# Penn Reel Question



## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I just got back from a week long trip to the gulf. I got some tackle destroyed by snapper and I'm looking to upgrade. haha

I have a Penn 114 that is too big. I also have an old 109 on my desk that is too small. Did Penn ever make anything in between? Preferably with levelwind. I can deal without, but my wife struggles...

I tried one of the Penn 330GT reels a few years ago. It handgrenaded itself while reeling in a dead Sardine.... On the first cast...
Obviously, I'm not a fan of the new stuff. I would love some Shimano's, Diawa's or Avets, but they are WAY out of my budget. Maybe some TLD20's or 30's, but all of them I find are already sold or all beat to hell. I know the old Penns are cheap and well built. So I figured that was the way to go. Can anyone point me in the direction of what I might be looking for?


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

After a little research, I think I have found what I am looking for... Anyone have any opinions on Penn 309's?


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## capt'n slim (Feb 8, 2008)

309 is a good reel my son uses one for the levelwind. However the drag may not be enough to stop a sho-nuff snapper and the handle on the reel is small it seems like it takes forever to reel, not sure if you can get a larger handle.


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## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

I used to have a 309. It was a good reel but like was said earlier, I don't think it was designed to hoist up a really good size fish off the bottom.
The 114 is a 6/0 isn't it ? How about a 4/0 (113) ? 
I've got a 4/0 and I think it's just the right size.


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Here's the reels and drags. 309-15lbs, 113-20, 114-22, TLD20II-22, TLD30II-24. Not sure why your looking at the bigger reels, especially if it's for your wife. I would look at the Penn Battles. BTL7000 is 25lbs. Lighter and easy to use. Put it on a Tiger Lite Ugly Stick and for less than $200 you have a good combo. Use braid and you'll have all the line you'll need. My .02.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

welldoya said:


> I used to have a 309. It was a good reel but like was said earlier, I don't think it was designed to hoist up a really good size fish off the bottom.
> The 114 is a 6/0 isn't it ? How about a 4/0 (113) ?
> I've got a 4/0 and I think it's just the right size.



I have a 114 that is 4/0 and is WAY too big. I use it for sharks and such.
The snapper we catch arent what most people consider big ones. We havent caught ANY in three years until this trip. I landed one that was probably 7 or 8 lbs and was the biggest that we have ever landed. In previous years, we usually catch dozens that were just over or under the legal size. We just dont go far enough out to get into the good ones. Boat is too small. We got the crap beat out of us this trip. And the weather was good.



lastcast said:


> Here's the reels and drags. 309-15lbs, 113-20, 114-22, TLD20II-22, TLD30II-24. Not sure why your looking at the bigger reels, especially if it's for your wife. I would look at the Penn Battles. BTL7000 is 25lbs. Lighter and easy to use. Put it on a Tiger Lite Ugly Stick and for less than $200 you have a good combo. Use braid and you'll have all the line you'll need. My .02.


Never heard of the Battles...
$200 is what I was looking to spend for 2 combos...
I'll only use them once a year.
The one I landed was on a Penn Fierce 5000...
The ones she lost were on a Pflueger President 5000
We didn't have any reel issues, only rod and line failures. One BPS offshore rod broke (spectacularly!!!) and she lost three to breakoffs. She just couldn't lift them off the bottom. They ran against something and cut her off (50lb Powerpro). I was just looking to upgrade the whole package a step or two.

Not worried about the "size" for the wife. She handles the 4/0 114 just fine except that the lack of levelwind is too much for her to keep track of while fighting a good one.


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## Tunanorth (Feb 22, 2012)

Just to clarify, a 114 is a 6/0.
The 113 grouping are the 4/0's. 
With a $200 budget for 2 combos, if you purchase anything "new" for the type of fishing you describe, your results will often be unsatisfactory if the bigger-grade fish show up.
For typical small fish, several others have mentioned the Penn Battle/Ugly Stick combo as being a good one that is within your price range. 
Several posters have mentioned used equipment, but as you have discovered, it takes a lot of wading through pretty thrashed stuff to find anything good.
Pretty much the most "bulletproof" reel made for this type of fishing is the Penn 113HN Baja Special, but it does run about $249 retail for a new one.
A metal sideplate/frame levelwind [330 is graphite] like the Penn Fathom FTH40LW is only little less, at about $219 retail.
The 330 itself is very good as graphite reels go, and is a favorite in such abusive environments as Alaska, so whatever happened with yours was likely an anamoly.


