reel for 9ft surf rod

[Jacob K.]

got a new 9ft surf rod this winter (Tica) and am looking for a new reel for it. probably get one of the penn SS reels, any thoughts on which one? 7500, 8500, or 9500?

[capemike88]

If you win the lottery I'd think about a Vanstaal ;)

[Haden]

Those Penns are tough, but i got these Okuma Coranado spinning reels that are great, just if you want a braid then go with the penn. The Coranado had a bait feeder which is sweet and ive given them a beetin. CapeMike knows these reels well and i dont think he's had a problem either, oh to answer your question i would go with the 7500, and check out the Penn Slamer and Penn Liveliner, good luck!!!

[Slappy]

My favorite Penn spinning reel is a Shimano Sustain. If you want a cheaper Penn, buy the Shimano Stradic.

Penn makes great conventional reels.

You don't have to get a big reel, because you are going to use braid. Think about the smallest reel that holds the line capacity that you need of braid, not mono.

[surfrat59]

Jacob, all the Penn's you mentioned are way too heavy to balance properly on a 9ft surf stick, if you like Penn a 5500SS or even better a 460 Slammer.
Tica themselves market one of the better spinning reels on the market, the Taurus...check out a 3000 or 4000 Taurus. Lots of quality spinners from Diawa and Shimano also, stay away from the off brands for salt water use, it's cheaper in the long run.

[albacized]

My favorite Penn spinning reel is a Shimano Sustain. If you want a cheaper Penn, buy the Shimano Stradic.

Penn makes great conventional reels.

You don't have to get a big reel, because you are going to use braid. Think about the smallest reel that holds the line capacity that you need of braid, not mono.

I don't know if or how they improved the Sustain when they upgraded the model last year, but if they are relatively the same as before, then I'd have to disagree with the Sustain suggestion. I have a 4000 that's 4 years old (prior to when they added the oil port) and after 1 year of good service, it has since received 2 seperate $60 ball bearing repair jobs as well as an anti-reverse (dog gear) replacement. I washed the thing everytime I've gone saltwater fishing with it. I was told by the folks at Buckos (where one of the repairs took place) that the Sustain isn't a saltwater reel and that's why inside gears 'crap out' despite dutifully rinsing the reel off after every use. As I said, I can't speak for the newer models with the oil ports added. But my experience with this reel has been one big disappointment. On the plus side, before the gears/ball bearings began to corrode, the drag system did prove to be sweet as it handle all 4 of our most sought species (bass, blues, bonito, albacore) with no problem. That's my .02

[Ray]

I use a 7500SS on a 9-foot St. Croix

[Stormin']

I have a 7500SS as well but I'd go with a Shimano Baitrunner 4500B. Although the Penn is solid, I really like the sealed drag, smoothness and easy maintenance of the baitrunner. All you need to do is dunk them in some warm water with salt-X and let them dry off. I've always found with the Penn's you get corrosion problems.

[Jacob K.]

ray-
how does the balance feel on that?

I use a 7500SS on a 9-foot St. Croix

[Ray]

I think so. I typically check that with all my setups.