Help selecting new king reel

I need help figuring out which new king reel I am going to purchase. I would love to be able to justify dropping a couple hundred on a higher quality reel, but I only get to spend 6-12 days per year on the pier :boohoo:. I am looking at a Penn Fierce, a BPS Ocean Master, a Shimano Socorro, or a Daiwa Regal plus. Does anyone have a good suggestion/recommendation for one of these reels or a better option in the sub $80 range? I have a good king rod, I am just looking to upgrade the king reel in my arsenal.

Thanks in advance!

I suggest a Penn Battle. You could probably get a new one on Ebay for around 80.

Welcome to the board. You'll get plenty of opinions. I'm currently using a Penn 750 ssm. It's a workhorse but at 27 oz, it can get heavy after a long day. about $149.
I have a sweet, decked out, Mitchell 303 for sale if you are a lefty (or just prefer to reel with your right hand) and want to go old school.
Not sure about <$80

yeah a penn 6500-7500 is fine goto j&m he got lots of penn reels and maby find ya another reel you might like when your in there :headbang:

How does a 6000 or 7000 Fierce or Sargus compare to a Battle? Again, hard to justify the extra cost for a setup I wont get to use as much as my other gear. Will call j&m tomorrow. I would prefer to buy from them if price is competitive!

Their prices are very competitive, but the real advcantage is you can get everything you need to go fishing, and also all the advice and know how you could ever want.

[quote author=Swamp Donkey link=topic=884.msg8348#msg8348 date=1333673225]
How does a 6000 or 7000 Fierce or Sargus compare to a Battle? Again, hard to justify the extra cost for a setup I wont get to use as much as my other gear. Will call j&m tomorrow. I would prefer to buy from them if price is competitive!
[/quote]

The Battle has a slightly better drag than the fierce. The Sargus is very similar to the Battle.

Versus the others, I would go with the Penn battle based on great reviews, and a quality reel. You'll get the most for your money I think.

i heard a fierce on the pier hooked up on a king sounded like nails on a chalk board,i would spend a little more and get a 6500 penn.

[size=12pt] Get ya an old 4000C Daiwa Silver Series or BG60 off Ebay. Not fancy, but dependable.
[/size]

I've got a couple of Penn 560 Slammers that you would probably enjoy. Line cap. is 270 yards of 15lb mono. Check them out and if interested PM me. If not interested in one of those I have plenty of other options. Sitting on about 200 Penn reels at the moment and need to move a few.

[quote author=Swamp Donkey link=topic=884.msg8348#msg8348 date=1333673225]
How does a 6000 or 7000 Fierce or Sargus compare to a Battle? Again, hard to justify the extra cost for a setup I wont get to use as much as my other gear. Will call j&m tomorrow. I would prefer to buy from them if price is competitive!
[/quote]

I own 2 Penn Sargus 8000s that I use for king fishing. The only differences between it and the battle is the battle has HT100 drags and a different color scheme. I am extremely pleased with the Sargus thought. Really smooth drag and a lot of it(about 28 lb worth). It is a little on the heavy side but is tough as nails. I have 250 yd 30# braid backing and top shotted with 16# line, giving me a total of around 525 yd. You can get a new one for $100 and probably find a used one for a good price online.

A 6000 Fierce or Sargus would be all you need. Battles aren't worth it, they are nothing more than $6.25 worth of drag discs, a fancy over hyped rubberband and a different cosmetics are all that separates them from the Sargus reels. It's my impression that the Sargus has a better drivetrain than the Fierce, but they both seem to up to the task.
If you want to double up on your willing to pay amount, go ahead and get a 560L Slammer Live Liner. Learn to use that reel and you'll never need or want any other king reel.

Fin Nor Off Shore series ;they are heavy ,but they are built that way,The thing that i like best is the drag system,you can put more drag on than you or your line can handle,or have it so loose that a small live bait will pull it out,and the range of play to get it take set back to what you need, is short.The selling point for me was, that they were being used on charter boats for tuna gear and after a three year use they where still working.Pick the one that gives you the line capasity you need;the last one I bought was at Dicks,they had the size I was looking for.

I've gotten it down to a 750ssm, a 750 live liner, or a sargus (with HT drag) or Battle. How does a live liner type reel work for pier applications? Also, I noticed the sargus/battle have over twice the max. drag of the 750s. Will the 10-11lbs of drag on a 750 be enough for a cobia or use on a boat? Thanks again guys!

