Penn Battle Spinning Reel Kit, Size 5000, Includes Reel Cover and Spare Anodized Aluminum Spool, Right/Left Handle Position, HT-100 Front Drag System

Bought this for my son. He like to fish on the bay and just went on his first boat fishing trip. He has thanked me several times! Telling me he has the best fishing reel! His friend reels all broke and he never has had any issues bringing in everything from halibut, large mouth bass, cod, and stingrays! He said his rod never gave him an issue with any of them. I looked at several rods and because I knew he was going to go be going saltwater fishing. I was worried about it getting damaged, but he has fished with it many of weekends and it still looks great

I bought the PENN BATTLE 2 4000 for mostly so.cal. surf fishing. I've been fishing for over 50 years for everything from bluegills to blue fin tuna. I bought it for casting jerk baits, lead heads, and small irons with a Shimano 10' stick. I spooled up with 20lb. braid directly to the reel(no mono backing needed with the rubber gasket on the spool, though some people still like a mono backing) to the top fill line. 30lb. mono leader, and I was very happy with the performance, from the way the bail clicks into place when open and stays there, to how smooth and quite it is. the HT-100 drag system is a reliable, tough and is a long lasting set up. I have not had any wind knots or issues with line coming on and off in a weird way. After fifty or so casts I can really feel the difference with that light weight reel. It's half the weight of my older 4000 size reels. I'm also getting a quicker release when casting with less weight, which translate to way more distance for me. The components of this reel are what set it apart from others in this price range. I looked at others, and they are good as well. I would recommend this reel primarily for the drag system and overall feel over the DAIWA BG for instance. I hope this helped you.

It's a Good, dependable and strong reel for all types of fish

I stripped down the reel upon receiving it. This is what I found. The reel is all non-corrosive metal, very little plastic in this reel. It has simple locomotive gearing and is mostly well designed and made. The reel was missing the washers to the three side plate screws. This caused the reel to be harder to crank than it should. Backing off the screws freed up the reel. The reel is now very easy turning and smooth. I put in an order for the washers. I could return it, but its no big deal. Penn puts their blue grease everywhere in this reel. This is generally a good thing. I however removed it from the drive shaft and line bushing and replaced with Penn reel oil. The reel now is easier to turn than it was out of the box. Non-sealed saltwater reels should be easy to take apart and put back together because if you dunk one that is what you will be doing. This is for the most part true of the 2500 Battle. There are no side plate screws hidden under the rotor. You therefore can take off the side plate for service and inspection without taking off the rotor. The screws don’t get boogered up with standard screwdrivers and are easy to take off. However, Penn departed from their easy to service design philosophy on the roller bearing and anti-reverse switch. It’s like they were an after thought. The roller (anti-reverse) bearing is a 10-piece affair that will come apart in your hand when you take it out. Penn added an anti-reverse switch on this smaller model. To activate the A/R, it relies on a tiny spring that looks like it belongs in a watch. Penn really dropped the ball IMO on the design of the roller bearing assembly and anti reverse switch. They are way too difficult to put back together and if the spring corrodes and breaks you have no anti-reverse. The 3000 and up models don’t have an anti reverse switch and look to have a one-piece roller bearing. The reel has a plate to keep the rotor nut from coming loose. The plate is held in with one screw. Penn put two screw holes in the rotor to screw the plate in to. You pick whichever one you need. This extra hole goes uncovered and is an entry point for saltwater to get under the rotor. Come no Penn, what were you all thinking? The reel has a screw in handle. I like this better than a pin type handle that you insert into the reel and screw down with a retaining cap on the other side of the body. The reel feels very solid when you turn the handle with very little play. The Battle has a bushing for the line roller, no bearing here. I prefer this design as it is more reliable and easier to service. This is an area where they saved cost with no decrease in performance. Ditto the reel handle, no bearings here either, again one less bearing to replace from saltwater intrusion. I personally think bearings on the line roller and handle are a sales gimmick with no advantage in a small reel. I like this reel allot. It is all metal and has sealed bearings for less than $100 shipped. However, if you are going to service and repair your reels yourself, can live without the anti-reverse switch and don’t mind a little more weight, I would get the 3000. The 3000 doesn’t have that multi-piece roller bearing and anti-reverse switch. I will keep this reel for my kid’s rod, but will buy 3000 sizes for my other inshore rods. I took off a star for the multi-piece roller bearing assembly and an anti-reverse switch with a tiny spring.

Very high quality reel. Plus it came with a spare spool and reel cover. I paired it with a 6' 10" H&H custom rod for speckled trout, red fish and flounder fishing. Have not had it down to the coast yet so have also been using that set up to bottom bounce for sauger. No sauger yet but have caught a five pound range freshwater drum on it. Drag is smooth. Only downside is I fell down while walking on rocks while fishing below a dam and I put a beauty mark on the edge of the spool and a scuffed the black paint (anodizing?) on the bail. Doesn't effect function but I was also a little surprised how easily it scratched.

Perfect weight! Light, works perfectly for my wife. She was wanting a lighter set up and this paired with a Ugly Stik intercoastal 6.5 foot rod fit the bill!

After hearing all of the hype, I finally took the plunge & bought the Pen Battle II 4000. It's the best purchase I've made in a while! This honestly is my new favorite reel. I use it mostly in fresh water, but also go saltwater fishing on occasion. This reel is awesome. It's super smooth, it's easy to adjust the drag & feels great when you've got a biggie on the line. I'm currently using it with 20lb. Spiderwire Braided Stealth Super Line for freshwater fishing. The motion is very natural. It's a very sturdy reel & feels like it will last for a long time to come. In this price range, this Penn reel gives you a lot of features that you could pay hundreds of dollars for in other brands. The HT100 drag washer system makes it so that you only need 1 or 2 clicks, which makes all the difference. With 6 sealed ball bearings, you can use it in saltwater conditions without worrying about corrosion. Amazon has a competitive price, and with free shipping, it can't be beat. Highly recommended!

I'm experienced with fresh water fishing but not familiar with surf fishing at all. I bought the 3000 series for $109. Once or twice a year me and the boys go camp at Assateague Island to meet nice people, drink, and cook food over fires. This year I wanted to fish, but I've never gone surf fishing before. After looking up all my materials to purchase I went fishing. I wanted to make sure I had a dependable, quality reel because I will be surf fishing now aside from just my regular fresh water fishing. Down in Assateague you're catching Blue Fish, Drum, Trout, Bass, Croaker, so nothing I'm catching is likely to exceed 30 pounds. This reel felt capable. I didn't worry about the reel whatsoever. I had more concern over the line I was using and how my rod was going to hold. All of my equipment came through, but for this review: the reel came through. For any beginners out there that know you're going to be fishing consistently, I'll say this: You don't need the most expensive, top-of-the-line products to fish. But don't cheap yourself out of quality equipment for the right price. If you're going to continue to fish, I recommend this Penn Battle II 3000 spinning reel. I'll provide updates when applicable.