Penn Clash Spinning Fishing Reel

Definitely a much better reel than the Battle or Battle II of which I own both. When they gave up the ghost on me from very hard surf use I upgraded to the new Clash and overall I can say that it’s a much better reel. It’s lighter, stronger, has a smoother drag even though it’s supposedly the same HT100 that Penn has always used and the braid line lay is outstanding due to the slower oscillation – this was a huge problem with the Battle and Battle II. I bought 2 Clash reels – the 4000 and 5000 series. It even feels like a higher quality product than the Battles. No, it’s never going to be a Stella or a VS but it’s not intended to be at this price point. I gave up on Quantum as they are total junk for their price class. These are also very good looking reels. I match them on Star Stellar Lite 7′ boat and various surf plugging rods. In my opinion – worth the money. If you can spend more then I’d go for a VS but I think this is a better reel than Shimano’s new Stradic for the price level.Also, I have 30# Daiwa J-Braid on both my 4000 and 5000 Clash reels – Daiwa J-Braid is true breaking strength and as such is much thinner in diameter than other braids for the same rating. For example 30# in Daiwa J-Braid is #20 diameter in Western Filament Tough Line or Suffix Performance or 832. The 30# J-Braid handles well on this reel.

Clash are great reals, very light for the line capacity and pretty good drags, I have a total of seven of them now. That said, if you fish them the drags can get sticky and will need tear down and cleaned. I’ve also had two spools freeze on the shafts, an easy enough fix in the garage, it not on the boat, those reels went out of service for the day, not a problem on my boat, but if you only have one…I’ll buy more of these because I’m not afraid of their problems, but don’t overpay.

This is the second one I bought, I’ve had the first one for about a year and a half and it’s been the best reel for inshore saltwater use out of anything I’ve ever used. It’s very smooth and has a solid feel behind it. I prefer this over my daiwa BG and shimano stradic. The stradic feels like a toy compared to this reel. The drag is extremely smooth and the clicker when adjusting the drag is convieneint. The line roller is very smooth and the sealed body is great. I have he 4000 and it pulls in decent size reds, Spanish mackerel, and big trout in no prpblem, I’ve never had to use all15lbs of drag, I’m sure you could drag in some large fish with this reel. The rings on the spool every 1/3rd capacity are great to let you know how much line is left. Have gotten very few wind knots, and it casts a mile. Over all it’s the best reel for the money. Just be sure to rinse it off wth fresh water and lubricate after use to keep it working like new. Will likely purchase more of this and phase out my shimano stradics.

I have several higher priced reels (Shimano, Daiwa) and must say that this reel is an exceptional reel in all aspects! Fit and finish is superb, drag is very smooth, line capacity estimates are accurate (300 yards of 30# Power Pro filled the reel exactly to the “full” ring), very sturdy (including the carbon fiber rotor)- but light weight. Line lay on the spool was perfect and I did not have to change to a different (provided) shim. I make it a habit of breaking down a new reel to check the level of lubrication- this reel was well lubed. Reel has large screws which make do-it-yourself maintenance a breeze. Although this reel is not totally sealed, bearings are sealed and well lubed- normal maintenance like rinsing after use in saltwater and periodic oiling will keep this reel in perfect order. Although the black/gold scheme is very attractive, I expect normal or hard use will really show the “road rash” but will not hurt the reel in any way. I’ll probably purchase another Clash reel- they’re that good.

Great, used it for spinning from the shore for decent pollock on light line (10lb b/s) and I have used it on the boat to catch Ling, mackeral, big wrasse, cod and on a baited flutter jig I even caught a 30lb tope and it coped just fine paired with a Kenzaki Braid 12 – 20lb and a 30lb mono topshot with 80lb braid. It holds about enough 80lb braid to fish in 100 feet of water and still some for those unexpected catches, this is just a 4000 though so for deeper water or even bigger fish, you might want a 5 or 6000. I got this reel after reading Henry Gilbey’s review and he was very positive towards this reel so I paid up and I’m not disappointed. Oh, a really fast retrieve is achieveable too. Great reel, best spinner I’ve ever bought.

lovely reel if your a perfectionist like me

Great smooth drag, line capacity is good, never had any difficulties handling the inshore species of Cuban waters. 4ft Barracuda, large snapper, mackeral, grouper, etc… reel appears to be well built and should last me a long time.

Have not used it yet but it is built like a tank. I have it strung up with 80lb braid to pitch up to 8oz musky lures on a spinning rod setup on a 10foot Surfrod.