HEAVER REEL - DAIWA OR PENN?

[Sandcrab]

Looking to match up my BPS Oceanmaster 12' heaver (20-50 lb test, 5-9 oz weights) with either a Daiwa Grand Wave Z-30 (295 yds of 20 lb test) or a Penn 525 T-Mag (275 yds of 15 lb test) reel.

The Daiwa reel holds more 20 lb test line than the Penn but the Penn has a reputation for casting distance. I intend to use it for fishing Assateague for stripers and drum and the Delaware surf.

Anyone have any suggestions or comments on each of these reels?

Thanks :)

[Shoeless]

I have the OM/SHV30 combo and I love it. It is virtually fur-proof and casts a mile. I have no experience with the Penn, but I have read they can be a bear to tame. My opinion is go with the Grandwave-Z. You'll have castability along with extra line capacity for those stingrays that head for Spain.

[Sandcrab]

Shoe,

Thanks for your suggestion. We have lots of sharks during the Summer at Assateague Island SP. Fall brings our share of large drum that can spool you in a heartbeat. I really don't feel too comfortable with the Penn line capacity at all.

Diehard surf guys here swear by the Diawa "SLOSH" reels..the SHV and Grand Wave-Z are just better improvements on this reel.

[HuskyMD]

I think the Penn is the one Sand Flea has on his custom wrap job. Am I mistaken SF? Do you like it Sand Flea?

[Casted-Away]

in my opinion...if you want a good reel for 20# line i believe that you should go with this shimano speedmaster...take a look ;) http://www.gbtackle.com/reels/shimano/shimano_speedmaster.htm

[Shoeless]

Hey casted-away. That shimano is a trolling reel, not really made for casting. I don't doubt the quality of the reel, just wrong for the intended application.

[Casted-Away]

oo i am sorry i just that i might help..lol....my bad :p

[Digger]

I have the Penn 525MAG on the same rod as Sand Flea I love mine. I even had Salty work the reel over and trust me he did nothing to slow it down or tame it. It is probably one of the more unmanagable 525's around and I love it. That with the Breakaway 1418/2 will flat out toss and if you desire to tame the reel a trip to radioshack with a less than 2 dollar expendature will give you more control. The reel uses magnets to control the speed of the spool. I wish they would make the 535 in a mag version.

[geo]

sandcrab
I have an old slosh30 on my oceanmaster 12 and love it. Youll be happy with the z. Great drag and very castable. My 2. tight lines..........geo

[drumchaser]

The Daiwa sl30sh is a reel hard too beat.

[Dyhard]

I vote for the Penn 525 mag. I can't imagine a better casting reel. You can even adjust the magnets while your rig is in flight for extra distance. It will be the next reel I buy also. Oh, I've been casting since 1948 and have casted 40 different reels that I can remember.

[B-more]

One thing about Surf Fishing that I love is the unpredictable catch!I have a Penn 525 Mag mounted on a Breakaway 2pc/1pc loaded with 15lb test Yo-zuri,after a good cast I'am still not comfortable with the amount of line left on the spool! Fishing A.I. for big Rock I normally take that reel off and put on my old 9000c Abu loaded with 20lb Yo-zuri then I don,t have to worry too much about being stripped by a trophy fish! ;)

[Digger]

B-more that is why I wish Penn would make a slidy 535MAG. Sandcarb one thing to note if you think you may have to repair your reel yourself the Penn wins hands down. Both are good reels. Also the entire GS series throws very well with out the MAGS.

[Sandcrab]

B-More,

I also have a ABU 10000CL that I use on my other surf rod. I'm looking for another reel that has high capacity and casts well. I don't think the Penn's have the reputation at AI that the Daiwa SLH, SHV, and the Z's have - not to mention the fact that they cannot hold enough of the 20 lb test line I need for those shark runs in July and the drum runs in September. Lots of my buddies get spooled during these runs and they have been fishing AI their entire life. ;)

Thanks for all your help guys - I think I'm leaning towards the Daiwa Z series reels.

