# P&S Whats y'alls opinion on the Penn Battle reels



## fishhunt365 (Sep 14, 2009)

Got a new Battle 8000 on a Penn Torque 10 ft rod .Ready to fish. so im looking for somebody who has the battle reels, and your opinion on performance.


Thanks


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

yes, you it for bait. i own 2 penn battle 2000's & its windknot city. i now fish all stradics & saros because i got so tired of the battle. i can say ive never got a windknot with the saros or stradic but ive got to many to count with the battle.


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

kayak456 said:


> yes, you it for bait. i own 2 penn battle 2000's & its windknot city. i now fish all stradics & saros because i got so tired of the battle. i can say ive never got a windknot with the saros or stradic but ive got to many to count with the battle.


I too have had my share of windknots on the 4000 Battle and 3000 Fierce that I own. Maybe I'll try a Saros or Stradic this spring.

To the OPs question: besides the windknots that kayak456 mentioned, the drag is great on the 4k series I have. The HT100 drags are night/day over the felt washers in the lower end Penns. The Battle 4000/7' M rod is my inshore/yak combo. Plenty of muscle for the 16"-24" specs and puppies last season.


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

Picked up a Battle 8000 last summer. Was in need of a large spinning reel and wanted to save a few bucks and give Penn a try, as I had heard favorable opinions on the Battle. After the second trip out, essentially brand new and caught only one 3-4' atlantic sharpnose, it crapped out on me with what seemed to be a loose part rattling around inside. I have a video clip somewhere. Returned it the next day and got another Shimano...lesson learned. I know lots of guys love 'em, but Penn missed their chance to win me over with that reel. I hope you have a better experience with yours.


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## fishhunt365 (Sep 14, 2009)

windknots .was that with braid or mono.only reason i ask, is with all my spinners i have expierenced that,even 4500ss up to 9500ss


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

Mono for me.


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

you can only get a windknot with braid. & i had 8 pound mono on the battle & it worked good. i just would not recommend a battle for stuff under 2 ounces where slack line may be involved. i would get a spin fisher v instead. i own one 3500 size & its my whiting reel. yes it gets windknot but its alot better than a battle


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Guess I'm gonna go against the grain here a bit.. NEVER WAS a PENN FAN,always diawa.. Well decided to try the smaller 2000 series battle,and have had EXCELLENT luck with it.. Drag is exceptional,have close to 0 windknots,and gears are fine in it.. My son has the 6000 and has caught a few fish on it,does great.. Maybe we just stumbled on to two good'ns??? Anyway have bought 3 of the 3000 size for my charters,after owning the 2000 for close to three years now,catching TONS of fish from alberts,stripers up to 20lbs,pups,small kings,one keeper sized cobe and a couple of smaller ones, spainish,as well as everything inbetween fresh and salt, figured I would give this reel a thumbs up.. You guys seem to be piss'n on my parade though....


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

i like my battle alot, it is extremly smooth but i have gotten to many wind knows to cast. & yeah i stop the lure when it hits the water so there is no slack & iclose the bail manually. i take all the windknot precautions but still get windknots. not with shimano. the battle i owned was a 2000


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## Fish Hunter (Jul 31, 2002)

Own 2000 to the 4000. No issue with wind knots, gears or drag. I have found the Battle to be a fine reel in small to mid size. Do not fish large spinners. Sargus was/is just as dependable, just without the upgraded drag.


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

I'm sure there's some user error on my part too. I throw smaller jigs (1/4) and being on a yak I tend to throw into the wind alot which will cause windknots. Also, reeling while the drag is running will cause windknots too - guilty of that bad habit.


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

wind knots are caused by slack line & improper line lay. i forgot that the battle doesnt lay line evenly at all. sometimes my line looks like a hour glass. reeling against the drag causes line twist, not wind knots


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

I've got a Fierce, Sargus and a Battle with braid on all of them with not a single wind knot


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## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

the line roller on a stradic or saros or symetre or sahara is different than other reels. there is a small notch on the line roller that catches the line . im just saying ive used the battle all last fall using various topwater plugs for stripers ( i live in maryland, im talkin about chesapeake bay fishing) & i got alot of wind knots. yes the real help up to 20-35 inch stripers just fine, the wind knots were to much of a hassle


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## fishhunt365 (Sep 14, 2009)

surfchunker your my hero.all ive ever used was penn spinners,i have the same line up as you plus a couple of ss.and they all have braid.really never had much of a problem at all with them,hope i didnt just jinx myself


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

kayak456 said:


> the line roller on a stradic or saros or symetre or sahara is different than other reels. there is a small notch on the line roller that catches the line . im just saying ive used the battle all last fall using various topwater plugs for stripers ( i live in maryland, im talkin about chesapeake bay fishing) & i got alot of wind knots. yes the real help up to 20-35 inch stripers just fine, the wind knots were to much of a hassle


Have used the reel (battle 2000) fishing for smallmouths with jigs and plugs from a yak in rapids,fishing for all kinds of saltwater species using gotchas (biggest culprit for windknots) all kinds of jigs and bucktails,as well as sandfleas and cutbait on the bottom.. Never an issue.. Not saying it's user error at all,but if your reel is laying line on there as you say,maybe that is the problem.. Send it back and see if they can fix it... jmho....


