I bought a new reel two weeks ago and used it on a fishing trip last
weekend. When I caught my first fish the bail on the spinning reel
opened completely - the line guide, bearings, screw, etc all went flying
overboard.

I contacted Penn and had the schematic in front of me. I explained the
situation to the woman and read off the parts I needed to repair the
reel. The short version is she gave me the option of paying about $20
for replacement parts for a brand new $125 reel, driving 40 miles to the
nearest service center to drop it off and pick it up at a later date, or
taking a return call from a technician. I told her options 1 and 2
weren't acceptable and asked for the return call. In an hour I got a
call from a guy at Penn who started the conversation by asking for my
address. I gave it to him and he said all of the parts would be in the
mail the same day. I asked him if I should put Loctite on the screw and
he said it wasn't necessary and that the lock washer was probably not
installed.

The reason for my post is that there are some very good companies and
some not so good. Garmin, for example, is at the top of my list for
customer service. Fenwick is another for fresh water rods and Shimano
took great care of a small problem with a new reel without a question.
In this case, the woman in customer service didn't have the authority to
satisfy a customer but they do have people who can. Those tiny parts
will cost THEM maybe $5 to send to me. The moral of the story, with
Penn at least, is you have to speak to the right person. If you have a
legitimate problem, they will take care of you.

I promised her to post the results of my problem on the internet and
here it is. Penn is a very good company if you speak to the right person.

On May 20, 9:11*pm, L G wrote:
I bought a new reel two weeks ago and used it on a fishing trip last
weekend. *When I caught my first fish the bail on the spinning reel
opened completely - the line guide, bearings, screw, etc all went flying
overboard.

I contacted Penn and had the schematic in front of me. *I explained the
situation to the woman and read off the parts I needed to repair the
reel. *The short version is she gave me the option of paying about $20
for replacement parts for a brand new $125 reel, driving 40 miles to the
nearest service center to drop it off and pick it up at a later date, or
taking a return call from a technician. *I told her options 1 and 2
weren't acceptable and asked for the return call. *In an hour I got a
call from a guy at Penn who started the conversation by asking for my
address. *I gave it to him and he said all of the parts would be in the
mail the same day. *I asked him if I should put Loctite on the screw and
he said it wasn't necessary and that the lock washer was probably not
installed.

The reason for my post is that there are some very good companies and
some not so good. *Garmin, for example, is at the top of my list for
customer service. *Fenwick is another for fresh water rods and Shimano
took great care of a small problem with a new reel without a question. *
In this case, the woman in customer service didn't have the authority to
satisfy a customer but they do have people who can. *Those tiny parts
will cost THEM maybe $5 to send to me. *The moral of the story, with
Penn at least, is you have to speak to the right person. *If you have a
legitimate problem, they will take care of you.

I promised her to post the results of my problem on the internet and
here it is. *Penn is a very good company if you speak to the right person.

Penn reels suck, period. Highly over rated, uncomfortable to operate,
and the plastic ones are built cheap.

I use Blue Runner ( ALL metal, and built like a tank ) , and Diawa
Acudepth. The later only because it has an acurate depth counter, and
the handle is very well designed for the hand.

For poles, it's ALL Walker 10 footers. They have a yellow section at
the last 6 inches. This feature is awesome for evening fishing. The
Stern light illuminates the tip for ease of movement spotting.

Gene wrote:
On Fri, 20 May 2011 18:18:35 -0700 (PDT), "*e#c"
wrote:


I use Blue Runner ( ALL metal, and built like a tank ) , and Diawa
Acudepth. The later only because it has an acurate depth counter, and
the handle is very well designed for the hand.

For poles, it's ALL Walker 10 footers. They have a yellow section at
the last 6 inches. This feature is awesome for evening fishing. The
Stern light illuminates the tip for ease of movement spotting.

I prefer my Penn Reels to the other "gold" models that I have.... I
don't care for the plastic ones, though. Never have had a problem
with them.

I try to buy quality and American made products. Blue Runner is the
Bayliner of reels.... though made offshore, as nearly as I can
determine.... nobody I know of sells them but big box stores...