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## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

You would like the Pro Gear reels. The guts are Penn 4/0 but the reel size is smaller. I use 3 of their reels. Upgrade the drags to "smoothies" drag washers.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I was looking for used reels and probably new rods in the $75-100 range. I see penn 209's and 309's on ebay for $20-30 all the time. I recently bought my 114 in mint condition for $27. You just have to be patient. If you get a bad one, they are like Steve Austin.... "We can rebuild him" hahaha You sure on that 4/0 and 6/0 sizing? Not arguing, but I thought 114 was 4/0 and 113 was 3/0... I would be the last one to argue this. I dont know. That is just the impression I was under/read somewhere... Anyway, doesn't matter, no levelwind for the wife...

Not really looking for anything new, I just dont want to put that much money into something that will get used for 1 or 2 days a year.... if that often. If I decided to get something new, it would probably be some shiney new Avets. Decent reel for the price and I love the blue anodized finish. But then I would have to put them on some anodized boat rods... Now we are talking $500+ per set-up... to use once a year... on tiny snapper...

For my freshwater (that gets used weekly) and light/inshore saltwater gear(gets used 5 or 10 times a year) I spend good money on that stuff. But this is just not that important to me. Thus why I dont know much about the sizing and features. I'm not really that big of a Penn fan... I just know that the old ones are cheap and fairly bulletproof..


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## Tunanorth (Feb 22, 2012)

*reels*



NoMoSurf said:


> I was looking for used reels and probably new rods in the $75-100 range. I see penn 209's and 309's on ebay for $20-30 all the time. I recently bought my 114 in mint condition for $27. You just have to be patient. If you get a bad one, they are like Steve Austin.... "We can rebuild him" hahaha You sure on that 4/0 and 6/0 sizing? Not arguing, but I thought 114 was 4/0 and 113 was 3/0... I would be the last one to argue this. I dont know. That is just the impression I was under/read somewhere... Anyway, doesn't matter, no levelwind for the wife...
> 
> Not really looking for anything new, I just dont want to put that much money into something that will get used for 1 or 2 days a year.... if that often. If I decided to get something new, it would probably be some shiney new Avets. Decent reel for the price and I love the blue anodized finish. But then I would have to put them on some anodized boat rods... Now we are talking $500+ per set-up... to use once a year... on tiny snapper...
> 
> For my freshwater (that gets used weekly) and light/inshore saltwater gear(gets used 5 or 10 times a year) I spend good money on that stuff. But this is just not that important to me. Thus why I dont know much about the sizing and features. I'm not really that big of a Penn fan... I just know that the old ones are cheap and fairly bulletproof..






Yes, there is no doubt that a 114 is a 6/0, and a 113 is a 4/0; and continuing down the size run, a 112 is a 3/0, 111 is a 2/0, and a 110 is a 1/0 [though 111 and 110 are long discontinued]. 
Also note that the 209's and 309's, although they are good basic reels, are the least expensive models that Penn makes [only about $59 brand new].
The 209's and 309's were also designed many decades before modern braided line came into use, so with a max drag of only 10 pounds [209] and 15 pounds [309], you would be best-served to use them with mono line. 
Understandable that you don't want to invest much in something so rarely used, but when a really big one hits [no matter where], inexpensive tackle shows why it is inexpensive. 
When comparing reels of any type, make sure you are doing an "apples to apples" comparison in both style and price.
If indeed you can find a used but not too-thrashed Penn Baja Special 113HN, they are substantially better than any other 4/0 Penn has ever made, and is in general the most bombproof reel on the market of any type.


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## DaveC (Aug 4, 2012)

I google'd Penn reel and this is where it brought me 

My question is: I just got a Penn 6/0. The chrome rings are cracked in several places. Will this thing fall apart when I use it? Guy I got it from claims it landed a 300 lb Mako shark on it's last use....