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

also used shimano, Daiwas an penns ... only time I get wind knots it is my fault, overfilling the spool, line not on tight or slipping on the spool, not closing the bail by hand, drag too loose, with one except was I had a bail roller freeze up and after I freed it up it was fine


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## fishhunt365 (Sep 14, 2009)

i can understand windknots when their is alot lure and repetitious casting,never really had that problem in the surf.But i have noticed that reels that have smaller spools will do the windknots more frequently.So have you or anyone else used the penn torque rods?They seem to be a really good rod jmho.


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## Baygullknotsea (Dec 1, 2011)

My buddy left a 2500 Penn spinning reel at my house like a battle but older version I took it bass fishing and I threw out wind knots left and right even with wind to my back. Before long I threw it in the pond because it sucked. Gonna stick to my Stella


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## roostertail (Jul 7, 2012)

There are thousands of people with battles that love them but all you hear on here is trash about them. I would buy one in a heartbeat. Most sport shops i've been in carry the battle and they sell quite a few. I doubt they get all of them back.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Baygullknotsea said:


> My buddy left a 2500 Penn spinning reel at my house like a battle but older version I took it bass fishing and I threw out wind knots left and right even with wind to my back. Before long I threw it in the pond because it sucked. Gonna stick to my Stella


 I'd just like to know WHAT "older version" of a battle you had??? Like I said in the previous post,I'm not a penn guy,but do like the battle... If you're throwing out windknots left and right,especially with the wind at his back,he's just a nofeesh'n sumbeetch... jmho,after all you wrote... Sorry if that affended,but there it is...


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## map120277 (Jul 17, 2008)

Baygullknotsea said:


> My buddy left a 2500 Penn spinning reel at my house like a battle but older version I took it bass fishing and I threw out wind knots left and right even with wind to my back. Before long I threw it in the pond because it sucked. Gonna stick to my Stella


There is only 1 version of the battle, its a fairly new reel. I'm not lucky enough to own a Stella, im sure it reels like butter. I have reeled them in the tackle shop but never fished with one. One fine fishing reel for sure, I wish I had the loot for one. :beer:

I have both, the Battle is better than the Sargus. I have a Sargus and the bail will close over on you mid cast. No problems with the Battle so far.


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## Chris_Worthington (Jul 13, 2012)

I have (4) Battle 8000's and absolutely love them, never an issue and always ready to battle regardless of how I miss treat them  

Adding a few 6000's and perhaps a 4000 or 2 into the mix of my arsenal here shortly.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

As of now,have bought three new 3000 and have had the 2000 for going on 3 yrs now.. Think'n of getting a 5000 for cobia fishing,just not sure how big of a reel it is.. A big cobia on it would put it to the true test though...


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## KB Spot Chaser (Nov 19, 2009)

map120277 said:


> There is only 1 version of the battle, its a fairly new reel. I'm not lucky enough to own a Stella, im sure it reels like butter. I have reeled them in the tackle shop but never fished with one. One fine fishing reel for sure, I wish I had the loot for one. :beer:
> 
> I have both, the Battle is better than the Sargus. I have a Sargus and the bail will close over on you mid cast. No problems with the Battle so far.


Same problem here on the 3000 Battle, bail flips during midcast, will never buy another Penn, gave em a chance but no more.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

KB Spot Chaser said:


> Same problem here on the 3000 Battle, bail flips during midcast, will never buy another Penn, gave em a chance but no more.


 Ya'll keep "squeezing in these lemons"....  Hopefully my new ones will mirror my older 2000 and no problems like the one above...