Never did get the depth counter thing.... fishing in my area, unless
you have a protractor on the line and are fast on the calculator, you
are only measuring length of line payed out... not depth.


I think I have about 8 or 9 "usual" reels these days, including a brand
new Penn Slammer 460 spinning reel I've had for years that I spooled up
but haven't used. I have two Shimano salt water baitcasting reels, small
ones; a larger Shimano Charter Special reel with a lever drag for
trolling; two large Penn salt water spinning reels and two small Penn
salt water spinning reels. I also have two fly reels. I sold off and
gave away my heavy fishing gear years ago. I wash the reels off with
fresh water after every use, and "field strip" them twice a season to
clean out gook, old grease, et cetera. About every three years, I send
the Penn reels off to Penn for a dusting and cleaning, during which any
worn parts are replaced.

Friend of mine who lives in Milford, CT., found an old rod and reel of
mine in his garage. It's been there for 50 years. He lives year around
at the beach. My gear was sitting in an old barrel, along with a couple
of oars and a wood boathook. He said the reel still worked. I might stop
by to visit it on my trip to Connecticut this summer. I think it was a
Penn reel, but I don't remember. Nothing big; used it to catch porgies,
stripers and snapper blues.

On Sat, 21 May 2011 08:32:10 -0400, Harryk
wrote:

I wash the reels off with
fresh water after every use, and "field strip" them twice a season to
clean out gook, old grease, et cetera. About every three years, I send
the Penn reels off to Penn for a dusting and cleaning, during which any
worn parts are replaced.

That's an impressive maintenance regime Harold, very impressive. All
you need now is a boat.

I have a 30 year old Penn 6/0 sal****er reel that I carry around with
us. It has never had any maintenance at all and still works just
fine. In the last week it has caught 4 Mahi Mahis, a Bonito and a
Tuna, all but one on pink and white Rattle Jet lures. The Rattle Jets
are just about the most effective fish magnets I've ever used.

http://www.basspro.com/C-H-Lures-Rattle-Jet-Sal****er-Lure-Rigged/product/8221/-952717

My only complaint with the Penn is that it does not hold enough line.
Something big hit it a few days ago north of Palm Beach and spooled
out 200 yards of 120 pound mono, against the drag, within about 30
seconds. Hit and run attack, wish I'd caught a glimpse of it.

Wayne B wrote:
On Sat, 21 May 2011 08:32:10 -0400,
wrote:

I wash the reels off with
fresh water after every use, and "field strip" them twice a season to
clean out gook, old grease, et cetera. About every three years, I send
the Penn reels off to Penn for a dusting and cleaning, during which any
worn parts are replaced.

That's an impressive maintenance regime Harold, very impressive. All
you need now is a boat.


I'd said "eat me, w'hine," but...who knows where your mouth has been, eh?

Gene wrote:
On Sat, 21 May 2011 09:56:42 -0400, Wayne B
wrote:

On Sat, 21 May 2011 08:32:10 -0400,
wrote:

I wash the reels off with
fresh water after every use, and "field strip" them twice a season to
clean out gook, old grease, et cetera. About every three years, I send
the Penn reels off to Penn for a dusting and cleaning, during which any
worn parts are replaced.
That's an impressive maintenance regime Harold, very impressive. All
you need now is a boat.

I have a 30 year old Penn 6/0 sal****er reel that I carry around with
us. It has never had any maintenance at all and still works just
fine. In the last week it has caught 4 Mahi Mahis, a Bonito and a
Tuna, all but one on pink and white Rattle Jet lures. The Rattle Jets
are just about the most effective fish magnets I've ever used.

http://www.basspro.com/C-H-Lures-Rattle-Jet-Sal****er-Lure-Rigged/product/8221/-952717

My only complaint with the Penn is that it does not hold enough line.
Something big hit it a few days ago north of Palm Beach and spooled
out 200 yards of 120 pound mono, against the drag, within about 30
seconds. Hit and run attack, wish I'd caught a glimpse of it.

North Atlantic Boomer.....






More likely, he snagged something on the bottom.

