ok guys, the I need a light reel for my wife and old daughter that keep them free from leveling the line while cranking a nice fish.
I already have the 320gti that have served really good, seems like I can have a squall 30lw on ebay new at a nice price barely above $100 and looks like a nice reel on specs on paper, I wish I could afford a fathom 25lw at this moments but not right now, and the Squall looks nice, just like the fathom but with graphite body.
is the squal equal, less or more reel than the good'ol 320gti?
I've been using a 320 GT2 on my sturgeon rod for 10+ years and I can't kill it. I intend to by a squall line counter soon, as I don't have a line counter to troll with. The Squall should fit the bill.
As far as trading a 320 GTi or GT 2 for a squall 30 you are trading a graphite reel for a graphite reel. If you wait till the 320 is worn out the squall might be out of production.
If the GTI works fine and there is no other reason to upgrade to another reel, I say keep it, fish it and service it when necessary. I think the wife and your oldest daughter would put a lot of fish on the boat with that reel.
I really like your reel. Parts come easy and Alan has a great tutorial. I would fish it as intended, and it will outlast you and your daughter.
Ron
Yep, sometimes yos need to Heard from others What you already know.
This reel, the 320gti (USA nade) have the family record for te Best leopard grouper and 2nd Best yellowtail, and still kicking strong.
I Will keep fishing it until saving for a fathom 25 LW in the next year fishing season
Quote from: RowdyW on April 09, 2016, 02:22:20 AM
As far as trading a 320 GTi or GT 2 for a squall 30 you are trading a graphite reel for a graphite reel. If you wait till the 320 is worn out the squall might be out of production.
That was my point, exactly. I can't kill my GT2, so I have no reason to replace it. Over the 10+ years I've had it, I've fought (not necessarily landed ;D) over 140 sturgeon on the Sacramento Delta. Will probably last another decade..... or more if taken care of.
Or find another 320 GTI on Ebay.... ;)
I've been running a squall lw for rockfish/lingcod/salmon. For a graphite reel it's a stout little reel. Penn has done good things with the squall series. It'll run braided line really well. If you were looking for a new reel I'd definitely go with the squall. I'm gonna bet that the squall series will out perform the GTi
Looking at the website and manuals, the Squall manages to be slightly lighter than the Penn 320 and has a little more line capacity. I have a smaller non-levelwind Penn Squall that's primarily for pompano and it's held up to some very hefty bull drums that decided to stop by.
In addition, even though it seems that the 320 still has plenty of spare parts around, a current production reel might be better off if some part needs to be replaced.
I have a 320 GTI originally purchased in the late 80's. Try as I might, I couldn't kill the damn thing. Except for the drag, the reel is all original including the pawl. IMO, can't be beat for a beginner.
The 6 pack charter boat that I occasionally moonlight on uses 320 GTI's on his rental/loaner gear. Those things are tough! The only issues I've seen is from the levelwind, and even that is mainly caused by the sheer volume of novices that handle the gear. Your GTI will probably outlast all of us!
If your 320 is still running well, just keep it. The Squall is not a bad reel, but far too many come in my shop with anti reverse bearings that have failed. And, unfortunately, to replace that bearing your need to replace the entire side plate because the bearing is integral to the side plate. It does have a back up anti reverse dog, but the Squall dog is inferior to the 320 dog.
thanks Guys for your input about this reel, I actually ended up keeping it, just got me a levelwind assembly and its good for another 2-3 seasons, and I even also bought another 320gt from ebay for cheap, the other owner took the levelwind assembly out, but Im plan to add it again as well as change bearings and drag washers.
Quote from: steelfish on January 24, 2017, 07:03:01 PM
thanks Guys for your input about this reel, I actually ended up keeping it, just got me a levelwind assembly and its good for another 2-3 seasons, and I even also bought another 320gt from ebay for cheap, the other owner took the levelwind assembly out, but Im plan to add it again as well as change bearings and drag washers.
;)
Check out the Penn Warfare WAR30LW or WAR20W level wind reels, not high dollar but well built. I have friends that use the WAR15LW for salmon and they like them.