Review Scores
| Fishability |
| Performance |
| Value for Money |
| Build Quality |
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It’s all in the name when it comes to the Penn Spinfisher V1 7500LC fixed spool reel. This is a reel designed to achieve absolute maximum range utilising an ultra-modern spool design but with the mechanical features that make it one of the toughest reels available.
The reel is constructed with a full metal body. This ensures there is no distortion when utilising powerful casting styles, but more importantly when the reel is under heavy load pressure fighting a large, powerful fish. This is instantly apparent when you hold the reel body in you left hand and try and twist the reel seat leg with your right hand. It’s as a solid as a rock!
The use of Computer Numerical Control Machinery technology, basically a computer programme that controls the machining process, enables the drive and pinion gears teeth to be cut to exact tolerances. This majorly improves not just the overall smoothness and performance of the gearing under load, but also ensures a long and hard-working life.
The gear ratio is 4.3:1. This takes in 94cm of line for every full turn of the handle. That’s a very rapid retrieve rate meaning you save time in recovering tackle from extreme range, which is a major advantage, especially for competition anglers who will be time conscious to maximise their actual bait in the water fishing time.
The reel also features 6 stainless steel ball-bearings in its construction. These are strategically placed to increase smoothness but vitally to fully spread load pressure when the reel is under heavy direct load such as winching in a big heavy fish.
The gear box and drag system are protected by a sealing system which achieves an IPX5 standard. IP stands for Ingress Protection and is a rating designed to measure how well a product is protected from both solids and liquids. IP ratings are only given to products that have been tested and certified by an independent company. The higher the rating number, the better the protection. The Penn Spinfisher 7500LC’s IPX5 rating means it can resist a sustained low-pressure jet spray, meaning, in fishing terms, it should take surf spray and spray thrown up by an underway boat when the reel is in the rod rack without concern. Good to know!
The front drag system is ultra-reliable and incredibly smooth featuring Penn’s own HT-100 drag washers. HT-100 is designed to withstand a build-up of heat when a big fish runs at speed for a prolonged period, this to maintain a consistent drag pressure. Also, the drag will give line without hesitation maintaining smoothness which avoids that high inertia moment that on lesser reels can see the line pop. Maximum drag pressure achieved is a huge 11.3kg or a fraction under 25lbs.
The handle is good and strong and folds back for easy carrying. The handle grip is the comfortable and fat torpedo shape that proves easy to grip whatever the size of your hand. Perfect for heavy cranking when needed.
The spool, as we mentioned, is an integral part of the Penn Spinfisher 7500LC. It is a long cast type meaning the spool is elongated and shallower than a standard spool. It is designed to maintain the profile or height of the line during the cast for as long as possible. This minimises the drag effect of the line lifting off the spool and travelling over the spool lip. On traditional deep spools, as the line profile reduces during the cast the line must climb at an ever-steeper angle over the spool lip. This adds drag and results in a noticeable drop in casting distance. The modern elongated long cast spool design minimises this and makes long range casting incredibly easy.
The spool also features a rubber gasket that grips modern braid lines and avoids any slippage of the braid on the spool arbour when the line is under heavy pressure from a big fish. There are also line capacity rings cut into the spool which show you instantly just how much line you have left on a reel after casting, but also when a big fish runs a lot of line off. Spool capacity is quoted as 590m of 30lb braid, or roughly 0.30m diameter line.
The bale-arm is a heavy-duty type for strength and durability. This, after casting, needs closing manually, which the TSF crew prefer to do anyway as it avoids any slackness in the braid that can induce wind knots during the cast.
If we can pick fault with the Penn Spinfisher 7500LC, and maybe we’re being harsh here, then the inclusion of the anti-reverse lever and facility is not needed on a true surfcasting reel. It doesn’t affect how the reel performs at all, and the reason it’s there is more than likely because this basic reel design may also be used for a carp reel, and some carp anglers still like to backwind when playing fish, though the reality is that modern drag systems are far better at dealing with a fast running fish, especially the Penn drag systems, than any angler backwinding can ever be. We understand why it’s there, but we sea anglers don’t like it and don’t need it!
The reel is finished in Penn’s classic matt black body with gold spool and trim. It looks what it is, a Penn reel!
The reel spool design really does add a major boost to the distance you’ll cast. We fished and cast this reel with European type 14ft and 15ft rods. Using a simple overhead cast the lead flies but reverting to a full off-the-ground cast using a 5.25oz lead and the distances achieved over water were excellent. The line comes off the spool smoothly and consistently, even in the later stages of the cast when the line profile has diminished.
When retrieving under heavy load, the reel remains smooth and on one session we were plagued with big rafts of weed, but even dragging this heavy weight in the reel remained powerful and very smooth in operation.
The drag too, is very incremental in its settings and you can adjust across a wide setting range to suit much lighter and heavier lines without any issues and adjust quickly if needed during mid fight with a fish.
Price: We checked these out at various online stores for the 7500LC size and found them down to £150 plus post and packing, though the normal RRP is quoted as £189.99.
As you’d expect from PENN the reel feels tough and frankly is probably over engineered for the average UK fishing situation. Our test reel has just been washed and had the occasional spray of WD40 and still looks like new bar for the odd scratch.
The reel sizes cover just about every situation you can think of too. The 5500 is ideal for general surf and estuary bass, the 6500 for general surf, and the 7500 to really hit those massive distances and tame everything up to and including shore tope.
The reel is constructed with a full metal body. This ensures there is no distortion when utilising powerful casting styles, but more importantly when the reel is under heavy load pressure fighting a large, powerful fish. This is instantly apparent when you hold the reel body in you left hand and try and twist the reel seat leg with your right hand. It’s as a solid as a rock!
