Which levelwind reel

Started by joel8080, September 07, 2013, 07:14:52 PM

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joel8080

September 07, 2013, 07:14:52 PM
We put our Condo up for sale and were packing up our Blackfin and sending it to CA where going home to So CA after fishing in FL for 6 years and Panama for 5 years, My Grandson loves fishing and the last 2 times I went to CA I took him fishing he has a problem thumbing the line when reeling it in, I was thinking of getting him a levelwind reel for 20-30  lb line, whats the perfect reel for a 8 year old or is a spinning reel the way to go?.
Oceanside,California

Ron Jones

#1
September 07, 2013, 08:46:47 PM
I love the 320Gti for 30 pound mono. I think your grandson will be set with it.
Ron
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

Bunnlevel Sharker

#2
September 07, 2013, 09:18:28 PM
Penn 209, holds 330 of 20lb mono.
Grayson Lanier

broschro

#3
September 07, 2013, 09:28:43 PM
my boy's ues my 209 or the old 350. Ayden is almost 8 and Ashton is 6. Ayden has it down.last trip out he was pulling up fotball size Vermilion snapper in 130 ft of water all by himself with the 350 with 30#mono.

spottybastard

#4
September 09, 2013, 05:46:25 AM
Penn Fathom 15.  Best money I've spent in a long time.  VERY tough reel.

jonathan.han

#5
September 09, 2013, 06:35:52 AM
Penn 320 with a teflon shim under the levelwind pawl. I did this to the reels on the charterboat I used to work on and it rarely failed on fish. Customers landed a few albacore and seabass on this setup. However, it got destroyed on snags and general "rental rodder" protocol to insert finger into levelwind assembly. Get something that has the plastic "lawsuit" idler gear or any fingers inserted into the levelwind will get pinched. The 209 and 309s don't have plastic idler gears.

The Fathoms are good too if you're into all aluminum frame and gloss black powdercoating. Gearing on the 320s and Fathoms are desirable. Not to bag on the classic 209s and 309s, but they are a bit antiquated in terms of gearing.
raw instinct

Bunnlevel Sharker

#6
September 09, 2013, 07:52:50 PM
Or maybe one of the new squall level winds
Grayson Lanier

Brokeass Boater

#7
September 14, 2013, 07:41:34 PM
I vote Penn squall 20 levelwind, only because I just bought one yesterday. Looks like it'll do the job on the 30lb Salmon coming up the Sacramento river right now,,,gregg

Ron Jones

#8
September 14, 2013, 10:07:11 PM
I guess I just have a hard time recommending that much money for a grandson.
Ronald
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

seaeagle2

#9
September 14, 2013, 10:42:54 PM
Penn 320, you can pick them up on ebay for 55 ish, I had a mishmash of okumas and cheap shimanos, I went to 310s and 320's and haven't looked back. I got mine off ebay
"One life, don't blow it" Kona Brewing
\"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there\'d be a shortage of fishing poles\" Doug Larson

borchcl

#10
September 15, 2013, 02:15:51 PM
Hard to beat the 320 reels, GTi or the newer GTi 2. Low initial cost, readily available parts and tougher than a boiled owl. Also pretty easy to service. I have eight or ten of them, used for salmon, snapper, lead core, or whatever.
Charlie

Ron Jones

#11
September 15, 2013, 06:20:45 PM
Quote from: borchcl on September 15, 2013, 02:15:51 PM
and tougher than a boiled owl.
Charlie

That's a new one. :D :D That their is funny, I don't care who you are.
Ron
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

Brokeass Boater

#12
September 16, 2013, 01:54:48 AM
Quote from: noyb72 on September 14, 2013, 10:07:11 PM
I guess I just have a hard time recommending that much money for a grandson.
Ronald
My Grandson is 10yrs old and I'm going to give this one to him when the Penn Squall 20 levelwind Line counter comes in a few weeks. Thats the one I was wanting but the Salmon are running thru my neighborhood right now and did't want to wait. It is a little pricy for a 10yr old, but I got my first senator 4/0 when I was 12 or 13 and still have it,,,gregg

spottybastard

#13
September 16, 2013, 05:39:30 AM
Joel,
Which reel did you wind up getting?   :o

Brokeass Boater

#14
September 23, 2013, 02:31:05 PM Last Edit: September 23, 2013, 02:37:22 PM by Brokeass Boater
Quote from: mrbrklyn on September 14, 2013, 09:59:56 PM
Quote from: Brokeass Boater on September 14, 2013, 07:41:34 PM
I vote Penn squall 20 levelwind, only because I just bought one yesterday. Looks like it'll do the job on the 30lb Salmon coming up the Sacramento river right now,,,gregg

I'd be interested in knowing how that works out for you.  I picked upa Squal 20 star drag and I'm mostly happy with it but for 2 things.  First, I lost the small knob on the spool adjustor.  Secondly, when compared at least to the 320GTI, it doesn't have as much of a speed ratio.  It is supposed to be 6-1 but there is no way that it brings in line as fast as the GTI.

My wife and I went up to Woodson Bridge this weekend to fish for Salmon on the Sacramento River. Bad weather had everyone sitting in camp Sat.  But sunday was beautiful. I caught this 15lber on the new Penn  squall 20 levelwind. Loaded it with 50lb braid and a 20' top shot of 25lb mono. Nice loud clicker. It needs the drags lubed up even though its new, not buttery smooth when the fish first hit. More than enough cranking power to turn the fish in a very fast current. Nice and light reel. Its a keeper for sure. But I'm spoiled with the line counters for fishing in the rivers around here so when I can get the linecounter version I'm definitely grab'in one. FYI this reel is a 4.9 ratio, not 6.1 like the non level winds,,,gregg
ps,,  can't seem to throw up a pic??,, o'well, its a decent smoker fish
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