I use a Penn Conquer 7000. It's a bit smaller than traditional king reels, but it's super light-weight, has HT-100 drags, and has a lot of line capacity for the long runs. It gets the job done-got it spooled up with Momoi. My other setup is my ole 705Z :fishing:

[quote author=Swamp Donkey link=topic=884.msg8636#msg8636 date=1334151704]
I've gotten it down to a 750ssm, a 750 live liner, or a sargus (with HT drag) or Battle. How does a live liner type reel work for pier applications? Also, I noticed the sargus/battle have over twice the max. drag of the 750s. Will the 10-11lbs of drag on a 750 be enough for a cobia or use on a boat? Thanks again guys!
[/quote]

If you want the HT100 drag for the Sargus, good luck. I have been looking for some and have yet to find any. The only other option is Carbontex washers, and they ate expensive as hell. The drag in the Sargus is already good enough for what you are gonna do with it.

My son uses Penn Fierces (5000, 6000 and 8000), and I have used them a few times and personally like the 5000 the best. I've never heard drag sounding like nails on chalkboard as stated above.

They work extremely well, and have pulled in some nice fish. For their size and line capacity, they are also quite lightweighted, and cheaply priced.

If you get a Penn Fierce, though, do NOT get the combos, because the Penn Rods they come with are total cheap crap and break easy.

The reels, though, are very nice for the price, and you won't have any issues if you take care of them.

Get a proper king rod from J&M and go with the Fierce in my opinion.

Get some 16#-20# test line (Momoi Diamond, Yozuri Hybrid, or Vicious Ultimate), and go to town.

[quote author=Swamp Donkey link=topic=884.msg8636#msg8636 date=1334151704]
I've gotten it down to a 750ssm, a 750 live liner, or a sargus (with HT drag) or Battle.[/quote]
The 750SSm is too heavy as is the 760L, a Sargus or Battle would be fine in the 5000 or 6000 size with the right amount braid backing.

Quote:

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How does a live liner type reel work for pier applications?

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Very well, probably better than any other spinning reel set up any other way including a manual pickup.

Quote:

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Also, I noticed the sargus/battle have over twice the max. drag of the 750s.

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So what.

Quote:

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Will the 10-11lbs of drag on a 750 be enough for a cobia or use on a boat?

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More than enough.

If you want a good king reel get a 560L Slammer put 300 yards of 20# braid under 130 yards of 16# Momoi and never look back.

[quote author=Rockinchef88 link=topic=884.msg8644#msg8644 date=1334159630]
If you want the HT100 drag for the Sargus, good luck. I have been looking for some and have yet to find any. The only other option is Carbontex washers, and they ate expensive as hell. The drag in the Sargus is already good enough for what you are gonna do with it.
[/quote]

You're looking for something that doesn't exist. At least it doesn't exist with that name. Get the HT100 disks for a the comparable Battle and you will be set.

[quote author=DRH link=topic=884.msg8697#msg8697 date=1334202317]

If you want a good king reel get a 560L Slammer put 300 yards of 20# braid under 130 yards of 16# Momoi and never look back.
[/quote]

I'm waiting for one as we speak. After 8 or 9 hours, that 750ssm weighs a ton

[quote author=DRH link=topic=884.msg8698#msg8698 date=1334202509]
[quote author=Rockinchef88 link=topic=884.msg8644#msg8644 date=1334159630]
If you want the HT100 drag for the Sargus, good luck. I have been looking for some and have yet to find any. The only other option is Carbontex washers, and they ate expensive as hell. The drag in the Sargus is already good enough for what you are gonna do with it.
[/quote]

You're looking for something that doesn't exist. At least it doesn't exist with that name. Get the HT100 disks for a the comparable Battle and you will be set.
[/quote]

I know that. I have looked for them online under the Battle and have had no luck. Scotts B&T online is the Penn Parts place and they are out of stock, and no clue if they will even have anymore.

[quote author=Rockinchef88 link=topic=884.msg8702#msg8702 date=1334205949]
[quote author=DRH link=topic=884.msg8698#msg8698 date=1334202509]
[quote author=Rockinchef88 link=topic=884.msg8644#msg8644 date=1334159630]
If you want the HT100 drag for the Sargus, good luck. I have been looking for some and have yet to find any. The only other option is Carbontex washers, and they ate expensive as hell. The drag in the Sargus is already good enough for what you are gonna do with it.
[/quote]

You're looking for something that doesn't exist. At least it doesn't exist with that name. Get the HT100 disks for a the comparable Battle and you will be set.
[/quote]

I know that. I have looked for them online under the Battle and have had no luck. Scotts B&T online is the Penn Parts place and they are out of stock, and no clue if they will even have anymore.
[/quote]

Justin, you have the 8000 right? I am going to call Mo tomorrow at Scott's and ask her about them. Find out what's going on. I mean they are making the Battles so there should be drag washers available. If she doesn't know I will call Penn and ask the other Larry about it.