The use of Computer Numerical Control Machinery technology, basically a computer programme that controls the machining process, enables the drive and pinion gears teeth to be cut to exact tolerances. This majorly improves not just the overall smoothness and performance of the gearing under load, but also ensures a long and hard-working life.
The gear ratio is 4.3:1. This takes in 94cm of line for every full turn of the handle. That’s a very rapid retrieve rate meaning you save time in recovering tackle from extreme range, which is a major advantage, especially for competition anglers who will be time conscious to maximise their actual bait in the water fishing time.
The reel also features 6 stainless steel ball-bearings in its construction. These are strategically placed to increase smoothness but vitally to fully spread load pressure when the reel is under heavy direct load such as winching in a big heavy fish.
The gear box and drag system are protected by a sealing system which achieves an IPX5 standard. IP stands for Ingress Protection and is a rating designed to measure how well a product is protected from both solids and liquids. IP ratings are only given to products that have been tested and certified by an independent company. The higher the rating number, the better the protection. The Penn Spinfisher 7500LC’s IPX5 rating means it can resist a sustained low-pressure jet spray, meaning, in fishing terms, it should take surf spray and spray thrown up by an underway boat when the reel is in the rod rack without concern. Good to know!
The front drag system is ultra-reliable and incredibly smooth featuring Penn’s own HT-100 drag washers. HT-100 is designed to withstand a build-up of heat when a big fish runs at speed for a prolonged period, this to maintain a consistent drag pressure. Also, the drag will give line without hesitation maintaining smoothness which avoids that high inertia moment that on lesser reels can see the line pop. Maximum drag pressure achieved is a huge 11.3kg or a fraction under 25lbs.
The handle is good and strong and folds back for easy carrying. The handle grip is the comfortable and fat torpedo shape that proves easy to grip whatever the size of your hand. Perfect for heavy cranking when needed.
The spool, as we mentioned, is an integral part of the Penn Spinfisher 7500LC. It is a long cast type meaning the spool is elongated and shallower than a standard spool. It is designed to maintain the profile or height of the line during the cast for as long as possible. This minimises the drag effect of the line lifting off the spool and travelling over the spool lip. On traditional deep spools, as the line profile reduces during the cast the line must climb at an ever-steeper angle over the spool lip. This adds drag and results in a noticeable drop in casting distance. The modern elongated long cast spool design minimises this and makes long range casting incredibly easy.
The spool also features a rubber gasket that grips modern braid lines and avoids any slippage of the braid on the spool arbour when the line is under heavy pressure from a big fish. There are also line capacity rings cut into the spool which show you instantly just how much line you have left on a reel after casting, but also when a big fish runs a lot of line off. Spool capacity is quoted as 590m of 30lb braid, or roughly 0.30m diameter line.
The bale-arm is a heavy-duty type for strength and durability. This, after casting, needs closing manually, which the TSF crew prefer to do anyway as it avoids any slackness in the braid that can induce wind knots during the cast.
If we can pick fault with the Penn Spinfisher 7500LC, and maybe we’re being harsh here, then the inclusion of the anti-reverse lever and facility is not needed on a true surfcasting reel. It doesn’t affect how the reel performs at all, and the reason it’s there is more than likely because this basic reel design may also be used for a carp reel, and some carp anglers still like to backwind when playing fish, though the reality is that modern drag systems are far better at dealing with a fast running fish, especially the Penn drag systems, than any angler backwinding can ever be. We understand why it’s there, but we sea anglers don’t like it and don’t need it!
The reel is finished in Penn’s classic matt black body with gold spool and trim. It looks what it is, a Penn reel!
Penn Spinfisher 7500LC fishing and casting ability
Our reel used for testing was loaded with 30lb braid and a 60lb braid shock leader, also with 15lb mono and a 60lb mono leader for general surf casting.The reel spool design really does add a major boost to the distance you’ll cast. We fished and cast this reel with European type 14ft and 15ft rods. Using a simple overhead cast the lead flies but reverting to a full off-the-ground cast using a 5.25oz lead and the distances achieved over water were excellent. The line comes off the spool smoothly and consistently, even in the later stages of the cast when the line profile has diminished.
When retrieving under heavy load, the reel remains smooth and on one session we were plagued with big rafts of weed, but even dragging this heavy weight in the reel remained powerful and very smooth in operation.
The drag too, is very incremental in its settings and you can adjust across a wide setting range to suit much lighter and heavier lines without any issues and adjust quickly if needed during mid fight with a fish.
Penn Spinfisher 7500LC vital statistics
- Bearings: 6 overall
- Line Capacity: 590yds of 0.30m line
- Gear Ratio: 4.3:1
- Line Recovery: 94cms (37ins)
- Drag: HT-100 – Front Drag adjustment
- Max Drag Pressure: 11.3kg (25lbs)
- Overall weight unloaded: 790g (27.8ozs)
- Sizes Available: 5500, 6500, 7500.
Price: We checked these out at various online stores for the 7500LC size and found them down to £150 plus post and packing, though the normal RRP is quoted as £189.99.
Final Thoughts
Without doubt one of the very best surf casting fixed spool reels on the market. Line comes off the long cast spool so easily during the cast it will add many yards to your average cast. The drag is superb, smooth, gives line instantly and has a wide incremental pressure range.As you’d expect from PENN the reel feels tough and frankly is probably over engineered for the average UK fishing situation. Our test reel has just been washed and had the occasional spray of WD40 and still looks like new bar for the odd scratch.
The reel sizes cover just about every situation you can think of too. The 5500 is ideal for general surf and estuary bass, the 6500 for general surf, and the 7500 to really hit those massive distances and tame everything up to and including shore tope.
Tackle Guide reviews are ad-free and entirely reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which helps support our testing. Learn more.