On May 21, 8:15*am, Gene wrote:
On Fri, 20 May 2011 18:18:35 -0700 (PDT), "*e#c"





wrote:
On May 20, 9:11*pm, L G wrote:
I bought a new reel two weeks ago and used it on a fishing trip last
weekend. *When I caught my first fish the bail on the spinning reel
opened completely - the line guide, bearings, screw, etc all went flying
overboard.

I contacted Penn and had the schematic in front of me. *I explained the
situation to the woman and read off the parts I needed to repair the
reel. *The short version is she gave me the option of paying about $20
for replacement parts for a brand new $125 reel, driving 40 miles to the
nearest service center to drop it off and pick it up at a later date, or
taking a return call from a technician. *I told her options 1 and 2
weren't acceptable and asked for the return call. *In an hour I got a
call from a guy at Penn who started the conversation by asking for my
address. *I gave it to him and he said all of the parts would be in the
mail the same day. *I asked him if I should put Loctite on the screw and
he said it wasn't necessary and that the lock washer was probably not
installed.

The reason for my post is that there are some very good companies and
some not so good. *Garmin, for example, is at the top of my list for
customer service. *Fenwick is another for fresh water rods and Shimano
took great care of a small problem with a new reel without a question. *
In this case, the woman in customer service didn't have the authority to
satisfy a customer but they do have people who can. *Those tiny parts
will cost THEM maybe $5 to send to me. *The moral of the story, with
Penn at least, is you have to speak to the right person. *If you have a
legitimate problem, they will take care of you.

I promised her to post the results of my problem on the internet and
here it is. *Penn is a very good company if you speak to the right person.

Penn reels suck, period. Highly over rated, uncomfortable to operate,
and the plastic ones are built cheap.

I use Blue Runner ( ALL metal, and built like a tank ) , and Diawa
Acudepth. The later only because it has an acurate depth counter, and
the handle is very well designed for the hand.

For poles, it's ALL Walker 10 footers. They have a yellow section at
the last 6 inches. This feature is awesome for evening fishing. The
Stern light illuminates the tip for ease of movement spotting.

I prefer my Penn Reels to the other "gold" models that I have.... I
don't care for the plastic ones, though. *Never have had a problem
with them.

I try to buy quality and American made products. Blue Runner is the
Bayliner of reels.... though made offshore, as nearly as I can
determine.... nobody I know of sells them but big box stores...

Never did get the depth counter thing.... fishing in my area, unless
you have a protractor on the line and are fast on the calculator, you
are only measuring length of line payed out... not depth.

--

Forté Agent 6.00 Build 1186

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover." * - Unknown

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
*http://pamandgene.tranquilrefuge.net/boating/the_boat/my_boat.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Blue Runner is the
Bayliner of reels.... though made offshore, as nearly as I can
determine.... nobody I know of sells them but big box stores...



Really? I love mine. Freshwater only, it's given me ZERO problems. My
Wife bought it off of friends who ran a Tackle Shop for an anniversary
present. I got it with the matching pole.

As for the Acudepth, I use Dipsy Divers, and need an accurate line out
count. I also use Torpedo Divers, made by a guy in my area. They look
like they sound, a Torpedo. Made of lead (painted). When you use them,
I get 35 feet down from 53 feet of line out. When using a " Hotlips
" (a diving lure ) ..157 feet of line out, gets me 35 feet down.
Pickeral smash the Hotlips !!!

On May 21, 8:15*am, Gene wrote:
On Fri, 20 May 2011 18:18:35 -0700 (PDT), "*e#c"





wrote:
On May 20, 9:11*pm, L G wrote:
I bought a new reel two weeks ago and used it on a fishing trip last
weekend. *When I caught my first fish the bail on the spinning reel
opened completely - the line guide, bearings, screw, etc all went flying
overboard.

I contacted Penn and had the schematic in front of me. *I explained the
situation to the woman and read off the parts I needed to repair the
reel. *The short version is she gave me the option of paying about $20
for replacement parts for a brand new $125 reel, driving 40 miles to the
nearest service center to drop it off and pick it up at a later date, or
taking a return call from a technician. *I told her options 1 and 2
weren't acceptable and asked for the return call. *In an hour I got a
call from a guy at Penn who started the conversation by asking for my
address. *I gave it to him and he said all of the parts would be in the
mail the same day. *I asked him if I should put Loctite on the screw and
he said it wasn't necessary and that the lock washer was probably not
installed.

