[whodaman]

I know that the most of you on here swear by the Abu Garcia reel and i do agree that it is a great reel but where I grew up everyone around me used penn reels and so i have been stuck i love the penn reel i collect them i have 4 old number 77 penn and now i have 4 that i use while fishing. Now a long time ago when i was a kid my grandfather took me to Florida and we went fishing and i saw this guy using a penn real but it was a lot bigger then the 209s we were fishing with back home so i went up to him and asked him what kind of reel he was using and he said it was a penn long beach 65 he had it on a long surf rod and i was amazed by this reel so much i told my dad about it that night when i talked to him. so from there i started searching for a penn long beach 65 well at the time no one in iowa carried that reel cause it was a salt water reel and being the kid i was i soon forgot about the reel well today in 08 i went to the annual fishermen swap meet and low and behold what do i see a penn long beach 65 in its original box. Ill tell you what i bee lined for that table grabbed the box and opened it up and there it was the reel that i had set my heart on so many years ago and today was the day i had a pocket full of money so without haggleing the guy i gave him the 35 bucks i have had the worst case of spring fever and finding this reel makes me wanna get out on the water even worse

 

[Mickey]

Corey congrats on finding the reel you were longing for. Its good to have confidence in your equipment.

 

[beagle1963]

Is it a spinning or baitcasting reel? The new Penns are just not as classy looking as the older ones. Plastic spools on the 9m,209, and 309.

 

[Bacardipr05]

Is it a spinning or baitcasting reel? The new Penns are just not as classy looking as the older ones. Plastic spools on the 9m,209, and 309.

Penn is not the same company it used to be. It was a family owned business ran right out here in Philadelphia. Most of their reels where built here now most of them are made in China except i think for their higher end reels.

 

[ozzy]

I love the retail price on that reel. $12.50 Goes to show that company was around a bit.

 

[mariofish]

I love the retail price on that reel. $12.50 Goes to show that company was around a bit.

nice fish:cool2:

 

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Corey - Congrats on finding the reel you were searching so long to find! :cool2: I can imagine your great excitement at seeing it for sale at the swap meet!

 

[dex]

Congrats on finding the reel you wanted for a long time. I myself own 2 65'S and 1 of them is the only Penn I purchased new, they are very good strong reels.

 

[StormCaster]

Congrats on finding that reel.

 

[catfishcrazy256]

congrats Cory on finding the reel u been wanting ,thats great !!!!!!!:cool2:

 

[wneubauer]

If it's a USA reel, in the box, you got a good deal as well.

All of Penn production moved to china a couple of years ago.... no more US Penns..

 

[Don Wessling]

Congrats on your find, you got a good deal if it is'nt salt water pitted. I am also a Penn fan, American made only. I'm always watching EBAY, there is always good old Penn's , sometimes you can get a deal. I' ve always wanted a Penn Senator, about a 113h should reel in any flathead or blue.

 

[Katmandeux]

I don't know that "Made in China" is a guarantee of inferior quality...there was a time, not that long ago, that "Made in Japan" was viewed the same way.

I don't like the exporting of American jobs any more than the next guy, but many of the products I buy today that have China as the country of origin are perfectly acceptable. I'm not giving up on Penn, just yet.

My apologies for the hijack.

 

[slimdaddy]

i heard that abu garcia is made in china and assembled in sweden dont know if it trure or not

 

[plainsman]

Good for ya, got what you always wanted. Ya musta done somethin good for someone at one time. If its in good shape its not a bad price either. New in box is too much to ask for. Penn is 75 years old, just recently bought by shakespeare. I got a no. 9, Jigmaster 500, and a monofil 25. One is obsolete, but parts are interchangeable from other reels.

 

[shadsides]

glad u foend what u were looking 4

 

[brother hilljack]

Congrats on the reel. All of us have our favorites.

 

[mustad1]

I missed the swap meet this year. We were all sick and so had to stay home. I always walk in with $100 and walk out with 2-300 bucks worth of stuff. It is awesome.

 

[JAinSC]

http://www.scottsbt.com/pennparts/reelspecs/penn65.htm

I forgot what they looked like, so I looked them up. Here's a link to a page with info on the Long Beach model 65.

 

[Cornhusker]

I know that the most of you on here swear by the Abu Garcia reel and i do agree that it is a great reel .......

I know what you mean about not having many salt water reels around. We didn't have in Nebraska either.

I was of the opinion that the Garcia was the best casting reel for a long time. I have had more than one exchanges here on the BOC defending my beloved Garcia.

With time these guys have made me take a good look at both reels. I have overhauled several of them so I have seen the insides. I find that I have come away from the Garcia just a bit. Now I still fish my 6500C3's with the star drags but I am kind of disappointed in their attempt to put a lever drag on the 6500.

I actually picked up a new Penn 320LD and Shimano Charter Special both with lever drags. I am really looking forward to trying them out.

I hope you enjoy that real. I should do a very nice job.