Penn Reels
PENN INTERNATIONAL - BIG GAME REELS
The Great American Reel Company - Penn Fishing Tackle

These are the reels that define the craft. For big game and long range enthusiasts, you can own no better gear than these products - they define the art. Penn Internationals are totally uncompromising in their strength and material integrity. They represent a true "lifetime" purchase, with excellent parts availability - worldwide, and tournament grade performance.

Penn has created some exciting new products and refined some of our favorites over the past few years. Their International line benefits from improved drag performance.  The new polished drags are smoother in operation and capable of enhanced performance over extended fights. Their new and redesigned reels are also much improved in freespool performance. Internationals are no longer just designed as trolling reels, they now offer great rail performance for flylining a bait and even casting in the hands of a skilled angler.

For decades Penn has defined the craft of sportfishing. That tradition has not changed, in fact it's become even stronger. Unlike imported product lines, Penn does support their gear through long term parts availability. That's one major distinguishing feature of Penn reels and others (like the much over-hyped, profit pushed stuff offered by a bicycle company from Japan). Penn reels offer much better drag performance (proven fact), much better parts availability (proven fact), much better anodizing for a nicer finish appearance over time (proven fact). Buy American quality, buy a Penn.

In specific terms, without the smoke and mirror hype, how are the Penn International Series reels different than the Japanese competition? There are several significant differences that most consumers never have the opportunity to learn given competing manufacturer and retailer profit based hype. Penn has always been known to produce rock-solid products that operate in a bullet proof fashion. They have always been reliable, durable and strong, but much of their real beauty lies on the inside. They never operated with the "built-in obsolescence" mentality of the imports. Before getting into the products, we'll first focus a bit on what you are buying when you purchase a Penn you own something that will catch fish, long term.

It all begins with the frame and side plates. Penn International V-Series frames, sideplates and spools are precision machined from solid forgings of a high-strength, but lightweight aircraft grade aluminum alloy. No half graphite or plastic bridge cover, just high-strength alloy. This is a big game fishing reel, plastic covers just don't offer the same strength. It's what one well advertised Japanese competitor does to save costs, but it ultimately costs you the consumer...

Internal components are crafted in an even more rigorous manner than the frames, after all, they're the guts of an International that will separate the proverbial men from the boys. International gears begin life on a Swiss-made "Gear Hobber" where stainless gear blanks are precision machined to tolerances that literally meet NASA grade standards. Compare gears on Penn Internationals to ANY other big game reel and you'll find that Penn's quality and durability outmatch the competition. It's almost an embarrassing comparison. The image on the right shows a Penn 80VSW's gears compared to the well advertised Japanese 130 class reel. The Penn 80 has gears 44% larger on the low end and 54% larger on the high-speed gear than what shimano offers on their 130! Penn's 130 gears simply embarrass them even more! It's like comparing an old Datsu to a F350 Super-Duty, not quite a fair fight...and that's the whole point of this discussion.

Just as important as the main gears, is the one-piece spindle and pinion gears. The International spindle and high-speed pinion gear are machined from a solid piece of high-strength stainless steel allow. The low speed pinion is also machined from the same material. It's then permanently pressed onto the spindle. The competition simply keys their pinions to one another, as well as to the drag palate! They actually expect a SMALL pin of stainless steel to withstand the enormous sheer strength to which these pieces are subjected when fighting a large gamefish. The Penn International is bullet-proof, as strong as they can be made, with long term performance at the forefront of design considerations.

The Torque is a ground breaking new reel from Penn, and it's garnered much publicity by virtue of it's unique design and incredible cranking power.  The full compliment of Torque reels are now available!

What makes this reel different? All star drag reels have pretty much followed a 1930's patented reel design made by Penn. The Torque is a whole new direction. The Torque series of reels incorporate an integrated side plate (ISP) that serves as the basis for their design. The side plate integrates the components into one rigid assembly. As a result the reels can achieve super-high drag capabilities with fewer parts and greater strength and tighter tolerances than a traditional reel. When the drag is increased the side plate absorbs the load, without any binding or alignment problems. Gears, pinions and handle maintain perfect alignment no matter how heavy the load! That's just part of the reason for the buzz this reel is generating. It's powerful, with a gear that dwarfs the offshore manufactured "competition" in terms of size, strength and power. The reel has a 6.3:1 retrieve rate, AND it's powerful when it comes to cranking in a fish. This is a reel that's made for Spectra, it was designed with the capabilities of the "super" lines in mind. It's "over-built," for good reason. The Penn design team knew it would be fished hard, so they built the Torque with hard use in mind.

