Sealine vs Senator

[rhorm]

Sorry for beating this to death but, I just picked up my first conv. It is for grouper fishing off the skyway and it came down to 2 choices for me Daiwa Sealine or Penn Senator. Both are 4/0 but, the sealine was a little cheaper and I saw some nice jfish caught with em so I chose the sealine. Any thoughts on these reels and the pros/cons? Should I have paid more for the senator? Sorry for being such a newie.

[Fisheadgib]

I've got several senators from 4/0 to 10/0, and four of the sealines. I've had the sealines for over 20 years and never had a problem with them. I use them for grouper and snapper and they've done a lot of heavy cranking. I haven't had much trouble with my older Penns, but I have a lot of annoying little breakage (stuck clickers, stuck gear levers) with my newer ones. I think the sealines are also stronger as they have a cast frame and metal sideplates.

[Singletjeff]

both great reels....I don't see why you would have a problem with either one of them. the Penn Senator is probably just a more common name to the general public, so those who don't know any better could possibly say senator was better just based off of popularity.

[Railroader]

Sorry for beating this to death but, I just picked up my first conv. It is for grouper fishing off the skyway and it came down to 2 choices for me Daiwa Sealine or Penn Senator. Both are 4/0 but, the sealine was a little cheaper and I saw some nice jfish caught with em so I chose the sealine. Any thoughts on these reels and the pros/cons? Should I have paid more for the senator? Sorry for being such a newie.

That's great, good choice! But.............

You need to get yourself an Abu or a 525...Something you can CAST!!!!:p :cool:

[AtlantaKing]

Both are good choices, but are also older type reels. You may want to consider the Penn 113HN Baja Special. It's a 4/0 narrow Senator with a higher gear ratio (4.25 to 1), a full aluminum "topless" frame, stainless steel main gear, larger drags and a nice handle. They used to run around $250, but can be had from many places for around $175. The line capacity is around 75% of a regular 4/0 reel (approx 375yds of 30lb vs 475yds of 30lb, respectively), but it shouldn't be a big problem if you're using braid.

[bigphil]

I've wondered the same thing. Have a couple Daiwa casters that I really like. The Penn has pretty much been the standard for a long time. All kinds of parts can be found. I have a penn 9/0 combo because I felt I got the better deal with it. I have been watching fleabay for a while to try and pick up a daiwa 400, 450, or 600. I plan on getting one or two. They seem like really good reels.