The reason for my post is that there are some very good companies and
some not so good. *Garmin, for example, is at the top of my list for
customer service. *Fenwick is another for fresh water rods and Shimano
took great care of a small problem with a new reel without a question. *
In this case, the woman in customer service didn't have the authority to
satisfy a customer but they do have people who can. *Those tiny parts
will cost THEM maybe $5 to send to me. *The moral of the story, with
Penn at least, is you have to speak to the right person. *If you have a
legitimate problem, they will take care of you.

I promised her to post the results of my problem on the internet and
here it is. *Penn is a very good company if you speak to the right person.

Penn reels suck, period. Highly over rated, uncomfortable to operate,
and the plastic ones are built cheap.

I use Blue Runner ( ALL metal, and built like a tank ) , and Diawa
Acudepth. The later only because it has an acurate depth counter, and
the handle is very well designed for the hand.

For poles, it's ALL Walker 10 footers. They have a yellow section at
the last 6 inches. This feature is awesome for evening fishing. The
Stern light illuminates the tip for ease of movement spotting.

I prefer my Penn Reels to the other "gold" models that I have.... I
don't care for the plastic ones, though. *Never have had a problem
with them.

I try to buy quality and American made products. Blue Runner is the
Bayliner of reels.... though made offshore, as nearly as I can
determine.... nobody I know of sells them but big box stores...

Never did get the depth counter thing.... fishing in my area, unless
you have a protractor on the line and are fast on the calculator, you
are only measuring length of line payed out... not depth.

--

Forté Agent 6.00 Build 1186

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by
the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover." * - Unknown

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
*http://pamandgene.tranquilrefuge.net/boating/the_boat/my_boat.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I forgot, the other thing about Penn Reels, is the totally ****ty
attaching to the pole method they have. It looks absolutely cheap.

On Sat, 21 May 2011 10:15:21 -0400, Harryk
wrote:

Gene wrote:
On Sat, 21 May 2011 09:56:42 -0400, Wayne B
wrote:

On Sat, 21 May 2011 08:32:10 -0400,
wrote:

I wash the reels off with
fresh water after every use, and "field strip" them twice a season to
clean out gook, old grease, et cetera. About every three years, I send
the Penn reels off to Penn for a dusting and cleaning, during which any
worn parts are replaced.
That's an impressive maintenance regime Harold, very impressive. All
you need now is a boat.

I have a 30 year old Penn 6/0 sal****er reel that I carry around with
us. It has never had any maintenance at all and still works just
fine. In the last week it has caught 4 Mahi Mahis, a Bonito and a
Tuna, all but one on pink and white Rattle Jet lures. The Rattle Jets
are just about the most effective fish magnets I've ever used.

http://www.basspro.com/C-H-Lures-Rattle-Jet-Sal****er-Lure-Rigged/product/8221/-952717

My only complaint with the Penn is that it does not hold enough line.
Something big hit it a few days ago north of Palm Beach and spooled
out 200 yards of 120 pound mono, against the drag, within about 30
seconds. Hit and run attack, wish I'd caught a glimpse of it.

North Atlantic Boomer.....






More likely, he snagged something on the bottom.

Not likely at all - trolling on the surface in over 50 ft of water.

We had something hit a cedar plug last year south of the Turks and
Caicos in over 1000 ft of water. It almost spooled out the reel but
snapped the leader just as I cranked the drag down full on.

On Sat, 21 May 2011 10:13:58 -0400, Harryk
wrote:

Wayne B wrote:
On Sat, 21 May 2011 08:32:10 -0400,
wrote:

I wash the reels off with
fresh water after every use, and "field strip" them twice a season to
clean out gook, old grease, et cetera. About every three years, I send
the Penn reels off to Penn for a dusting and cleaning, during which any
worn parts are replaced.

That's an impressive maintenance regime Harold, very impressive. All
you need now is a boat.


I'd said "eat me, w'hine," but...who knows where your mouth has been, eh?

Potty mouthing again Harold? That's not very clever or articulate for
one so well schooled as you. Or did you learn that at the Brick
Layers union hall?