# Penn 3000 Size for Piers?



## rweakley (Aug 23, 2012)

Am thinking about getting a Fierce 3000 to kind of double as an inshore/pier rod for the smaller pier species, such as reds, sheeps, flounder. The combo I have now is just not up to the challenge. The 3000 will be a size up and I will put it on a sturdier rod than the ones I currently have. Maybe like 7 ft med-heavy/fast action ugly stick. I saw one at Wally World that was significantly thicker than the rod I currently use, but didn't feel like I was gripping a baseball bat (as did some of them...the Shakespear Sturdy Stick I think). And it tapered to a pretty flexible rod tip.

I don't want to get too big. I have a 5000 size reel on an 8.5' rod, and it just feels awkward. I feel like the awkwardness would be worth it for a bigger fish like a king, but that I could manage a red with something in between my smaller combos and my 8.5' combo.

The reel in question holds 140 of 10lb mono or 170 of 20lb braid.

Thoughts? Is this adequate?


----------



## rweakley (Aug 23, 2012)

Any takers? I looked at both 3000 and 4000 at Mart World today, and they looked similar in size. The only thing I could tell a difference in was the spool and rotor.

Had a difficult time though because only one was actually accessible on a combo. The other (3000 size was in a clamshell packaging).

The 3000 I found for $40 (Wal-mart was $60). The 4000 I can have for about $52.


----------



## Randy M (Jul 8, 2012)

I don't fish the piers but I kayak fish the bays and sound and surf fish.
IMO the 3000 is way to small for me to fish the gulf with, 10 pound mono seems aweful weak to me to fish off a pier.
I would not want to fish with anything smaller than a 4000 spooled with at least 20 pound braid, no telling what monster you might hook and spool you from a pier.

For my use the 3000 is a freshwater or at very best a light tackle inshore reel.


----------



## rweakley (Aug 23, 2012)

Randy, thanks for the reply...I think I'm gonna go with the 4000. I looked at the exploded view on Penn's website, and the body is the same. The rotor is larger and the spool has a significant amount of extra capacity. So I think it would be a good balance between comfort and capability. The 5000 gets a larger body and looks cumbersome. Thanks again for the reply!

BTW...good name.


----------



## leeroy87 (May 20, 2012)

I use a penn 450ssg 10lbs braid for spanish, flounder, and smaller, and a 550ssg 14lbs mono for kings, shark, and bull reds. If you go over 20lbs of test on reels this small your overkilling. The 550ssg is a good size reel and the max drag is a whopping 15lbs... so no sense in going bigger.

The fierce 3000 has a 10lbs drag system and the 4000 is 13lbs.


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 30, 2012)

you can't go wrong with the 4000. I use mine for both bay fishing and pier fishing. Its a nice in between setup.


----------



## Team Fish Head (Oct 1, 2012)

I'm going to demo one of the new Penn Generation 5 spinners, the SSV6500LL. Have a couple of Slammers and they are everything they are touted to be so the Gen 5 should be sweet.


----------



## Randy M (Jul 8, 2012)

I bought the Slammer 460 to replace the 5500 Spinfisher I lost when I rolled my yak, this reel is on a totally different level than the 5500 (and I liked the 5500)


----------



## Team Fish Head (Oct 1, 2012)

Randy M said:


> I bought the Slammer 460 to replace the 5500 Spinfisher I lost when I rolled my yak, this reel is on a totally different level than the 5500 (and I liked the 5500)


The two I have have earned their spots in the rota, that's for sure, but they've only seen fresh water but never met anything that couldn't be landed. PB 48lb. blue cat that didn't fight until its head broke the water...fun in a 10ft jon boat with a paddle! 

The pricing is aggressive and Shimano will feel it if they haven't already.


----------



## Reel Mccoy (Dec 30, 2009)

I have a Fierce 4000 and have fished it hard for a year or so. It has been a great reel for the price. Just make sure to rinse it after every use and lube it every few months and it will last. I would not go any smaller than the 4000 size. I have mine paired with an All Star rod and it works great as a Trout/Red combo.


----------