Penn Torque Series

The new Penn Torque series of reels offer a big change in reel design. Penn and most other reel manufacturers base star drag reels on Penn's 1933 patent in which a bridge plate was used to mount the gear stud and main gear. Things have evolved since that time, machining and materials have advanced, and reel design can now reflect these advancements through some creative thinking. The innovative folks at Penn came up with a better idea, sketched out on a napkin during lunch... From that sketch came a new patent. The Torque series of reels incorporate an integrated side plate (ISP) that serves as the basis for their design. The side plate integrates the components into one rigid assembly. As a result the reels can achieve super-high drag capabilities with fewer parts and greater strength and tighter tolerances than a traditional reel. When the drag is increased the side plate absorbs the load, without any binding or alignment problems. Gears, pinions and handle maintain perfect alignment no matter how heavy the load!

Traditional bridge designs do not lend themselves well to high speed gearing as the increased load often distorts and misaligns the gear stud. Some manufacturers add some "slop" into the gear studs, for a semi-floating alignment (at the sacrifice of misalignment). With Penn's new design pinions and gears are unaffected by force and load so alignment with the pinion is consistent. The new design allows for an OVERSIZED high speed gear for a unique combination of power and speed.

Speaking of gears...

In the photo above you can see a comparison of gear sizes, an interesting comparison. The large gear on the right is the new Penn Torque gear. It's huge, and made from hard and strong stainless steel. The skinny gear on the left is from a shimano Torset (er I mean Torsa, a reel we've been making fun of for several months). Penn describes the gear on the left as "a competitor's multi-cam $700 lever drag reel." They also go on to describe "when we went to measure the hardness, they were so soft we couldn't even measure it on the same scale as the Penn gear." The gear pictured in the center is just as soft as the Torset's, and also 40% smaller in thickness than the Penn. The overseas gears just don't cut it, when they are compared to the USA made product.

Penn's done some extensive testing on these new reels. They've proved their point in the real world of fishing, not through advertising budgets and buzz-words like our least favorite Japanese manufacturer... The three reels in the series all share a 6.3:1 gear ratio, 5+1 ball bearings and are made for gaining the fishing benefits of Spectra lines.

The Torque is a ground breaking new reel from Penn, and it's garnered much publicity by virtue of it's unique design and incredible cranking power. The 300 size has been on the market since late September '06. The 300's have been around long enough to generate some feedback from the field, and it's been positive. The gearing is quick, so we're seeing the reel used by the folks targeting wahoo and yellowtail on the iron, since speed can be critical to enticing a bite from these fish. Given the strength of the reel, the use of heavier spectra is appropriate to gain the advantages of line capacity while maintaining a more compact and better casting sized rod/reel combination.

The smallest model, the 100 became available in July '07. It's a small powerhouse of a reel, capable of pulling some serious drag, casts very well even with smaller baits, and will prove itself quite capable with larger fish. The TRQ 100 features an additional cast control feature on the sideplate, similar to a 525 Mag. For most anglers, the smaller size 100 and 200 are basics like bread and water. They are the size gear we fish often, but their capability is great. Whether fishing long range or local, you'll get a lot of mileage from these versatile reels.

Penn  released their newest Torque, the 300LD. in March of '08. This innovative design will be something the marlin guys drool after. Powerful and precise, these are the characteristics that come to mind when you first put your hands on the reel. It is a unique design for a leverdrag reel, and it offers very good freespool performance, useful for tossing a live bait to a turned on marlin. Unlike most leverdrags, the 300LD uses a traditional drag stack. Instead of a large single disc, Penn uses a new patented (Versa-Drag) featuring a large diameter, STACKED multi-drag cartridge incorporating five active drag surfaces for an incredibly wide and smooth drag range with minimal force exerted on the reel. There's no lateral load on the bearings or handle with this unique design. Further, you have a GREAT range of smooth drag available, from 4#'s all the way up to 32#'s!!! Add to that the fact that the drag totally disengages at the freespool setting, for better casting qualities. Yes, this is an expensive reel, but it's also innovative, well built, and incorporates Penn's best design work without the accounting guys controlling the engineers and machinists. It's one fine reel and will appeal to those looking for a rugged, strong, refined reel that's made without compromise.

In January 2009 Penn finally shipped the 100LD, a smaller brother to the 300 described above. The magnetic cast control feature was taken off on the LD version of the 100, and it's in all respects similar in design and construction to the 300LD.

 

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEEKLY SPECIALS!!! We've got a deal on the Torque reels posted NOW!

Penn International V Series Two Speed Reels

The New V series reels from Penn incorporate several enhancements that make them even better performers than they were over the past decades of record setting use. The new models incorporate Penn's more modern push button shifter, more durable and higher capacity drags, improved ergonomics in terms of their handle, and a few other things you'll be hard pressed to see or feel until the time comes to put the new reel to a real test. Let's just say, these are the best reels Penn has ever made, and they set new standards in terms of performance, durability and reliability.

