The recent threads on high dollar reels had lots of mention to the fact that some had gone thru an wrecked the 706 Z series reels.
Every time I read this I scratch my head in wonder.I have been usin em for 12 yrs now an I have never had one rendered usless while fishing..I don't regularly get in the water where i primarily fish.But when I travel i well get it dunked..I simply clean the drags every now an then..I use em jiggin in the current.During some epic battles I have had noises comin out of it u could not imagine.She held up fine. I have totall confidence in it..
Of course with the advent of braided line I have popped some teeth off of the main gear.It did not ruin my night an since I lightened up on the drag a few yrs ago, I really don't have this problem.I am certainly no slave to maintenance..My main weapon last yr had my reel taped on. I never took it off.Over 100 outings with this setup per yr.I pounded it like I always do.. I maybe cleaned it once.And it is still hangin in my truck..Waiting for the next call to duty.
I can understand the why folks might want something that feels more solid. I happen to prefer the loose feel of the penn to the tight sometimes hard to reel VS's.I did take the VS route for a short spell an I was not overly impressed to the extreme's where I could justify the expense.I also fish a Saltiga for the canal, But thats a different animal..I lightly lube the drag washers an they preform fine in all conditions including when wet..In fact i consider the HT-100 drag one of the best in the biz...
It's reel that is so basic in design that with a small collection of parts if u did have a problem u could fix it an be back in the water in small time.Hey i don't wanna turn this into a Penn Vs any other reel thread.We seem to have enough of that already.
I just gots to know...
All of u Penn Destroyers How did U manage to wreck a reel that a 250 lb clutz has had no trouble with over the yrs...

I know exactly what you mean NIB. I can only guess that perhaps these guys where power cranking in tons of surf weed wrapped around their line or constantly casting plugs.
Do you toss plugs or do you use eel or chunk? Maybe your type of fishing doesn't involve the same abuse on your gear.

You should've driven to the plugfest you lazy baztard, then you wouldn't be trolling around here popping people's bubbles. Saw a NIB plug......bottle darter.......measured it real carefully, too. Very nice.

You should've driven to the plugfest you lazy baztard, then you wouldn't be trolling around here popping people's bubbles. Saw a NIB plug......bottle darter.......measured it real carefully, too. Very nice.

Yeah! What Numby said!
If you have any ruined 706s or 706zs send them to me, I'll give them a decent burial.

You should've driven to the plugfest you lazy baztard, then you wouldn't be trolling around here popping people's bubbles. Saw a NIB plug......bottle darter.......measured it real carefully, too. Very nice.

Um, actually i was comin i made my mind up when i saw that DZ was comin.But yesterday afternoon something came up an I could not make it..
That Bottle darter is nothing special I just cut it out of a old Gibbs..

I am looking for a (or 2) Eat Me Pencil popper

Hows my chances of getting one?

BB Jake - was it you who jimmied my lock and took all my 706 parts and bodies????

You sly guy you.

You should've driven to the plugfest you lazy baztard, then you wouldn't be trolling around here popping people's bubbles. Saw a NIB plug......bottle darter.......measured it real carefully, too. Very nice.

Yea ,,, What Numby said ... The big hype of the whole event was Nib might make an apperance.. You don't show and dissapoint alot of people especially the youngens.. This ain't about Penn its about you !!!! Buzz Kill .....

&... U missed something else.. me presenting BM, with the treepopper.. once again.. no re-enactment tho,, Slip had it in a plastic case.. and BM.. just laughed.. and kept it...
he told me he might actually fish it now!


U shouldabeen there.

Like i said i was comin.Even though i didn't make any plugs. Like Slip says i don't make um, I just Talk about em..Looking at them pictures makes NIB sad thinkin of all the plugs I could have had.
Unfourtunatley there are things that are more important than plugfest.
Believe it or not..

Sorry you couldn't make it my friend, you were missed though like they said. :(
see ya soon anyway I'm sure.
Myself and Professor Moriarty are a little spoiled with our 5 minute drives to plugfests, I can understand your priorities NIB.
Not sure if you would have made off with much pluggage though since your competition from the cape did pretty well :rollem:

I was gonna call ya, I knew u had a busy schedule..
I was only kidding about the plugs..
Actually i don't like to HO,,
I prefer to trade.Or at least the promise of a trade:D
I'd feel funny any other way.
There is a NIB plug on the shirt..:D
Really looked like a great time...
There is always nexr yr..

So is there no one who has wreckedem...??

what

So is there no one who has wreckedem...??

Nah.Sold mine.Can't stand a 706z.Now a bailess 704 is something else!

So is there no one who has wreckedem...??

i had one freeze up when salt built up on the shaft- after breaking it down and a regreasing it was good as new-

So is there no one who has wreckedem...??

wreckedem, NIB getting a little personal arn't we

I used my 706z once and hated it sold it the next day, like Basswipe said is true for me to

thank gawd for todays reels, if i had to fish one of those green pos i would kill my self

Mine are all black,Sold off my greens long ago they are all hype.
I love my sloppy penn reels. I just don't get it why more don't use em..

same reason people dont drive ford pintos :laughs:

Mine are all black,Sold off my greens long ago they are all hype.
I love my sloppy penn reels. I just don't get it why more don't use em..
cuz the reels now are smooth and aint clunky. ya they hold up and i fixed a few on nauset in my camper i remeber. i used the 650's an carry'd a pile of them cuz i destroyed them wich i thought was smooth over the clunkers then in the 90's we used the hot cape set up a ahab reel and a 1204 and this new chit called fireline.
nib basicly the reels made today are better but dont holdup for the japan reels and the vs are smooth and cast good and no wind knots.
i actually have a sustain but it wore out after about 5000 fish and its frozen.
evolution of reels with me thats all. gimmie a vs an im happy
but to this day there is always a spare reel in my sandsled

I don't know NIB I have a 706 (greenie) and a vs200 and at first I almost past on the vs becuase I liked the "rughed old school feel" of my penn.well it did not take long for that vs to change my thinking I must have been crazy.much much smoother and balanced.no wabble ,no noise,I could never look back.now to answer your question I never had any failers the real is a true work horse.It seized up once and not on the beach so it was just a quick cleaning and regrease and it was fine.I fished mine for 5 or 6 years w/ only the occasional cleaning and it always worked.If I wasn't welling or able to buy a higher end real the 706 would be my first choice.

I prefer the loose feel of The Z to the tight smoothnes of a VS.
To me I can really feel whts going on on the end of my line better with the reel thats not as tight.
It's not like have not tried other reels I had a 250 an I do have a Saltiga..
If I where to purchase another VS it would be the 300.
Just for the pure crankin power..
But when I think about the dollars to dollars comparison I always come to my senses..

NIB..
the spot you and paul and I fished when you came up (not the bowling spot)
does not like 706's the way I fish it.. but I did fish one for a 2 week stretch this fall, packed in grease w/ no major problems.
to each his own. My back-up remains a greenie

I prefer the loose feel of The Z to the tight smoothnes of a VS.
To me I can really feel whts going on on the end of my line better with the reel thats not as tight.
It's not like have not tried other reels I had a 250 an I do have a Saltiga..
If I where to purchase another VS it would be the 300.
Just for the pure crankin power..
But when I think about the dollars to dollars comparison I always come to my senses..

I feel just the opposite. When I use a sloppy reel I feel like I feel less. Probably since all I can concentrate on it the clicks and clacks...

I hear you on the dollars to dollars for the money it is the best buy,like I said true work horses.As for the "feel" to each their own I guess like I said I used to see it the other way as well.

I thought my penn was a cadilac until i bought a fin nor ahab...then the penn was loose as a goose

then I bought a van staal and they all seem loose and sloppy

I hear ya shadow, its personal feel, NIB loves the loosenes of the penns where you and I like the tighness of the vs. to each its own as long a we can all land the fish we want with what we are fishing with

NIB..
the spot you and paul and I fished when you came up (not the bowling spot)
does not like 706's the way I fish it.. but I did fish one for a 2 week stretch this fall, packed in grease w/ no major problems.
to each his own. My back-up remains a greenie

I can see if i was doing that every night where it might be a problem.
I can see it being a problem with no matter what u use.Its really nothing that a quick rinse could not fix..I don't fish mine packed with grease.I do grease em.Over doing it makes em tight when they get cold..
I have never had one bind because of sand..The sand usually cranks right out..

True;
I use 'packed' loosely.. it wasn't stuffed to the seams but more than a coating..

Rinse your gear... like I remember to do that :D

I hear ya shadow, its personal feel, NIB loves the loosenes of the penns where you and I like the tighness of the vs. to each its own as long a we can all land the fish we want with what we are fishing with

This is right on...To each their own..
I don't want this to be a penn vs any of the high dollar reels thing..
I wanna hear from guy's who wreck'dem..
Since no one can actually own up.
I gonna start callin out the liars in the future..

True;


Rinse your gear... like I remember to do that :D
I'm the same way I'm lucky i can climb outta my truck when I'm done.Sometimes I do em on sunday..

I'm still using the 7500 Nautil .. I consider them throw aways ,, never come apart ,, occaisionally rinse.. under water and rock falls alot . I have a couple of penn 704's but prefer the long cast spool on the Nautil and it likes braid .. I think its 3 yrs. now using that no complaints . I know there's some clunkers out there . Poor mans VS good to me . Its kinda like "Reel Wars" now with all the high end stuff battling .. I'd like to get something nicer but waiting for this dust to settle . Pretty much always fished conventional until recent years .

the z's are just about bullet proof and if any thing goes wrong it is always a easy quick fix. That you got to love.and for that resaon penn does not want to produce them.

I realy like the 704 packed, whether bailess or not. The reasons mentioned above are all good reasons why its one of the best bang for the buck reels. If your going to put alot of time into one reel and have it be dunked then your gonna spend alot of your time breaking it down, IMO this is where the VS stands above the rest no matter what you or mother nature throw at it, it remains the same. With alot of talk about smoothness of the two reels....if anywhere it should be looked for in the drag. Many guys own both, some a few of each and when the fish are in its almost always the VS or other high end reels their fishing with ,,not the Z's.

The same arrugment goes for rods, some break two or three rods a year, I fish alot too and never broke not even one unless through my thoughtlessness. So depending on who's telling the story I try and take that kind of stuff lightly.

The same arrugment goes for rods, some break two or three rods a year, I fish alot too and never broke not even one unless through my thoughtlessness. So depending on who's telling the story I try and take that kind of stuff lightly.


I have to agree with that.

I rarely have a rod break, and several of my most used boat rods are the supposedly break prone IMX Loomis series. None of my surf rods have ever let go either. **knocks on wood...**

As for Z's, I know a friend of mine stripped the gears on several 704's. These were fairly recent models and he's prone to breaking things, so it's not necessarily a valid incident of breakage...

Most of the issues I see with Z's that come into the shop are due to extreme neglect. Quick rebuilds and they're up and running again.

I use a 706z and the only time it failed was when the rotor nut came loose. I have fallen with it and it still keeps on going. Hard to fault these reels. I have thought about buying a VS but I can't bring myself to stop using the 706z.

1st off I would not buy a new VS, the older ones are the reels to have, that external counter weight sucks and that is and has been a problem for me. I own 3

2nd the z series, I don't like that the rotor cup spins freely I have lost a few plugs do to this and will not use one to throw plugs, I have also had problems with the reel locking up when trying to reel a good fish in. I own 3

3rd I like the ss series for dunking bait, worms or live lining I have never one had a problem with one of these. I own 3

I break down all my penn reels in the winter, and before fall and load them with grease. the VS's go get sent in and I have the serviced

I have never had one bind because of sand..The sand usually cranks right out..

None of mine have any paint left on the base of the spool :jester:

love all three of my Z's :cheers:

I bought a 706z yesterday, still dont know if i will fish it or not. Not because im saving it, simply because i dont have a rod to match it up with. It was the only one left at the store i went too and figured i should pick it up.

I need an extra spool for my 706.(blatent hijack move)
Bob, if you make sure that the spool is out and handle down before you cast you won't have that problem.
I sorta think of them as M1s, you could probably field strip them in the dark if you practiced.

I need an extra spool for my 706.(blatent hijack move)
Bob, if you make sure that the spool is out and handle down before you cast you won't have that problem.
I sorta think of them as M1s, you could probably field strip them in the dark if you practiced.

Yah after loosing a few lures I learned that trick, they do break down easy though

NIB...Send me all you wrecked reels please...:bshake:

I love the Penn 704's. I have never had one fail, and in the fall I fish with it 5-7 days a week. I also use one of the old Penn Spinnfisher 700's, which came out in the early 60's. These came out just before the "greenies"(they are a different shade of green). They are mechanically the same as 704's with the exception of the rotating flyer around a stainless steel rotor cup. I found this Spinnfisher 700 at a tag sale for 3 bucks, and since I have fished it locally and at Cuttyhunk with no problem. All it needed was a good cleaning. :)

i've gone thru many 704's and 706's thru the years. it was my first work horse spin reel for the surf. i started w/ a green 706, which after a few years of using i learned to hate the roller noise, especially w/ a fish on. i graduated to a 706z, which was a little better, but had the same issues. the reels would be under water a lot during wading, so whatever oil was in the roller would be gone by the end of the night.

on the 706z, the side plates were plastic, so they never held a tight seal to the housing, not that the 704/6 series were all that water tight in general. so, water penetrated and about once every other month or so the reel would need to be completely taken apart and regreased. this could be every 2 weeks to 4 weeks in the fall depending on the number of trips in that time. the drags needed to be cleaned after every trip, or at least every other or else they stuck. every other week, new drag washers. all this got old quick.

the 704's were better, especially after making them manual rollers. no roller noise. drill a few holes in the rotor cup and you now had it wash out sand freely. but, again, it needed constant attention.

"babysitting" one or 3 of these thru the fall or thru the season gets old fast. i've had several start to seize during the middle of fishing trip after coming close to the window of needing a new greasing. the reels were not made for constant underwater abuse, so it was time to upgrade. i didn't have time to constantly babysit the reel each night and thru a fall run. if the reel was kept out of the water, or only an occasional dunking it was fine.

years ago i purchased a vs250. it was the best investment i made to my surf fishing purchases that year. no more babysitting the reel. all i needed to do was rinse the reel off, an occasional few drops of light oil on the shaft, roller, and handle and it was new. i gladly paid the $40, or now $50, to have the reel service then to constantly do it myself w/ a penn 70x thru a seaon.

this is not a bash of a penn 704/6 as much as it is my own experiences with the reel. i still use one as a backup reel, but it is not part of my primary surf arsenal. it all depends on how hard you fish and what you expect out of your reel/gear. for me, less TLC is important as time is of the essence sometimes.

I kind of like servicing my 70-s. They let me suffer from the delusion--albeit short-lived---that I actually have some mechanical ability, instead of being your basic klutz with a wrench and screwdriver. :bl: :rotfl:

i have a green spool will trade for a plug

Check this avatar out guys, what do you think?

Thumbs up, down?

Knock it off, guys

Knock it off, guys

You're right Mike.I can't believe I got suckered into that.

You are the voice of reason here for sure.

Play nice. We almost made it thru winter without a major pissing contest and I wanted to nip this one in the bud.

Play nice. We almost made it thru winter without a major pissing contest and I wanted to nip this one in the bud.

Winter's almost over!Can't wait for those first fish!

Yes, let's ratchet this down a bit. Z - don't get so wound up like the world is out to get you or something, because it is not.

