Penn Spinfisher VI Spinning Reel 7500

Dont be fooled by the IPX5 "Sealed" spec. Its not sealed. Not even close. In fact, once water gets in, its sealed inside and cant get out. Causing the reel to rust from the inside. Had to do two full rebuilds in the first year I had this reel. Had the exact same thing happen with my 12000 Penn IPX5 one. Better spend the extra money on the Slammer 7500 to get IPX6 waterproof. Dont make the mistake I made.False advertising: "so whether it gets hit with a wave, or you let it ride in the spray all the way home..." - Absolute nonsense. If it gets hit by a wave, get it services right away as itll be broken in a couple of weeks.

Bought the reel about 6 months ago. Haven't fished with it to much and I was out casting for awhile and the reel locked up. I haven't had it that long so I wondered why. There was Salt build all over the gears and inside. I usually do maintenance but not that far because I thought penn sealed there reels nicely. This particular one wasn't must have been defective. The gears were alit worse but I cleaned them a bit before the photo.

A season review

I purchased a penn SSVI2500 in the beginning of 2020 for whenever I fished light tackle salt water. My initial feel of the reel was it had a solid feel to it, with a smooth drag and very precise gear rotation with the CNC gears. This was a big step up from the battle II platform, which had die cast gears and only a sealed drag system, in which the SSVI provided more seals to protect your reel from saltwater splashes. The reel was then spooled with 15lb power pro braid and I would end up using 12-20lb mono leaders. My first trip was in the north shore of Long Island when I had gone fishing for fluke (summer flounder) and it was handling the flatties and sea robins rather well, especially when they would yank down into structure. After fishing, I simply would rinse ... MoreI purchased a penn SSVI2500 in the beginning of 2020 for whenever I fished light tackle salt water. My initial feel of the reel was it had a solid feel to it, with a smooth drag and very precise gear rotation with the CNC gears. This was a big step up from the battle II platform, which had die cast gears and only a sealed drag system, in which the SSVI provided more seals to protect your reel from saltwater splashes. The reel was then spooled with 15lb power pro braid and I would end up using 12-20lb mono leaders. My first trip was in the north shore of Long Island when I had gone fishing for fluke (summer flounder) and it was handling the flatties and sea robins rather well, especially when they would yank down into structure. After fishing, I simply would rinse the gear down with clean water, and kept going well. I would eventually take the reel out on flats and even in light surf with several instances where a wake or a wave would splash against it, but didn’t slow the performance. I had only one jetty trip on it and it worked well with bluefish, despite being a rather small reel for the task of larger pelagics. The rod it paired with was a Fenwick HMG inshore rod in the 7’ Medium Fast version and it was well balanced. This works well with many of the light st croix and jigging world rods as well. One tip I would highly recommend is to periodically oil and grease this reel, and if you ever dunk it, remember to open it up and check if there was any bit of intrusion. I am highly satisfied with this reel after almost a whole year of use and I am ready to take it to Florida and test it on some good fish such as redfish, sea trout and snook.

Built Like a Tank

Bought the 3500 series for additional line capacity. Currently have a 2500 and like it very much. Solid reel. Very well built, smooth running and great drag. Very easy to clean and service the drag washers after salt water use. Not as free spinning as I would have thought out of the box but that is due to the seals used to keep water out I think. It should loosen up some over time as it breaks in. Little bit heavier than some other brands and could get tiring if you are fishing with artificals all day. That is the trade off for an aluminum body reel (built like a tank but comes at the cost of a little more weight) I want a reel that will survive a drop or splash on the rocks at the the jetties but still perform with minimal maintenace. I think these reels fit that ... MoreBought the 3500 series for additional line capacity. Currently have a 2500 and like it very much. Solid reel. Very well built, smooth running and great drag. Very easy to clean and service the drag washers after salt water use. Not as free spinning as I would have thought out of the box but that is due to the seals used to keep water out I think. It should loosen up some over time as it breaks in. Little bit heavier than some other brands and could get tiring if you are fishing with artificals all day. That is the trade off for an aluminum body reel (built like a tank but comes at the cost of a little more weight) I want a reel that will survive a drop or splash on the rocks at the the jetties but still perform with minimal maintenace. I think these reels fit that bill, overall a good investment.

Classic Performer

As Professional Sportfishing captains, we need to rely on our tackle. For the last 39 years, PENN has been the only system allowed on the vessels I manage and fish. The owners have relied on my outfitting their vessel with the finest equipment and PENN has never let me down. Highly recommend Spinfisher VI 7500.