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## RobVB (Mar 17, 2012)

I now own 4 Battles. 2 5000's, a 6000 and just recently bought a 3000. I initially had some issues with the bail closing midcast. I now take the trip lever (part no. 28) out of each one. Just be sure to hold the spring down while doing it. You may never see it again if it pops out. You'll need to close the bail manually afterwards, but you should be anyways in order to avoid line twists. The only line lay issue I've had is with the 6000. I had it spooled recently at B&T, now it's good to go. They're easy to take apart for cleaning and relubing. I think they're great reels for $100. If I need to replace the gears in a few years they are easily ordered at a reasonable price. Unless you're looking to go top of the line, they're a great bang for the buck. Good luck! Rob


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## RobVB (Mar 17, 2012)

I should have also mentioned that from my experiece with the Battle any windknots are likely from the spool being too full. I did get a few windknots at first with the 6000. I figured initially that is was probably due to the line lay. There were some gaps along the edges. However, I took some line off so that about 1/8 of an inch of the black was showing. I haven't had any windknots with it since.


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## fishfinder05 (Jun 25, 2011)

I have a battle 8000 on a Diana emblem 12ft rod and its a great combo. It has been great through 2 season and has been in the salt a few times while wading out. Wash it wish freshwater and keep it clean and lubed. IMO it's a great reel for the price point.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

RobVB said:


> I now own 4 Battles. 2 5000's, a 6000 and just recently bought a 3000. I initially had some issues with the bail closing midcast. I now take the trip lever (part no. 28) out of each one. Just be sure to hold the spring down while doing it. You may never see it again if it pops out. You'll need to close the bail manually afterwards, but you should be anyways in order to avoid line twists. The only line lay issue I've had is with the 6000. I had it spooled recently at B&T, now it's good to go. They're easy to take apart for cleaning and relubing. I think they're great reels for $100. If I need to replace the gears in a few years they are easily ordered at a reasonable price. Unless you're looking to go top of the line, they're a great bang for the buck. Good luck! Rob


 Rob,my son has the 6000.. Great reel and he loves it,although I think it to be a bit bulky.. How does that 5000 size compare?


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## RobVB (Mar 17, 2012)

Drumdum, On paper there's only an ounce or so difference in weight. The real difference is line capacity. The 2 5000's balance well with my Tica 9' & 10'. My advice would be 5000 for braid and 6000 for mono. I currently have 6000 on Okuma Solaris 11'. That seems to balance well. I have 2 spools for it, one with 50# braid & the other w/15# mono. I'm actually thinking about selling the Solaris with 6000 since I recently went with a 12' conventioanal heaver.


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## K9100 (Sep 5, 2012)

I got three of them. A 7000 on a Century SS1449 12' that has a 44" Drum on it at the Point. A 5000 on a custom Lami 10' that slays sea mullet and pups and a 4000 on a 10' One Arm Bandit custom that is great on spanish. I have had no problems with any of these reels and IMO they are great for the money. The 7000 has two spools, one with mono for fishing the point and the other has braid for fishing stripers in NJ. The other reels both have braid. They are all balanced well with the rods they are on and I have not gotten any wind knots. I did not overfill them and close the bail by hand after casting. I would def buy another one if I needed it.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

RobVB said:


> Drumdum, On paper there's only an ounce or so difference in weight. The real difference is line capacity. The 2 5000's balance well with my Tica 9' & 10'. My advice would be 5000 for braid and 6000 for mono. I currently have 6000 on Okuma Solaris 11'. That seems to balance well. I have 2 spools for it, one with 50# braid & the other w/15# mono. I'm actually thinking about selling the Solaris with 6000 since I recently went with a 12' conventioanal heaver.


 Not so worried about the weight.. It is the size and sounds like it is a shade or two smaller,if capacity seems an issue with you.. How much 12lb mono,about same size as 20lb smoke fireline (they lie on the actual size vs mono imo ) will it hold?? This reel will be on an 8' spinner for sightcasting drum and cobia,so small (for quick casting) and plenty of line with a good drag is the issue here...


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## RobVB (Mar 17, 2012)

Drumdum,
The Battles are sized in pairs... meaning that the 3000 & 4000 are similar in size then it jumps up to the 5000 & 6000, then the 7000 & 8000. I just looked at Penn's website. The weight difference between the 5000 & 6000 is more like 1.5 ounces. The 5000 holds 250 yards of 12# mono and weighs 20.3 ounces while the 4000 holds 170 yards of 12# and weighs 12.6 ounces. It would be nice if there was a size in between.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

RobVB said:


> Drumdum,
> The Battles are sized in pairs... meaning that the 3000 & 4000 are similar in size then it jumps up to the 5000 & 6000, then the 7000 & 8000. I just looked at Penn's website. The weight difference between the 5000 & 6000 is more like 1.5 ounces. The 5000 holds 250 yards of 12# mono and weighs 20.3 ounces while the 4000 holds 170 yards of 12# and weighs 12.6 ounces. It would be nice if there was a size in between.


 You are right,but the 5000 seems more suited for what I have in mind,thanks...


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