# Penn Spinfisher - Advice Please



## PeregianAnglers (Oct 12, 2008)

Guys,

I am looking at buying a Penn Spinfisher for my big dirty hard reel.

this would typically be an all round reel. I do a fair bit of trolling, but want a spinning reel because i occasionally go overseas and would like to start popping over the reefs that i surf on - targetting GT's Coral trout etc..

Has anyone been using one? What size would you recommend?


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

You said big, the 850 and 950 are big and tough. They are simple, no frills but hard to kill.


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

I've got the 750 and am happy with how tough and simple it is but I wouldn't want to spin with it (e.g. popping) all day.

Just compare the weight to some other reels to see how heavy they are.

Marty


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## wopfish (Dec 4, 2006)

Mate Ive spun and jigged with them all day - I think the 650 - big and heavy and not very flash but they do the job..... you could spend more money and get something lighter and more refined.


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## KeyLargo1 (Dec 2, 2009)

I have am 850 and an old 6500 along with a Sealine Bull 4500 and a Penn Slammer 360. I am a string beleiver in big strong and simple for yakking. The spinfisher is perfect for yak fishing but I think if you are going up against GTs it won't have the drag (about 5-6 kg only). Weight is heavy also but I have cast an 850 all day at the beach without problems.

Other options would be the Sealine Bull or a 760 slammer. Both have 9-10 kg of drag and are under $200 each if you look around and are built like the proverbial also. Interestingly my 360 slammer has similar amounts of drag as my Spinfisher 850. Perhaps even apenn Conquer reel would be usefull but are new to the market- the 7000 has 14 kg of drag which is realistic for yaks


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## sitonit (Dec 29, 2006)

650 is a fine reel with lots of line capacity and the drag works fine and people caught big fish on Penn spinfishers long before Shimano and Daiwa told you that you need to spend $500+ to catch a fish
I


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

sitonit said:


> 650 is a fine reel with lots of line capacity and the drag works fine and people caught big fish on Penn spinfishers long before Shimano and Daiwa told you that you need to spend $500+ to catch a fish
> I


x2

I had a pair of 6500's of which only one is still in use. I've got some pics of nice Trevally I've tackled with them....they're pre-digital and in an album somewhere....


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## jayman (Feb 7, 2010)

pretty sure my spinfisher is an old model 650 full metal bodied one not like the new ones its heavy but a good reel it used to be my brothers and he has done several swains reef trips with them and stopped big macks gts and dogtooth tuna just to name a few and it still going strong even after being dumped in the surf and full of sand on a few occasions my last few mack have been caught on that reel even stopped a massive manta ray today.
cheers jay


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## fishingchap (Sep 7, 2007)

ive played around with a slammer 560 and a liveliner 560 (slammer with baitrunner feature :twisted: ) i honesly think these are an amazinly underated reel for the price, theyre not as light as some of there competitors but they have a smooth drag, bulletproof and a waterproof drag. and all for around the $150 mark. i personally think the bigger liveliners would be perfect for livebating kingies... im seriously thinking about getting the smallest model slammer (260) for lights snapper, some freshwater trolling and big bream.. i no this sounds a bit biased but the only downside to these reels is the weight compared to its competitiors (daiwa exceller, shimano smetre, abu soron ec) but if your not casting ultralight lures then i think this reel is a good fit for the price

cheers


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## sitonit (Dec 29, 2006)

I think one of the best features is the ease with which these reels can be stripped serviced and put back together i have lots of reels with all the bells wand whistles but these still have a place and i often use mine particularly when using mono. Classic low tech item that has stood the test of time.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I must say the slammer range are simple and solid and, as mentioned before, the drag is smooth. I've polished the washers up on my 460 and am very happy with it.

When you said you wanted a big reel I just assumed BIG as in the 850 and 950 size...they're BIG!


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## jayman (Feb 7, 2010)

theres a spinfisher for sale in the classifieds section


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