Reel recommendations for a 12ft Penn Prevail II 6-12kg - Shimano Spheros, Saragosa or Penn Slammer IV?

[stoga1919]

Hi all,

 

I am looking for a recommendation/advice on a reel for a newly purchased 12ft Penn Prevail II 6-12kg rod.

I am planning on using this rod for spinning off the rocks, breakwalls and the beach and targeting kingfish, salmon, tailor, mulloway and anything else I can catch

I would like to primarily throw baits on this rod and but also be able to chuck out some metals as well. Will also be running 30lb Jbraid.

Originally, I was going to use a Shimano Spheros 6000 reel however that reel felt a bit light for this rod so I am looking for something larger, probably a size 8000 reel.

The Spheros is currently the same price as a Saragosa in the 8000 size so I am tossing up between what would suit. I have also considered the Penn Slammer IV in the 6500 size but I have never used a Penn reel before so not sure how well they go.

Has anyone use the Spheros, Saragosa or Slammer IV and able to give me some advice on what work best for my rod and fishing goals? Or any other reels that you would suggest?

 

Thanks in advance!

[slothparade]

Thought about a baitrunner or liveliner? 6500 or 6000 size depending on what brand. Slammer 4 is great, slightly lighter slammer 3, but basically the same, didn't notice to much difference. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by slothparade

[Rebel]

I have the same rod in a 10ft . I use it off the rocks & the beach.

I use a Penn slammer 4500hs & a Penn clash 5000 either reel will do.

Not into Shimano. I believe in the last two years the Penn reels are far better.

Cheers.

[stoga1919]

Yep I definitely was considering a baitrunner initially as well. Was looking at both the Shimano Thunnus 8000 and Shimano Baitrunner 8000 however not sure how well they would handle throwing metals repetitively? Also feel like the baitrunner feature might be one more thing to worry about with salt/water getting into to?

2 hours ago, slothparade said:

Thought about a baitrunner or liveliner? 6500 or 6000 size depending on what brand. Slammer 4 is great, slightly lighter slammer 3, but basically the same, didn't notice to much difference. 

Edited March 4, 2023 by stoga1919

[stoga1919]

2 hours ago, Rebel said:

I have the same rod in a 10ft . I use it off the rocks & the beach.

I use a Penn slammer 4500hs & a Penn clash 5000 either reel will do.

Not into Shimano. I believe in the last two years the Penn reels are far better.

Cheers.

I have always used Shimano reels so this would be my first Penn reel if I go with it. Since it's a Penn rod was thinking whether the Penn reel would suit it a little better. Greato hear you use the slammer 4500hs - how have you been finding it? Also how well do you think a 6500 Slammer 4 would go with my 12 ft rod? Thank you!

[Rebel]

The Penn slammer 4500hs is bullet proof. ( My opinion) Never had a problem with it  If you are going to buy a 6500, buy the HS model also remember it is a heavier reel. Check them out before you buy. Look around for a good price, some places are discounting.

Good luck

[Rebel]

There is a guy on the forum called @Pickles I am sure he has a slammer. Ask him what he thinks about them.

Cheers.

[Renegade460]

Can't fault my Pfulger Salt reel that I have had for a number of years. Something like SALT PFS60 should do the trick nicely.

Personally I wouldn't run braid in the situations you are going to use it.

[slothparade]

7 hours ago, stoga1919 said:

Yep I definitely was considering a baitrunner initially as well. Was looking at both the Shimano Thunnus 8000 and Shimano Baitrunner 8000 however not sure how well they would handle throwing metals repetitively? Also feel like the baitrunner feature might be one more thing to worry about with salt/water getting into to?

Ahh sorry didn't remember you wanted to throw lures. Baitrunners have a pretty low ratio, in saying that I've used my liveliner to throw lures. Live liners are tough as, I use them off the kayak and they take a beating when heading out through the break. They get dunked, wacked and splashed and they just keep going, same as the slammers. I use the slammers for shark fishing in the surf and they constantly get soaked and they just don't stop. 

The Penns are like Toyotas, on the reasonable price end, not the smoothest but they just keep going. If you want looks and feel, Shimano is the way to go. I've unfortunately damaged almost all my Shimanos on the kayak, surprisingly the old bait runners still going. Mate loves the dawia saltist, didn't mind the Penns and hated Shimanos. Also have a look at the battle 2, mine was left of the bottom for a few days before it was recovered, quick spray and grease and it was up and going like nothing happened. 

[stoga1919]

1 hour ago, Renegade460 said:

Can't fault my Pfulger Salt reel that I have had for a number of years. Something like SALT PFS60 should do the trick nicely.

Personally I wouldn't run braid in the situations you are going to use it.

I don't think any of my local stores have it for sale unfortunately to give it a run. I would also prefer to stick with Shimano/Penn or some of the other big names for peace of mind.

What test mono do you run on your set up? My reasoning for braid was for the line capacity and I've always used braid in my other reels. I will be using the 30lb braid + 40lb mono leader.

