Originally Posted by Brewlugger (Post 552430)

I like Penn reels but for surf fishing I have found that many do not lay the line evenly on the spool and that causes problems with braid knotting while casting. Always close the bail by hand and hold some tension on the line for a few cranks until you have contact with your lure. The Daiwa has good line lay and a superior main gear compared to the Penn but salt will find its way into the clutch on the BG 4000 that I use. I use an old Shimano Calcutta baitcaster with fifty pound braid for rough surf and heavy lures never had any issues with that one. I have a Daiwa g2600 that I bought at a garage sale for 25 bucks thats got alot of miles on it and its still going. When rinsing my gear I lightly spray the water too much pressure will push the salt and sand into the reel, then take the spool off and wipe off everything finally spray WD on a rag and wipe again. If you fish alot sooner or later your going to have to take them apart. When using a swivel at night it can be problematic reeling it into the tip top and cracking the ceramic ring. Everybody does things their own way. Good luck looking forward to seeing you post a successful report.