Best Surf Fishing Reel
Surf fishing – I love it.
I have fished the surf in some wonderful places over the years.
- Giant Trevally and Sharks in Western Australia
- Cod and Pollack in Ireland
- A rising tide at Brant Point, Nantucket which I will remember forever
- Giant mullet in Spain.
Wherever my travels have taken me the one thing I can always rely on is my fishing gear.
If you have fished for as long as I have you will know when to spot a great bit of kit and how to avoid a dud.
Put it this way – time is not on our side and something always comes up last minute – just as you are packing your tackle bag and about to head out the door. When you finally get to your fishing spot you don’t want to lose a big fish to bad equipment.
Consider me your personal tester – I’ve been there and done that, have the t-shirt, etc..
The following recommendations do not come lightly – everything listed has been put to the test and stressed to their limits – with some cracking fish landed at the same time.
Ok enough about me lets look at the kit.
1. Penn Battle II – Best Surf Fishing Reel.
The Penn Battle II is hands down one of the best surf spinning reels for the money out there. Penn is renowned for making quality fishing reels and this one ticks every box on my list. From fishing huge predators to some finesse fishing on light line this reel does it all.
If you are looking for a surf reel that can take a bit of a hammering but come back time and time again to land you some big fish then just buy one. You will not be disappointed.
The Penn Battle ll – Our Top Choice
Let’s look at some of the tech details to show you what you get for your money:
- Line capacity is not too shabby at 340 YD on 20LB mono line – 475YD on 50LB braid line
- Corrosion-resistant full metal body and heavy-duty bail arm
- More ball bearings than a gearbox in a Ford F350 – well 5 actually – all stainless steel and fully sealed so no risk
- Carbon Fiber drag system gives you awesome but smooth drag power for bigger fish
- Penn superline spool so no need for backing, plus it has handy guides for spooling up your line
Why I love it
Straight away you are going to notice how solid the Penn Battle II is. As soon as you take it out of the box you will notice the solid metal housing. Nothing flimsy about this reel. The bail arm is solid as well, made from heavy-duty aluminum wire, making it super strong and durable.
This reel is perfect for saltwater anglers either inshore on out on the open sea targeting big game species.
Use it for kayak fishing or wading about in the shallows for some finesse fishing.
The Battle ll has options to suit all anglers and comes is spool sizes from 1000 to 8000.
One nice touch we found is the rubber gasket on the spool. For those who use braided fishing line, this helps to stop your line slipping and avoids having to use any type of backing before you spool up.
Penn also went to the trouble of adding line guides on the spool so you can see how much line you are packing in an instant. Plus the spool is wider than normal so line memory becomes less of a problem.
The sealed ball bearings present a nice smooth action with zero grinding or notching when you hook up. Speaking of hookups, the reel has a carbon fiber drag system that goes up to 30lbs on the top 8000 model – perfect when you hook into something big that wants to steal all your line…
Pair this reel with an Ugly Stik rod and you are set for anything.
Let’s look at some of the tech details to show you what you get for your money:
- Line capacity is not too shabby at 340 YD on 20LB mono line – 475YD on 50LB braid line
- Corrosion-resistant full metal body and heavy-duty bail arm
- More ball bearings than a gearbox in a Ford F350 – well 6 actually – all stainless steel and fully sealed so no risk
- Carbon Fiber drag system gives you awesome but smooth drag power for bigger fish
- Penn superline spool so no need for backing, plus it has handy guides for spooling up your line
Pair this reel with an Ugly Stik rod and you are set for anything.
