Gunpowder,

Very Handsome Reel!!!! 704 is a classic. Take good care of the manual bail and torpedo handle, they are hard to get.

sean

a cougar wearing fredricks. . . . .:devil:

Ingenuity - I like it

Hey Vic - I always figured a Beemer and a VS had one thing in common - they're mostly used to make up for other...uhhhh...personal short-comings, if ya get my drift...:rotflmao:...:rotflmao:....:rotflmao:

Hell, I know one short-peckered bastage who swears by VS...:hihi:

No doubt they're both confidence builders - but neither one automatically guarantees a longer Johnson or a longer fish...:laughs:

nice reel and i think van staal are a joke just buy a bunch of penns for the price of one of those. is 600 bucks gonna make it so you don't bang it of the rocks on accident i don't think so lol.

nice reel!

Why not just buy one VS......instead of going through a bunch of Penns. :huh:

I wouldn't call it a joke...its a pretty solid reel

Every reel has its application....if you are standing on the rocks and not getting wet then, Yeah, then maybe a VS isn't for you. But if you are in the water or wading a lot then a VS shines. Its nice to wade amongst the boulders and be able to use your rod as a walking stick and not do the "Don't Dunk the Reel" Dance when you lose your balance.

Mine must have been submerged a couple of dozen times last year...never had to open it, clean it, or have it serviced.....and it runs as good as the day I bought it.

I use a Penn 7500 when I fish the canal, I don't get wet there so its a good choice for me.

and no reel.....or rod for that matter, is "accident proof" if you take a header on the rocks something is probably going to break.....hopefully not me

I think most guys on this board that have the VS actually see the advantage of having one. If you consistantly dunk a penn and never take it apart and service it or pack it with grease, you are going to go through a lot them!

I don't have a VS, but I imagine you can just fish the hell out of and dunk it all night and never have to worry about the thing just blowing up one day

http://tr.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI



oh, but you can, they did it on mythbusters

Nice reel. I have a few old ones that I'd like to spice up sometime. I don't have a VS so I can't say anything about them besides; hell ya I want one, but I cant' afford it now. If the Van Penn is capable of getting somewhat wet and can tolerate it with the proper care then it may be worth it to do that. I bet drilling may tamper with the strength but those things are tough, and I doubt it would ever weaken it too much.

I've accidentally dunked a few reels that shouldn't be dunked and with the proper care they've been fine. I don't advise it though.

Best thing about the 700 series penns is you can pull the side cover off and have it back on in a couple of minutes. Try that with another reel.

Those workers are way too old. Divide their ages by 3 or 4 for a more accurate photo.

Ive had a couple spheros and a couple penn 650's since i started, and I had them rebuilt after using them for 3 years straight, totalling about $200 bucks. I got a VS200 as a wedding gift last year from the wife, and its the best reel ive ever used. Not everyone that has one is rich, and having one doesnt mean your making up for insecurities. Shrinkage doesnt count!!! Tell her about the shrinkage, Jerry!!!!!!!!!

that pretty much ended my season last year. had to dive at my plug box which got washed of the rocks. landed on my reel. handle snapped off. just moved, so no money to replace. perfect timing too.. just found some fish. :doh:

:wave: