Hello everyone. I am asking who is making a large durable level wind these days. I am looking for 4/0 or larger that I can load up with 65# braid. It will be my deep water rock/black cod set up. Maybe double for pacific halibut duty. I have a few 4/0's that I could use but,I am thinking a fast retrieve level wind would be the way to go. Thanks in advance...twopatch
;)
The Penn Fathom's are liked by many, the Fathom 11's are level winders. Many sizes available.
In that size the only ones that I have some experience with is the Daiwa Saltist https://www.daiwa.com/us/contents/reels/saltist_lw/index.html They can withstand a fair bit of abuse and have very fast retrieve rates. Then the Quantum Carbo range which I think have been discontinued.
Both reels cast pretty well too.
Go electric. These reels will be the biggest level winds there are. They are more affordable if you buy them overseas (south east asia or east asia) even after shipping/vat etc however no warranty/support for the US and the operating manual may not be in English. You will probably need a battery and charger. I recommend a Lithium iron phosphate (LIFEPO4) battery or those batteries that look like a bottle that screws right over the power port of the reel.
PS It's not cheating ;D .
Shimano Tekotas are tough.
I've been seeing more of these in NZ in recent years.
- www.evike.com/products/100605/ (https://www.evike.com/products/100605/)
They're pricey, but high quality.
I'd be wary of the level-wind though, as the idler gear is copper alloy.
Between that and the ARB, it'd be pretty unpleasant to trap a finger in there!
It does have a handy little 'finger fence' to limit the likelihood though ;) ;D
I've worked on a half dozen or so (and many Power Spells, which are an earlier, non-levelwind version) and they're beautifully made.
Another option for the mix anyway.
Cheers, Justin
I really like my Penn Squall 50LW.
Just an all-round "Get-R-Done" economic reel.
From bottom fish to mid size tuna it won't let you down.
It's my Shotgun reel in my Albacore spread.
Steve
Thanks for the responses. It certainly helps narrow things down. I will let the search begin!
I don't know if there are many left in circulation, but I am a little surprised no one mentioned the Penn 345gti. The Penn gti series is one of the most popular (led by the Penn 320gti) over the last 30 years.
The 345gti was the largest of the series. The largest I had in my hands for short while was the 340gti, and I recall it felt like a levelwind/higher speed 4/0.
Check with Fred Oakes, he may have one to unload in those bins he is currently going through..
The Okuma Solterra SLX comes in level wind in some fairly large sizes. Very robust reel and won't break the bank.