PENN Battle IV Spinning Reel

I have many Penn Battle reels. I recently (May 2025) purchased this 1000 Series, and it works great for such a small reel. I used one for almost 30 years to catch my bait, and occasional a bass or other species of fish. I enjoy the lightweight and smoothness of this reel. Just a little maintenance and it will last for a long, long time.

Great reel. It’s not too heavy. I fish it with 8# test fluorocarbon for spade fish and trigger fish. It holds a ton of line so the can run without spooling me. Drag works great. It’s a Penn reel if you are looking at it you probably already know it’s a great brand. Holds up to the salt water and lasts a lifetime.

Im using this on my 10ft surf rod. This real feels amazing out the box. Solid parts, looks fantastic and appears built to last. I took apart just to see everything and It was greased up well. It reels great and the drag is beautiful. It casts effortlessly. I paired it with power pro line. I did overfill the spool so I was forced to take out some line but my casting distance did not suffer. I donmake sure to rinse off all of my gear after fishing and I do not see any reason why this real will not last for years. If going on a longer rod I would size up. This is perfect for my 2 piece 10ft rod. I will be buying from Penn again. I camt wait to test out the larger reels.

This a fantastic spinning reel, the action while retreating is so very smooth and while casting, the line spools off the reel better than any spinning reel I’ve ever owned! Way to go Penn, you really nailed this one!!!👍👍👍

Why did you pick this product vs others?:High quality reel for a really good price. Use the 5000 size for cat and carp fishing and it works perfect.

Awesome reel. IMO the best bang for your buck reel on the market. I have them from 2500 up to 6000 and do all saltwater fishing. I've got some new ones and some I've been fishing hard for 5+ years without issues!

I surf fish often. I am usually knee deep in water and the reels get splashed as waves hit me and splash up. They rarely get dunked completely but it sometimes happens for very short periods so it's mostly salt water intrusion that I am concerned about over time. Sand intrusion has never been an issue.I disassemble and grease/oil the reels myself on a regular basis.I have owned 4 Battle II reels. All have performed well but all have had the same issues. The bearings hold up surprisingly well. I have rarely had a bearing failure if maintained. The gears however are made out of a metal that corrodes and wears relatively quickly. The brass pinion gear also corrodes and seems to wear or distort under continued use. The good news is the metal bodies are rigid and hold up/do not distort so I just order new gears and the reels function excellently.(BTW...If you are looking for a light weight reel, these are not it...they are not super heavy but not light either)The new Battle III has several improvements. The gears are CNC machined and seem to be of nicer quality. There is has been one problem. In the pictures you will see the crosswind bar. This essential little part in the new Battle III is machined very thin on the back side. My relatively new reel was functioning well but I disassembled it for its first maintenance and found the bar to be broken but still attached and functioning. To me it appears that this seems like a design flaw. The part is too thin on the back edge and from the pictures I think you would agree. I was nervous putting in the replacement part because I was concerned the screw pressure would break it.I called Penn customer service. I described the issue and offered to send photos. Once I told the agent I was surf fishing with it he kind of cut me off and said basically they didn't cover the reel for that kind of use. Now they are promoted as a salt water reel and especially good for surf fishing so I was not so happy. He was pretty firm about this. I asked if they would at least send out a replacement part. He said they do not send out parts. They also have few parts in stock because of supply chain issues and referred me to a third party, Mystic Reel Parts. I could have sent in the reel for repair but at my own expense.Anyway...decent reel for the price. Design, drag, bearings, housing are all good. If you are a regular user, frequent maintenance is the key (not just a spray down with a hose) and be ready to replace gears. Customer service leaves something to be desired. Your mileage may vary.

Love Penn reels work fantastic and always solid build my go to for all fishing salt and freshwater!!!