Things not to take seriously: The Internet, more specifically the Internet in February instead of fishing...

Mike - this has been a pretty tame winter :wavey:

It's just for fun. Not personal at all. Why did you remove my post John? It wasn't that bad, was it?

It's just for fun. Not personal at all. Why did you remove my post John? It wasn't that bad, was it?

Actually I didn't remove your post and I did not see the entire thing, at first. If your trying to have some fun, not personal at all, why try to go tweak other people for grins and giggles? Makes you a tough guy or something? Not being the center of attention long enough?

As for your martyrdom or insult at the hand of the Z-Hordes, give it a rest... Is it that bad? Not really. But 2 things happen behind computer screens, people get lost in translation real quick and people hit the enter key before thinking if they really want to say what they're saying. I know, I do that a bit too

The reason posts get removed is, moderators can't read minds. You and the guy you're dealing with might know it's all in fun. But there's 100 other guys looking in and they may take it seriously. One of them reports the post and the moderators have to make a seat of the pants call.

You need to get a little bit more of a track record before the mods can know whether your posts are done in fun. And the rest of the membership as well. Anyone who's been around here more than a few months knows that Flaptail and bassmaster often trade good natured insults, as well as Clammer, F-18 and #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&. No one takes those "fights" seriously. No one ever asks a moderator to step in. You just need to have the guys here know you a little better. Removing a post is never done personally. The moderators here tend to be more low-key and let a lot more slide than is the practice at some other websites ;)

Hi, my new name will be "Casting Gibbs!" :lm:

Gibbs are great!-- Gibbs are the best!-- My name is Gibbs!-- My avatar is Gibbs!-- I don't want to use anything but Gibbs plugs ever again! :bshake:

Gibbs are SO great and so much better than the others, that I'm already completely convinced that their "Pro Series" Needles are superior to Habs and Saltys & BMs... even though I haven't had the chance to try it out yet! If Gibbs makes it or is behind it... then I just know intrinsically it will be the best & I throw away or sell whatever I was using 'till Gibbs came out with a competing plug. And who cares about various shapes & sizes?-- I'll use whatever size Gibbs makes, who cares about given conditions that day! At least I'll know I have the "right" plug even if in the "wrong" size! That's MY choice!

Oh... & you guys should do the same-- in fact I joined the site to tell you this! I'll never look back at the other Needles... now that "Pro Series" are finally here! :heybaby:


ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............. :sleeps:


(just having some fun before working! :hf1:

Hi, my new name will be "Casting Gibbs!" :lm:

Gibbs are great!-- Gibbs are the best!-- My name is Gibbs!-- My avatar is Gibbs!-- I don't want to use anything but Gibbs plugs ever again! :bshake:

Gibbs are SO great and so much better than the others, that I'm already completely convinced that their "Pro Series" Needles are superior to Habs and Saltys & BMs... even though I haven't had the chance to try it out yet! If Gibbs makes it or is behind it... then I just know intrinsically it will be the best & I throw away or sell whatever I was using 'till Gibbs came out with a competing plug. And who cares about various shapes & sizes?-- I'll use whatever size Gibbs makes, who cares about given conditions that day! At least I'll know I have the "right" plug even if in the "wrong" size! That's MY choice!

Oh... & you guys should do the same-- in fact I joined the site to tell you this! I'll never look back at the other Needles... now that "Pro Series" are finally here! :heybaby:


ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............. :sleeps:


(just having some fun before working! :hf1:
Look at you go LeCounts, that's exactly what I was looking for!!!!!!
You the Man!
I'm just evolving into a product of your disdain.

gibbs makes a killer needle:devil:

Hi, Z's! :wave: :sleeps:

Tell you what, BM: let Gibbs be smart & hire you over there to oversee quality control... and I'll go back to trusting their head- swivels again! :uhuh:

No bigger fan of Gibbs historically than I (of course I wasn't knocking them above...), but boy am I glad I bought my lifetime supply 10+ years ago! They were different plugs then as we all know...

:buds: I'm the guy on the right!