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Penn Reels*

A real 'sleeper' is the Penn Mag 10. It is an improved version of the 209. It may be what you're looking for.

It comes with a levelwind, but most people that I know replace it with a spacer bar.

Worth taking a look at. JMHO C2


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## Pompano Joe (Jan 28, 2009)

I agree Charlie2. My brother fishes a Penn 10 and absolutely loves it. The 20 would get you a little more drag (?) and spool capacity. This reel was way ahead of it's time, definitely a sleeper and reasonably priced. About the size of the 1/0 and 2/0.


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## Tunanorth (Feb 22, 2012)

*reels*



DaveC said:


> I google'd Penn reel and this is where it brought me
> 
> My question is: I just got a Penn 6/0. The chrome rings are cracked in several places. Will this thing fall apart when I use it? Guy I got it from claims it landed a 300 lb Mako shark on it's last use....




Google does some weird directing sometimes.
There are several "Penn specific" forums on the web, but the short answer to your question is that you should replace the rings as soon as you can [fairly inexpensive and simple].
However, it probably won't hurt to squeeze another trip or two in "as is", as long as you don't encounter another big mako while waiting for the parts to arrive.


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Penn Mag10 Reel*



Pompano Joe said:


> I agree Charlie2. My brother fishes a Penn 10 and absolutely loves it. The 20 would get you a little more drag (?) and spool capacity. This reel was way ahead of it's time, definitely a sleeper and reasonably priced. About the size of the 1/0 and 2/0.


Added info re: Penn Mag Tuned 10:

Gear Ratio: 4:1 Line: 15 lb Capacity:275 yds Weight: 14 oz. First Year Manufactured.: Early 1980's Discontinued by Penn: 2002. C2


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## Pompano Joe (Jan 28, 2009)

The 210 (I incorrectly referred to this real as the "20") adds over 75 yards to the spool capacity.


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## 20simmons sea skiff (Aug 20, 2010)

a+ for tiger rods, have 4. i have a penn 114 ill sell cheap, clicker stuck but like new other wise, just filled new 30 lb. i use the tiger rods with tld15,s on them


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## Jack Hexter (Oct 2, 2007)

For the fish you are targeting and at an inexpensive price, I'd look at a Penn Jigmaster or a Penn Squider. Both are old standby reels. Look of ones with aluminum spools. Load them with 20-30# mono and put them on a tigerstick and you are good to go. For what it's worth, I caught my first sailfish on a Jigmaster over 40 years ago, and it's still catching AJ's and grouper, so I'm sure it can handle your 8# snapper.


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## DaveC (Aug 4, 2012)

Tunanorth said:


> Google does some weird directing sometimes.
> There are several "Penn specific" forums on the web, but the short answer to your question is that you should replace the rings as soon as you can [fairly inexpensive and simple].
> However, it probably won't hurt to squeeze another trip or two in "as is", as long as you don't encounter another big mako while waiting for the parts to arrive.


Thanks for the answer. It's really my first foray into deepsea fishing tackle. I knew about Penn reels and have always wanted one but not at the $180 retail I have seen them go for. I paid $55 for the reel so another $31.60 for 2 rings isn't so bad. The only plans for it now is a trip in October to Depoe Bay, Oregon for bottom fishing  Should be able to handle that without new rings but I'm getting them anyway.


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## Tunanorth (Feb 22, 2012)

*reels*



DaveC said:


> Thanks for the answer. It's really my first foray into deepsea fishing tackle. I knew about Penn reels and have always wanted one but not at the $180 retail I have seen them go for. I paid $55 for the reel so another $31.60 for 2 rings isn't so bad. The only plans for it now is a trip in October to Depoe Bay, Oregon for bottom fishing  Should be able to handle that without new rings but I'm getting them anyway.






Not to "diss" this great Pensacola, Florida forum, but if you are fishing out of Depoe, you need to be on BloodyDecks [west coast specific] and/or SaltyDogs [PNW specific].
Ha-Ha, if you think $180 is a lot to spend on a reel, wait until you get a little deeper into this great pastime of ours!


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