Penn Spinning Reels: Best Size for Kings

[Big Bad Bob]

Self explanatory... For fishing Kings and big Chum, what size should I be going with, using 30 or 40 lb braid, should I be buying 5000 series or the larger 6000 series reels.

Then which one? I've been throwing around the Penn Battle, Penn SSG 550, and the Penn Fierce, I guess there's also the Sargus line which is cheapest and Spinfisher V which is too expensive for me this round. I need to buy 3 or 4 for the family! Kind of been toying with SSG cuz it comes with an Ugly Stick Big Water Medium action 7 '. The Battle comes with a one piece Battle Rod, which I suspect has a little heavier action. The Penn Fierce comes with a Fierce Rod but I suspect the Fierce rod and Battle rod are the same with different decals.

is the Ugly stick 7' big water going to be heavy enough for handling the big Kings?

[Big Bad Bob]

Gee, hate to answer my own post... Sorry!

What about this thing?




Ugly stick bigwater with a Shakespear reel combo in a 70 or 80 size, if we hook into some Chinooks, will we be able to land them? I'm taking a bunch of teenagers out salmon fishing this year, the kids buddies, targeting reds and chums, but we might try to target some chinooks. I know it's a beast but I am kinda supplying gear to lessen the cost of the trip for these folks... And nowhere that you are fishing! I'm in Canada, might end up a couple miles from the Alaska border tho!

Will the chinooks tear the reels up? Or will they survive a bunch of chums and the odd chinook? I did some searching on this site and sounds like sometimes a chinook will bust the graphite arm of the reel holding reel to rod?

I was was going to spend some money buying some 550 SSGs hooked up to some ugly Stick Big Waters but read on here the graphite reels sometimes break. Need that about as much as a hole in the head!

[fishNphysician]

If your serious about kings, go bait caster.

If your dead set on spinning gear, when it comes to size less is best. ANYTHING in the Shimano 4000 size range is plenty. invest your $$$ in the best drag possible.

[Abel]

Depends on what water you're fishing. If you're fishing big water for bigger fish, yuo're needing heavier gear. If you're fishing smaller water like here on kodiak, any reel with a decent drag that holds 200yds or 8-10lb mono will land any salmon that swims in these rivers. I don't have the Fierce, but have played with it and it feels like a decent reel, a few friends have them and like them as well.

[Big Bad Bob]

I agree with you, bait casting is the way to go, but this is a bunch of relatively inexperienced fishers and I don't relish the thought of untangling bird nests all day long! I figure I'll have more fun if they use spinning gear! It's a 16 hour drive one way for me, so it's not like I can give a week and have my own fun next week.

These encore reels are very cheap, but the rod is sound as they are on the Ugly Stick Big water. I can get a bunch of penn ssg's on the same rod, but that kind of money I want a reel that doesn't ever break. The Penn Battle reel looks to be a very sound reel but the combo comes with a Penn rod rated 10-20 lb that's Supposedley MH, but the salesman said the ugly stick bigwater is a heavier rod more suitable for Kings and big chum. I guess I'm being cheap, but buying a package deal saves me a bunch of cash!

I like the looks of the Battle reels, 250 yards of 40 lb braid, it is definitely going to be tough enough, but I like the looks of the Ugly Stick Bigwater. Anybody have one of these Penn combo rods? 7' MH 10-20 lb, do they handle a king?