Fair

I bought a pair of Spinfisher VI 3500's at the beginning of the 2021 season. Spooled them with Suffix 832 15 lb braid. Used 25-30 times over the course of the season mostly for plugging medium bluefish and striped bass. They performed OK, but had some minor bail issues with the bail on one reel not always locking while turning the handle assembly.. The other reel one had the rubber on the crank peel off about midway through the season leaving is somewhat uncomfortable to use.. I was surprised to have a quality issue like this from Penn. Penn customer service didn't respond to two requests for a replacement so I just bought it at my own expense. That being said, they are fairlysmooth and generally a good value for the cost, but don't expect them to compare to some of ... MoreI bought a pair of Spinfisher VI 3500's at the beginning of the 2021 season. Spooled them with Suffix 832 15 lb braid. Used 25-30 times over the course of the season mostly for plugging medium bluefish and striped bass. They performed OK, but had some minor bail issues with the bail on one reel not always locking while turning the handle assembly.. The other reel one had the rubber on the crank peel off about midway through the season leaving is somewhat uncomfortable to use.. I was surprised to have a quality issue like this from Penn. Penn customer service didn't respond to two requests for a replacement so I just bought it at my own expense. That being said, they are fairlysmooth and generally a good value for the cost, but don't expect them to compare to some of the higher quality spinners out there.

Looks and feels great but

I do mostly inshore kayak fishing on the weekends. The last time I bought a brand new reel was more than 5 years ago. This time I was looking for something tough that will handle saltwater, something that I can pass on to my children. After reading and watching a lot of videos, I decided to buy the Spinfisher 3500. Ordered online and anxiously awaited for the reel to arrive. Fill it up with some 15 lbs braid and off I went fishing. Unfortunately maybe I got a lemon but it was Not quite what I was expecting.The reel feels heavy duty, very strong, very smooth the color combination is killer. Having said that, I felt a little bump every time I was reeling my lure back. I don't know how to describe it but it wasn't smooth like my other reels. I felt something in the ... MoreI do mostly inshore kayak fishing on the weekends. The last time I bought a brand new reel was more than 5 years ago. This time I was looking for something tough that will handle saltwater, something that I can pass on to my children. After reading and watching a lot of videos, I decided to buy the Spinfisher 3500. Ordered online and anxiously awaited for the reel to arrive. Fill it up with some 15 lbs braid and off I went fishing. Unfortunately maybe I got a lemon but it was Not quite what I was expecting.The reel feels heavy duty, very strong, very smooth the color combination is killer. Having said that, I felt a little bump every time I was reeling my lure back. I don't know how to describe it but it wasn't smooth like my other reels. I felt something in the handle, like bump bump bump on every turn. I took the bail out everything looked normal put it back, adjust my drag all of that and still didn't feel quite rite. I don't know, maybe my expectations were too high but mine had something that wasn't normal, I'm not 100% convinced and not expecting this on a $100 plus dollars, brand new, out of the box reel.I have mixed feelings , would love to try another one to see if it feels the same way or if there was indeed an issue with mine.