[stoga1919]

6 minutes ago, slothparade said:

Ahh sorry didn't remember you wanted to throw lures. Baitrunners have a pretty low ratio, in saying that I've used my liveliner to throw lures. Live liners are tough as, I use them off the kayak and they take a beating when heading out through the break. They get dunked, wacked and splashed and they just keep going, same as the slammers. I use the slammers for shark fishing in the surf and they constantly get soaked and they just don't stop. 

The Penns are like Toyotas, on the reasonable price end, not the smoothest but they just keep going. If you want looks and feel, Shimano is the way to go. I've unfortunately damaged almost all my Shimanos on the kayak, surprisingly the old bait runners still going. Mate loves the dawia saltist, didn't mind the Penns and hated Shimanos. Also have a look at the battle 2, mine was left of the bottom for a few days before it was recovered, quick spray and grease and it was up and going like nothing happened. 

That's reassuring to hear about the durability of the Penn reels. With this rod, I will probably be using it 70% of the time to chuck out a bait when I am on the rocks/breakwalls and 30% for lures. However, I will likely be using this rod primarily for lures when I head to the beaches. That's part of the reason why I want a reel that is capable of doing both those things well - just not sure if a baitrunner is going to let me down when it comes to lures.

The durability of the Penns is what has also got me looking at them for this rod. All my other setups have always had smaller Shimano reels and I love the look and feel of the Shimanos. However, I've also heard that Shimano reels getting splashed or dunked is a big no. I'm relatively new to saltwater fishing so having a reel that can withstand getting splashed and sprayed by waves is important to me.

I actually did look at the Penn Battle III before I had a look at the Penn Slammer IV. Would you say the step up from the Battle III to the Slammer IV is noticeable? I don't mind paying the premium for a Slammer IV if it's noticeably better - my budget is $400-$500 for this reel and I want something that's going to last for a fair bit.

[slothparade]

20 minutes ago, stoga1919 said:

That's reassuring to hear about the durability of the Penn reels. With this rod, I will probably be using it 70% of the time to chuck out a bait when I am on the rocks/breakwalls and 30% for lures. However, I will likely be using this rod primarily for lures when I head to the beaches. That's part of the reason why I want a reel that is capable of doing both those things well - just not sure if a baitrunner is going to let me down when it comes to lures.

The durability of the Penns is what has also got me looking at them for this rod. All my other setups have always had smaller Shimano reels and I love the look and feel of the Shimanos. However, I've also heard that Shimano reels getting splashed or dunked is a big no. I'm relatively new to saltwater fishing so having a reel that can withstand getting splashed and sprayed by waves is important to me.

I actually did look at the Penn Battle III before I had a look at the Penn Slammer IV. Would you say the step up from the Battle III to the Slammer IV is noticeable? I don't mind paying the premium for a Slammer IV if it's noticeably better - my budget is $400-$500 for this reel and I want something that's going to last for a fair bit.

Yeah if you want to use lures to, baitrunner isn't the one that'd you want. I like the light Shimano reels to, but have to keep up the maintenance, on them. 

If your after pure durability, slammer, spinfisher or battle will serve you well. As for the battle vs the slammers, I won't speak for the battle 3 as I don't have to much experience with them , but the battle 2 feels great. It's smooth, feels like it has a bit of weight, has a lot of power, sealed and just feels like a solid good reel. The slammer is a bit smoother, better sealing, I'd say the spinfisher and battle are about the same. Probably should go to a shop and try them out. 

 

[Renegade460]

1 hour ago, stoga1919 said:

I don't think any of my local stores have it for sale unfortunately to give it a run. I would also prefer to stick with Shimano/Penn or some of the other big names for peace of mind.

What test mono do you run on your set up? My reasoning for braid was for the line capacity and I've always used braid in my other reels. I will be using the 30lb braid + 40lb mono leader.

I use 15kg line off the beach and rocks. Mono will stretch with the waves breaking braid won't.

[Rebel]

I use Mono on all my reels. Never have a problem. Just buy top Mono, cheaper than braid.

Cheers.

[JonD]

If you wanted to keep the cost down a bit, add a penn battle to the list. I picked up a 6000 battle mk3 two years ago which I use and lend out to friends wanting to chase bigger shore species. The drag is smooth and powerful and has landed numerous sharks to 90kg and big rays, not to mention all the smaller species. The reel is still performing like the day I purchased it unlike my Shimano's which very soon need servicing on those sorts of species. Not knocking the Shimano reels as I have plenty of them and find the lighter weight of them more preferable, its simply that they don't seem to handle the hard life as well. I haven't had a slammer or authority penn but would be keen on trying those to know Ive experienced how good the budget end has been.

[Rebel]

The Penn Battle 2 5000 is also a good reel. I have one no complaints with it over the years.

There is a shop in QLD selling them for $79.00. Just Google the reel.

Cheers.