[sand flea]

My 525 throws lighter stuff just fine--I love it for spoons and the like. But I don't like it when I'm trying to throw 8 and a bait. Then again, I'm not as in love with conventionals as most of you guys :o

[jay b]

Sandflea, got to admit I too have never fallen completely for the conventionals, but they do have their purpose in the scheme of things. Give me a spinner for the light stuff . I do have Penn 850 & 950SS reels that are sometimes matched with a couple 11.5' surfrods that with 17-20lb. test and a shock leader can handle the 8&b8, but you talk about the conventionals being thumb-burners, watch-out those spinners with that much weight will take your finger off if you're not careful.

[Dyhard]

You might try 30 or 50 pound spiderwire on your 525 mag. It cast this line without any problems and it will hold a pile of it. This line is the answer to the problem of fishing in strong currents. It cuts through heavy waves so that your pole is not constantly moving back and forth. One other thing, this reel will cast so far that if you use mono, it is so stretchy at a distance that you can't feel the bite.

[Adam]

You fellas are underestimating that 525 Mag. I've seen some real nice drum caught on that reel, hell I've seen real nice drum caught on Abu 6500's, but that 525 is a sweet reel. Sufix Tri Plus 17# is all I put on mine, and it holds plenty, caught a few 40"+ drum on it this spring, no worries.

Saw a pic of a 70#+ plus Cobia caught on one this summer.

The Daiwa's are hard to beat for a 20# class reel, I have a 30SHV and its sweet too. The Grand Waves are a bit pricey and basically the same reel as the SHV's, with a few more ball bearings is all. Dont think they are worth the extra $$.

If all else fails, find an Abu 7500C3CT(blue), got one of them too, and its an awesome reel as well for 20# line.

Lots of options, or just do what I did and buy em all lol.

They've all been good to me this past year...

525 had 8 drum on it, 26-41", and a 30" plus Cobia.

Daiwa 30SHV had a 43" Cobia and some monster rays.

7500(just got it in October) had a 51" Drum on it.

[BentHook]

I've got a 525 mag(slidy) on a 12' OceanMaster and it cast great. With little experience, you can get 160 yds with 6 oz of weight.Just rememeber, the OM 12' doesn't want to load until it has 6 oz on it.I'm using 17# Suffix Tri which makes the reel controlable. With 20# Big Game it caused too many birds nest. The 525 slidy has a clicker and the 525 T doesn't. The slidy runs about $30-$40 cheaper also.
You can mag a 535 by adding a magnet but it won't cast as far as the 525 Mag. Both, the 525 and 535 have 40 pounds of drag

[skunked]

Just for the 2 cents..I use a Penn 500 Jigmaster on an 11'5" Lamiglass rod. Casts better than I do and holds about 400 yds. 20lb. If I get spooled then I was asleep or caught a boat. Can be a little tricky to cast though..

[Sandcrab]

Skunked,

I have a Penn Jigmaster 505 HS on my OM heaver now and want to swap it out. My Jigmaster normally goes on my 7' party boat rod.

[Furball]

When you are casting 8 oz and bait, I don't think the reel figures as much into distance as when casting lighter weights. The real bar on distance is ones casting technique and power. I have the 6500, 7500, Mag 525, GS-535, and 20SHV reels. I have not found much of a difference between them when heaving the heavy stuff.

If you are worried about line capacity, the Abu 7500, Penn 535, and Daiwa 30 grand wave are all good choices. I agree with Adam, that I just don't see what you get with the Grand Wave that you can't get for $50 less with the 30SHV.

Personally, I have just gone to the GS 535 (magged) as my main heaver reel. I like its rugged construction and drags.

Tight lines

Tom (aka Duckwump)

[RJohn]

You might be interested in the 535 MAG that is offered in the UK by Veals at about $140. It is a "T-mag" type with a knob adjustment. Look in the Penn section of their online catalog. http://veals.co.uk/acatalog/Veals_Catalogue_Penn_106.html
Good Luck,
John

[big brother]

if you need a simple way to mag a GS series reel try this: http://alamoareaanglers.homestead.com/MagGS~ns4.html

[Adam]

Another thought would be the Hatteras Outfitters custom Abu 7200C3CT, check it out at...
www.hatterasoutfitters.com (http://www.hatterasoutfitters.com)