" anything. He's a good friend of some of us here and will get us VERY good (near his cost) prices. He'll match anyone. You'd be surprized what the mark-up in&nbsp; Retail on fly reels are. This had nothing to do with good or bad. </FONT>
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<P>On 4/11/00 11:09:05 AM, watchhill wrote:<BR><BR>Hey Guys,<BR><BR>If the Penn reels are so great, why is Brian trying<BR>to unload them?</P></BLOCKQUOTE>

[wahoofly]

I was looking at that same reel, but I asked three of the best bluewater flyfisherman around the world which is the best fly reel for blue water fly fishing. They all said the same thing, the ABEL 4.5N. The reel is great, forget about the Penn, get an Abel!

[Tombo]

For sale: Penn #4 black annodized reel, no box, with 30# dacron backing and 12wt floating line and 16#tippet. Rod is a 12wt 2 piece Fenwick HMG with an aluminum tube. Only used it a couple of times on dry land. This combo is like new and never been exposed to water (not much use in Baton Rouge, LA). Sell for $400.00 and will pay for shipping.
My e-mail address is tomzwa@home.com

[petercoetzee]

id agree to that the Abel is the best... but that said ive never used the Mako (Jack Charlton) or the Nautilus series either..... I have used the Penn 4 a lot and am a huge fan... I still think it is one of the best out there regardless of any drag issues (that i have never experienced) and cant believe it is discontinued... someone should reproduce it (i doubt the patent still stands)

- you also cant leave the Ross Saltwater 5 out of any "classic" bluewater reel argument, at 9 ounces it weighs a hell of a lot less than the others - although the drag range is a HUGE minus... (the Penn loaded with 50lb gelspun can be hard on the wrist)

Im modifying an old Ross V at the moment... having it laser cut and etched to drop weight and reanodized in red, should be good... will upload the pics

--127-3-

[petercoetzee]

-previous post failed

Ill have to agree - the ABEL is the best.... but the PENN 4 is faultless and has the best feel of any reel as far as im concerned. Also in any classic Bluewater reel argument you cant leave out the ROSS saltwater 5. Although mainly used inshore it holds tons of gelspun and the drag can go all day without fading... One huge drawback is the range of the drag, although it can be adjusted. It is much lighter than the others (like 20% on the ABEL and more still on the PENN).

Im getting one modded and laser cut and etched to save even more weight and re-anodized abel red... should be a killer!!!

ill upload pics.

PS: i believe the PENN patent is expired , why doesnt anyone reproduce these brilliant reels?????

[Wayne Walts]

Why would a guy not take advantage of a true large arbor like a Abel or Tibor pacific ? The rpm's on out going drag is lower, more control. Pick up is faster and easier to stay tight with large arbor. I know the price is a consideration but not for tuna fishing. With all the boat expenses the best fly tackle is cheap in comparison. I sold all my old penn fly reels. If you decide to sell a Abel or Tibor used you will make more than the difference back.

[DaleH]

Not to hijack this thread, but since it started on March 2008 ... here goes. If anyone is interested I have an 'as new' ultra mint Penn 4G-AR (anti-reverse) reel loaded with ~600-yards of 50# PowerPro and the Rio Leviathan line, all rigged from First Light Anglers. It is on a new never-fished Temple Fork 14-weight flyrrod. travel PVC/condura case can be had for $30 additional. Reel also includes 1 to 2 each spare parts that might ever may be needed.

Asking $450 firm ... or else not worth me selling it ...