[quote author=divedeep link=topic=884.msg8699#msg8699 date=1334203434]
[quote author=DRH link=topic=884.msg8697#msg8697 date=1334202317]

If you want a good king reel get a 560L Slammer put 300 yards of 20# braid under 130 yards of 16# Momoi and never look back.
[/quote]

I'm waiting for one as we speak. After 8 or 9 hours, that 750ssm weighs a ton
[/quote]
I've had a 5600L for a while, just bought a brand new 560L from J&M last week. No need to wait.

whats the difference between the 560 and the 560 liveliner

or better yet whats the purpose of the live liner

The 560 is not much different than most other newer reels. The LiveLiner has a secondary rear drag which gives you a degree of control with live bait. It also lets a fish to run off and eat without feeling too much resistance and causing it to drop the bait. Essentially any time one would "freespool" another reel, just engage the secondary drag.

thats what i thought but wasnt but 100%. sure so pretty much you have one set light for the hookup n run and the other set tighter for fighting them back and around the pier pylons

IMHO its something else to break, and you can just as easily open the bail and close it to free spool a fish while feeding, heading under the pier, etc

[quote author=Peaches link=topic=884.msg8715#msg8715 date=1334235092]
IMHO its something else to break, and you can just as easily open the bail and close it to free spool a fish while feeding, heading under the pier, etc
[/quote]

I thought long and hard about that before ordering one. Read enough reviews (plus the fact they are still around) to convince me to take a chance

[quote author=Peaches link=topic=884.msg8715#msg8715 date=1334235092]
IMHO its something else to break, and you can just as easily open the bail and close it to free spool a fish while feeding, heading under the pier, etc
[/quote]
That's what I though to had a chance to buy either for a awesome price and went with the regular model

[quote author=Peaches link=topic=884.msg8715#msg8715 date=1334235092]
IMHO its something else to break, and you can just as easily open the bail and close it to free spool a fish while feeding, heading under the pier, etc
[/quote]
I was a bit skeptical of the whole LiverLiner thing at first, but after fishing with my 5600L for the past 8 years and studying how the feature works during a tear down, I will say the likelihood of failure is slim. One would have to abuse the reel to break it and even then there are other parts which are common with a regular Slammer that might fail first.

Good to hear,

I guess i'd rather just open a bail to feed a fish while pier fishing...

although i have two shimano thunnus ci4 reels with the baitrunner feature, and i love the secondary drag for kayak fishing

[quote author=DRH link=topic=884.msg8733#msg8733 date=1334242929]
[quote author=Peaches link=topic=884.msg8715#msg8715 date=1334235092]
IMHO its something else to break, and you can just as easily open the bail and close it to free spool a fish while feeding, heading under the pier, etc
[/quote]
I was a bit skeptical of the whole LiverLiner thing at first, but after fishing with my 5600L for the past 8 years and studying how the feature works during a tear down, I will say the likelihood of failure is slim. One would have to abuse the reel to break it and even then there are other parts which are common with a regular Slammer that might fail first.
[/quote]

Thanks for that info. Kind of firms up everything I read before making the decision to order one. You are the longest term user I've heard from and 8 years is reassuring

When you get your reel in dive, may want to consider a modification I made to my new 560L. The 5600L doesn't disengage automatically the way the 560L does. Penn caved into the pressure from consumer demand for automatic disengagement of the bait drag (actually it is the engagement of the main main drag) with a partial turn of the handle. The fact most use these reels for weight-n-bait-then-wait style fishing (boring) means that the automatic engagement is better for them since most of them aren't bright enough to reach down and flip a switch. When it comes to freelining a live bait or snobbling a bait the ability to reel in without having to constantly flip the switch to where you want it is a plus in my opinion. It only requires the removal of two parts and less than 10 minutes to open the reel, remove the parts and close her up. Let me know when you'll be on the peir with your new reel and I'll let you test drive my modified reel and you can compare it to the unmodified auto engagement reel.

Thanks. I'll be there during the week leading up to picnic day and probably till that Suday or Monday afterwards