I have been wanting a conventional reel for a while. Probably would not use it but a few times a year as I mainly fish inshore but, I do some offshore/reef fishing a couple times a year and want a conventional reel. I am looking at either a Penn GT Level Wind or a Penn Defiance. I am looking from some constructive input on these reels and a recommendation as to size. Don’t want to spend a bunch of money as they won’t be used a lot. Thanks for any helpful input.
i have a 5 year old penn 310 gti and i love it for BSB and shark fishing. it’s light and has a good bit of power and drag pressure (not a ton, but with 30lb braid i’m not afraid to thumb the spool if i need to), paired with a penn mariner 15-20lb it has caught a lot of fish and needs little to no maintenance. wish i could say the same for the guides on those mariners, the reel has outlasted 3 rods.
sorry, not familiar with the defiance… i’m sure nasty dawg will be along shortly with weight and gear ratio comparison.
I have had my Penn level wind 320 GT2 for 5 or 6 years, and I love it. My wife got the Slammer combo for me, and it’s one of my favorite setups to fight bigger fish with. The drag is easy to adjust while fighting.
I liked it so much that I got a used one. I don’t know how old the used one is, but it says more about the durability of these reels than my newer one does.
Edit: I think I got about 300 yards of 30 lb mono onto the reel on the left.
Semper Fi
18’ Sterling
115 Yamaha
Big Ugly Homemade Blue Push Pole
Where you been BarbaW? Haven’t seen you post in awhile
I have 4 of the 320GT2s they are around 6-7 years old and still going strong…
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
Personally, I’d stay away from a level wind reel for saltwater applications. It’s easy enough to make sure the line winds on correctly and that’s just one more thing to break. If the level wind guide gets stuck, the reel’s out of commission for the rest of the day.
I would recommend an Avet LX or HX. American made and are very popular among land based sharkers and long rangers in california.
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thanks for noticing, PP… been a little busy 
6:30 this morning:
noon:
Man, what a cutie! Thanks for the input guys.
Gorgeous, dude. Your day was made at 6:29.
Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda
awesome baby shot BW. missedyour posting
You will be more than happy with either the Defiance or GT. Being that you will only be using it a few times a year I would go with the combo to save a little more money. The 93330 combo (330GT2 on a 20-50lb rod) is my favorite for an all-purpose bottom/wreck combo. I’ve even caught kings on this combo. PM me if you want more info on the reel/combo. Good luck out there!
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Thanks folks, I Think I got it!