Penn Spinfisher VI – which model do you need?

The Penn Spinfisher VI spinning reel is the best tuna spinning reel under $200 and is real close to $160 depending on where you shop. It’s a huge spinning reel designed and built for catching large big game fish like bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna, sharks, marlin and swordfish…and anything smaller like grouper, halibut, striped bass, redfish and cobia. The Spinfisher V has a heavy duty drag system, HT-100 Slammer, that will not burn up or fail. The gears are also heavy duty and will stand up to hours and hours of heavy drag and constant reeling. Line capacity is extreme and perfect for large tuna. They retail for $145 – $260. Now let’s take a look at the models.

Spinning Reels for Tuna – Considerations

So what features does a spinning reel need in order to tackle large tuna? The biggest consideration is the line capacity. You can have a great heavy duty spinning reel but with a limited line capacity 250 yards. This won’t cut it! A large tuna will strip all 250 yards of line from the reel and then snap it where it’s tied. Tuna are powerful swimmers and pretty much all muscle. When hooked, they will take off long and hard. You have to let them run until they tire. It is recommended that you use a fishing reel with at least a 500 yard capacity. Typical 200+ lb tuna will take 300 yards on the first run. The Penn Spinfisher VI 10500 has a braided line capacity of 845/50, 780/65 or 540/80 (yards/lb test). This is perfect for large tuna on spinning tackle.

You also need a reliable and rugged drag system. The drag system is responsible for wearing down the fish with a preset drag weight. The drag weight must be precise and not wonder up and down in weight. It should maintain a specific weight plus/minus a few ounces.Drag system take serious abuse when hooked up with large fish. They get pretty how under the tension. The Penn Spinfisher drag system features HT-100 carbon fiber drag washers. These carbon fiber drag washers apply the drag weight to the spool. They are extremely durable, heat resistant and stronger than steel. I don’t know of any better performing drag system available.

Buy the Spinfisher VI Now at Amazon.com

Spinfisher VI 3500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 310/10 270/15 220/20 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Automatic bail trip
• Retail Price $169.95

Spinfisher VI 4500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 390/15 320/20 250/30 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Automatic bail trip
• Retail Price $169.95

Spinfisher VI 5500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 500/20 380/30 335/40 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Automatic bail trip
• Retail Price $189.95

6500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 485/30 410/40 335/50 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Manual bail trip
• Retail Price $209.95

7500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 530/40 440/50 400/65 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Manual bail trip
• Retail Price $229.95

8500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 730/40 600/50 555/65 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Manual bail trip
• Retail Price $229.95

9500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 730/50 670/65 435/80 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Manual bail trip
• Retail Price $259.95

Spinfisher VI 10500 – features

• IPX5 Sealed body and spool design
• CNC Gear™ technology
• HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
• 5+1 sealed stainless steel ball bearing system
• Full Metal Body
• Superline Spool
• Braided Line Capacity – 845/50 780/65 540/80 (yards/lb test)
• Line Capacity Rings
• Manual bail trip
• Retail Price $259.95

Penn Slammer 3 Spinning Reel – Why Buy?

The Penn Slammer 3 spinning reel is a heavy duty reel designed for big game fishing like shark, tuna, sailfish, marlin, etc. It’s great for fishing from the surf or in a boat.

Many charter boat captains use the Slammer 3 on his/her boats because they bring in the big fish and never break. Charter boats need happy customers. Happy customers catch fish. Case closed. You don’t want to spend a lot of time fixing fishing tackle on a charter boat. It’s a real pain in the butt.

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Penn Slammer 3 Features

• Full Metal Body, sideplate, and rotor
• CNC Gear™ technology
• IPX6 Sealed body and spool design – keeps water out of the gear box and drive system
• Sealed Slammer® drag system with Dura-Drag™
• 7+1 stainless steel bearing system
• Sizes 3500-5500 have automatic bail trip
• Sizes 6500-10500 have manual bail trip

The Penn Slammer 3 is available in sizes from 3500 to 10500. The 3500 series uses line weights of 4 lb to 20 lb. You can use monofilament or braid. Braided line will increase the spool capacity which is needed for big fish. The 3500 will hold 220 yards of 20 lb braid or 310 yards of 10 lb braid. The largest model, 10500, will hold 845 yards of 50 lb braided fishing line. That’s HUGE. This spinning reel is great for really large game fish. If you want to big game fish on spinning tackle, the Slammer 3 10500 is the one to get.

Tuna fishing success demands the best tackle. Tuna are powerful swimmers and will run long and hard when hooked. Be prepared! Tuna are all muscle and built for speed. A large tuna will run out 300 yards very quickly. I recommend using a spinning reel with at least 400-500 yards of braided fishing line. I like 50 lb braid. It has the test strength for a large tuna plus gives you lots of capacity on the reel, like 700-800 yards instead of 500. It can make a big difference. I like more line on my reels when it comes to tackling big tuna. You can wear out a 400-800 lb tuna on 50 lb test line.

The Slammer 3 is a huge bargain in big game spinning reels. It competes with reels costing $1000+ but only costs a fraction of that amount. It typically sells for about $250-$350 depending on the model. Penn makes high performance fishing reels at budget prices. I love that!

Slammer 3 4500 Series – Monofilament Line Capacity: 425/8  320/10  235/12

Braid Line Capacity:390/15  320/20  250/30