Solid reel - but could be improved if sealed

I am writing this letter to say thank you. About three years ago I purchased the Penn Spinfisher VI 4500BLS and it has been a very nice addition to my surfcasting arsenal. The Slammer 3 also has been great as well, but I really was hoping that there would be a bailess version. After using them season upon season I want to start this letter off by thanking your company, but also asking for our voices in the surf to be heard.I have been fishing the surf on the east coast for over 30 years. In that time I have owned three 704’s and two 706’s and they handled most of my surf fishing from the 90’s through the early 2000’s. In the past ten years I had to move away from Penn reels because the 704 and 706 did not handle braid as well as a Van Staal reels. However, with ... MoreI am writing this letter to say thank you. About three years ago I purchased the Penn Spinfisher VI 4500BLS and it has been a very nice addition to my surfcasting arsenal. The Slammer 3 also has been great as well, but I really was hoping that there would be a bailess version. After using them season upon season I want to start this letter off by thanking your company, but also asking for our voices in the surf to be heard.I have been fishing the surf on the east coast for over 30 years. In that time I have owned three 704’s and two 706’s and they handled most of my surf fishing from the 90’s through the early 2000’s. In the past ten years I had to move away from Penn reels because the 704 and 706 did not handle braid as well as a Van Staal reels. However, with the advancements made in the Slammer 3 and Spinfisher VI, I was really pleased and there has been some call back for a new and improved 704 and 706 across Stripers Online and the Surf Rats Ball forums.While picking up a reel after having it serviced at a local shop, me and a few other customers all began to reminisce about our days with Penn reels. The one thing we all keep saying is “we wish we had sealed versions of the 704 and 706 that handled braid.”Customers like us have a need for a fully or semi sealed reel and do not always want to purchase Van Staal. I know from experience that if I could use my 704 or 706 while wetsuiting boulder fields in pounding surf that I would, but the advancements made by the Slammer 3 means that I would rather have that reel with me in those conditions.As great as the Slammer 3 is, there is a nostalgia for the non-skirted reel design of the 704 and 706, which is very attractive to us as surfcasters. I am not sure what it is, but maybe because most of us grew up with them we gravitated towards that looks – and ultimately given the choice of buying a new Slammer 3 or a used Van Staal, many of us of will purchase the Van Staal because it has the look of the old Penn Z series.I am writing this letter not to criticize in any way, but to see if there is any chance at all of an updated sealed or semi sealed 704 and 706 hitting the market. If those two models could be re-made with; an IPX of 6 or better (like the Slammer 3), improved line wrap (so it handles braid as well as the Slammer or Spinfisher VI) and come in bailess options for both sizes Penn would have a solid hold on the market again.While I know we as surfcasters are a small minority and not a huge market, but there is no reason why Van Staal should be eating your lunch. The success of the Tsunami SaltX, the advent of Visser reels, as well as the success of the Slammer 3 should be indicators of that surfcasters are still a viable market – and we want something from Penn in the price range of $250 - $500 that can suit our needs for fishing and have the look and feel we gravitated to.I really wish I could be part of making that happen as I just really have an affinity for my old Penn reels and want them to able to keep up with my fishing. I am not sure if anyone from Penn is interested in working with me on this, I am not expecting anything really, but I have been an angler who has used your product for thirty years and with over twenty years just dedicated to the surf as it is my number one passion in life I feel my feedback may be valuable.Thank you for reading this. I hope that someday I can sell all my Van Staals and have Penn reels back in service with me keeping up with my fishing as I wetsuit boulders in pursuit of big bass.

Spinfisher VI 4500BLS is a very nice reel.

The reel finally came into stock at J&H tackle and as soon as I fished it I loved it. I filled it with 20lb braid and hit handled striped bass from the surf (moderate surf conditions, no huge winds) in the low and mid teen range. Drag was very good. I had a lot of reservations about filling a spool with straight braid, no backing, but so far the drag has handled very well, no issues with wind knots and I really love the reel. Reel is paired with a 9 foot surf rod that I primarily fish smaller bucktails, soft plastics, smaller rigged eels, bombers and other plugs under 2.5 oz.Overall, I want to say that I am very pleased having a smaller lighter bailess reel that I is affordable. I was able to sell my smaller Van Staal 150 for $500, purchase this reel, a dozen ... MoreThe reel finally came into stock at J&H tackle and as soon as I fished it I loved it. I filled it with 20lb braid and hit handled striped bass from the surf (moderate surf conditions, no huge winds) in the low and mid teen range. Drag was very good. I had a lot of reservations about filling a spool with straight braid, no backing, but so far the drag has handled very well, no issues with wind knots and I really love the reel. Reel is paired with a 9 foot surf rod that I primarily fish smaller bucktails, soft plastics, smaller rigged eels, bombers and other plugs under 2.5 oz.Overall, I want to say that I am very pleased having a smaller lighter bailess reel that I is affordable. I was able to sell my smaller Van Staal 150 for $500, purchase this reel, a dozen bucktails, leader material, terminal tackle and still have $250 in my pocket for the week. Thanks Penn. Let's see how this reel holds up over the next 10 seasons and I will re-post next season as well.-Steven.

Up Grade My 20 yr old Spinfisher 5500 V

Had a problem with the anti reverse on my 20 yr old Plus Spinfisher V 5500 reel. Sent it to Penn for repairs. ( they do a terrific job bringing my 20- 30 yr old reels back to life) This time though Penn informed me they dont have that part. I could search for one or take my reel to some shop that may have one. OR they would offer me a HUGE CHUNK of CHANGE off the purchase of their New Sealed Spinfisher VI 5500 Spinning Reel. I couldn't resist. Beautiful well made reel. Smooth! Im sure this Reel will serve me as well or better then my previous 5500 V. I still have Penn Reels that I purchase in the Late 1970's and 1980's. Great Company. Great Fishing Equipment.