Personally, I have to admit to having a true fondness for fishing my Newell and Penn International reels. I own my share of Avet reels and love them too.  And I lust after owning a Tiburon. When I dream about big game fishing, there's no doubt a Penn International is in the picture.  For good reason, Penn Internationals define the class in big game fishing.

The new Penn International V two speed is available in two gear options.  You'll notice that the reel has now gone topless! The 16 features an open top design for easier bait fishing and for clearing bird's nests (that never happens to us, but for someone else it's a good thing...).  The reel is enhanced from the older model in terms of the shift mechanism.  Gone are the days of the push button / pull handle program.  It's a true push button and twist button design for easy and effortless use.  The 16's are available in two gear options a high speed and a higher torque version.  Of course the new Penn was made with tournament fishing in mind, IGFA 16# class, but with Spectra spooling the new 16 is a dandy 40-60# performer.

The folks at Penn have been listening, and they've built exactly what we've been wanting to see. It's narrow, topless and tough! The new 30VSX and 50VSX will become one of the most desired long range reels on the market. If you're going after 200# + tuna you'll appreciate what these new reels have to offer.

The new Penn 30VSX & 50VSX have been extensively field tested, here in CA aboard a couple long range boats, as well as Mexico and the East Coast. These reels have been engineered to achieve high drag settings while maintaining an appropriate and smooth drag curve throughout the entire range of the drag lever. The drag is predictable, you won't be surprised with a line-busting increase of pressure over just a couple degrees push of the lever. The drag curve on this reel works like it should, with a fairly consistent increase in drag pressure all along its lever's arc. This makes the reel "angler friendly" in operation. There are no surprises, just strong reliable performance...made for taking advantage of the unique properties of Spectra lines.

There's no better way to prepare your new International for fishing that laying on some Izorline Spectra with a mono top-shot.

Here's the nicest gift any fisherman could receive. 2007 celebrates Penn’s 75th Anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, Penn has commissioned a coin to complement an anniversary edition 50VSW International reel. a print of the 2007 Penn catalog Cover will be available and sold as a Serialized set with the Anniversary Reel and coin. The Anniversary reel/coin and Print will be limited to 500 pieces, with only the first 250 being sold as Sets. the second 250 pieces will be available as individual pieces.

As part of the Limited Edition Anniversary Set, the 50VSW reel will feature an engraved left sideplate to match the Print and coin. Housing both the coin and reel, will be a wooden presentation box, suitable for display in any fishing aficionado’s private collection.

 In creating the Anniversary Coin, the cover artwork created by JK Christian is converted into a 3-dimensional sculpture. This process was performed by Caesar Rocco Rufo, one of the world’s leading coin sculptors. Shown here, Caesar is hand crafting the various layers that will ultimately become the Penn 75th Anniversary Coin. 

This limited edition collector's item will be a gift that will be cherished for many, many years. Of course the reel is fishable, but there's a lot more to this proud offering that makes it the most special production we've ever seen in the world of sportfishing. Truly this is something any dedicated angler will proudly display at home, show to friends, and value for a lifetime...and well beyond.

Light Line Penn Internationals

Penn International 965 and 975  (Star Drag) Penn's got the pulse of the U.S. angler down pat, like no other reel manufacturer out there.  They don't discontinue lines and bring out stuff all that often.   But, when they do come in with a new product, you can be sure it's the "right stuff." Penn's finally introduced the culmination of the 900 series, the new 975.   With this introduction you now have International quality for all your lighter line casting needs.   with the legendary Penn International quality and performance you'd expect from the world's most prestigious tackle manufacturer.  Now you can fish an International  International line to a whole new world of light line fishing. The reels are perfect for light line fishing, they're compact, and built with the famous International level of quality, and performance. The product features: forged, machined aluminum frames, spool and side plates; corrosion resistant anodized gold finish; stainless steel high speed gears; sealed stainless steel ball bearings; oversized multi-disc HT 100 drags; 3 level centrifugal brake casting control...

Take advantage of our RIGGED YOUR WAY SPECIAL. 
WE'LL RIG YOUR NEW 975LD WITH IZORLINE SPECTRA BACKING, AND ADD YOUR TOP-SHOT.  YOUR REEL WILL BE RIGGED AND READY TO FISH! Please order below with your spooling requirement specified.

CHARKBAIT SPECIAL OFFER

Penn International Rigged Your Way

There's no better way to prepare your new International for fishing that laying on some Izorline Spectra with a mono top-shot.