# Penn Fierce 8000



## bwise

I jist bought a Penn Fierce 8000 plan on doing some surf fishing with it I need to know if I should use braid with mono backing if so how much of each or just mono and do i need a shock leader if I use the braid, the reel holds 350/25 mono. Just trying to hook up with some pompano reds or anything else that will bite and I dont have a spare spool either, I make my own leaders, and is this reel big enough for sharks? Thanks any info will help.


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## dvldocz

That reel should be plenty for a shark from the surf. I have caught 4-5' blacktips on a walmart special with 20# braid and a steel leader I made. There is always a chance you can get spooled though. I have since changed to a Penn 750ssm on my 12' surf rod with 300 yds of 50# braid with a 90# steel leader. A shock leader is always a good idea if you are running braid only, IMO. It will give you that stretch that braid doesn't have. Hope this helps. Best of luck. :thumbsup:


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## bwise

Ok cool well thats good i just wish it had an extra spool so i can use it for sharks and pomps/reds, would only using mono line be fine for pomps etc?


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## dvldocz

I don't see any problem with only using mono. I see people on JB catching pomps and reds on mono. You just lose some line compacity. You can hold quite a bit more braid than mono. It is all personal preferance though, IMO. I am no surf fishing pro. I have only been doing it for about 6 months but this is what I have been told by friends and other fishers and from experience. The way I see it is that fish are either going to bit or they are not. What you use plays a small part in that. You could be using the exact same set up as the person 5' from you and they catch all day and you get skunked. Like my buddy TRP says, "that's why they call it fishing and not catching". Well I hope all of this info helps in some way or another. Let me know.


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## bwise

Ha yea i gotcha well ill prolly try briad with a mono backing just gotta do some calculating to see how much of each i can put on it, and yes it would be no fun if it was just catching, thats where i live by about 10-15 mins from jb thats where i am gonna be setting up. Although i would love to catch a shark ill start out small i appteciate your input though maybe we can get up and go out there sometime or see ya out there thanks!


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## dvldocz

Well if you want to catch a shrk JB is a good place for that. Throw on a whole whiting or something about 10-14" and it will be a bull red or a shark typically. I live about 10-15 min from JB too so we will have to get up somtime. I have recently been starting up kayak fishing but i still love to surf fish. Let me mknow if you need anything else. I dont really see the point of keeping secrets on what i use and where i go, so let me know.


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## bwise

Awesome i sure will just gotta wait for the reel to get here and then hopefully will get t wet soon after that.


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## Hopin4aboat

I put braid on the bottom and mono on the top of the spool. Gives me a large amount of line and if I break off with mono I'm not out of alot of money. I like the stretch of mono over braid so I seem to get the best of both this way.


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## penn 10/0

That reel should do you good for most everything in the surf excluding big sharks, i think its bigger than my 750, it held 400+yds of 40lb power pro... Speaking of that did you ever get the 4/0 w/ the Uglystik???


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## Mayday

I have two Penn Fierce 8000 as well and they are awsome. Had no problem fighting(and pulling in after 30min just to cut line) 7' shark from pier last week. I personally don't like braid line because all the tangle. Also braid just don't hold very well when windy/strong current/grass in water. I have 20lb mono on both 8000 and never had problem pulling in huge ray/shark/red/king. Some say you can throw further with braid but i've found pompino/whiting/red are biting better in 50-70yards from shore anyway. Not like braid will make me able to throw big bait 200yards for big sharks.
Just my 2 cents


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## Mayday

On second thought 50lb+ braid probably is must if you are going to pull big sharks out to sand... I've never caught big shark from sand...


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