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Does anyone else fish with these old Penn 450SS reels? I got these two from an estate sale years ago with a box of reels that I bought. I threw these two in the closet because they looked pretty rough. Last year I cleaned them up and put some oil on them and WOW what a reel. Even though they weren't maintained very well, it wasn't hard to get them back in shape. I put one of them on a bass rod yesterday and fished with it and I really like it. I might throw these vintage boys in the starting line-up. I wish I knew how old they were. I was just wondering if anyone else has some oldies like these.

Mine aren't oldies (2-3 yrs at the most) and I really like them. Only problem I have with them is the weight compared to other 4000 (or 40 for Okuma and Quantim fans) size reels.
Penn made a heck of a reel in the SSg, SSm and Spinfisher series but since they were bought out and shipped overseas they've turned to crap in my opinion.

Reel Cowboy wrote: Penn made a heck of a reel in the SSg, SSm and Spinfisher series but since they were bought out and shipped overseas they've turned to crap in my opinion.

RC, that is the same thing I was told. Mine both say "Made In USA"

Flint River Pirate wrote:

Reel Cowboy wrote: Penn made a heck of a reel in the SSg, SSm and Spinfisher series but since they were bought out and shipped overseas they've turned to crap in my opinion.

RC, that is the same thing I was told. Mine both say "Made In USA"

I've got 2 in the box I bought 3-4 months ago that have stripped gears or something. Instead of getting them fixed, I'm just going to replace them with either Shimanos or Okumas. These two brands seem to offer a light weight to line capacity in the 3000 (30) and 4000 (40) series.

I know several would agree with me, the Stradic is the way to go!

Flint River Pirate wrote:I know several would agree with me, the Stradic is the way to go!

Yeah but I've got to convince my CFO that I NEED $150+ reels to put food on the table.

Reel Cowboy wrote:

Flint River Pirate wrote:I know several would agree with me, the Stradic is the way to go!

Yeah but I've got to convince my CFO that I NEED $150+ reels to put food on the table.

I have decided that since the Georgia boys don't get to go as often, we spend more time talking and reading about fishing the Bend. Enjoyed the post. I grew up with the Old Mitchell 300's and still have a few. I do like my Stradic and a small Penn I bought on clearance at Bass Pro. I knew this past week was a good week to hit I-75 but my CFO has been working hard also and I didn't want to rock the boat.

Where do you live Dabbler? I thought you were in Florida.

Dabbler wrote:I have decided that since the Georgia boys don't get to go as often, we spend more time talking and reading about fishing the Bend.

Those FL boys put their time in ON the water but us GA boys have to do our research and have a sho nuff plan of attack when we get there. So we have to be better prepared and smarter to boot.

Those Penn SS reels are sure enough solid. I still have a couple 440's that I'm saving for the kids. I quit using them a couple years ago when I switched to using braided line. Must be either the shape of the spool or the 4:1 retrieval speed, but they will damn sure give you all kinds of loop knot problems with braid.

I've got one FRP that is about 10 years old. it's on a light rod that I use to catch bait with when going off shore. The SS line was the colt 1911 of reels. They just worked, all the time.

I still use mine for mono. Cant beet the longevity of them for the price.

Took me awhile to get back Pirate. I just retired from coaching football at Northside, WR. Still working and not fishing enough.

My parents both went to high school at Northside....GO EAGLES!