Penn 6500SS feedback?

[nightfighter]

Got a new Penn 6500SS sitting in the box. Anyone got comments on this model??? And what rod do you like with it?

Thanx

[mikecc]

You will loose more pluggs in one night when the bail flips over than you payed for the reel..

[Gooch]

Don't put it on a rod. If you do, anti-reverse will break after third night.

[Clammer]

Throw the @#$%^& thing away ===you can the # Penns in my garage =they suck

[BigBo]

I don't know.......I've got an older 650 SS that has been relatively trouble free for about 15 years. The bail thing can be a problem unless you put it in the right position before casting (only once in a while at first on mine). I eliminated that problem along time ago by cutting off the bail and making it a manual pickup.
The anti-reverse never gave me trouble but it certainly wasn't the best in the industry by a long shot. I modified mine to make it much better.
I've got mine mounted on an Allstar Breakaway 9' 6" that I got from MikeCC's shop. I personally like the setup for jetty fishing and such.

[saltyric]

Take the bail off!

[Mr. Sandman]

I don't know either. I have a couple of each that are also about 15 or so years old and frankly they have been trouble free. (2 550ss, 2 650ss and 2 750ss) I have had FAR more trouble with the new penn baitrunners. The bail on the 750's never fliped once, I think that reel has a post that it impacts to flip the bail. Those penns are not the smoothest reels kinda klunky but for me they have been a good baisic reel I give my kids and guests. I think the newer slammer model is probably a better reel but I don't own one of those.
I do get them serviced every couple years...15 bucks here and there but they have worked OK for me. I am surprised to read these negative comments.
They are junk when compared to a VS or a stella but they get the job done.

[Steve K]

I have one too that I let my girlfriend use. She has had no problems with the bail closing prematurely and neither did I when it was my only reel. I bought the reel in '95 and I have only had one part break on it. However, I think that it is too heavy for its line capacity.

[rwilhelm]

I am suprised a lot of you are so down on Penn. I had a Penn Powergraph for two years and never had a problem with it. I recently bought a 7500ss because I wanted a reel that could fit more line and more heavy duty for the breachways. The only thing I am not crazy about is that it is pretty heavy but I think I just have to get used to that since the Powergraph was really light.

[Strider]

Definitely take the bail off. If you like, there is a conversion kit available to make it bail free.

[Bill L]

I also have an older 650SS I picked up used at a yard sale about 8 years ago, and I really have had no trouble with it, whether its the bail flipping or the anti-reverse. I've also beat the piss out of this reel. It's currently about third in my outift rotation, so it doesn't get used as much these days . I'm not sure what changes were made to the 6500SS that are different from the 650.

I bought a 560 Slammer this fall, and it is nice so far, except I just noticed some vibration in the reel this past weekend. Feels like gears meshing while cranking, not sure whats up with that yet.

[rizzo]

The 6500ss are good reels and penn has never claimed them to be anything they're not. There are 2 parts that you will have to replace every year (the brass hexagon and anti-reverse) but they are less than $5 for the two of them. When a reel is under high strain something has to give, so better these two cheap parts than something major. For a reel just over $100 they aren't a bad reel at all, and can take a beating, get dunked every outing and still never need to be washed off. Parts are easy to find and they can be easily repaired by yourself.

It all depends on your expectations and how much money you are willing to spend. Every reel in the penns price range has some sort of problem with it. You just have to find what problems will bother you the least.

[GoFish]

I have two: Fished one on a production rod and found it trouble free. Got a second when I had a new rod made and snapped off two or three lures the first night before I picked up on the bail problem. Haven't tried to figure out the difference in the two reels, but make sure that the bail is in the right position before you cast!

[Mike P]

You could also try what Slip, JP and a few others have done to stop the bail from flipping over on the Nautil 7500---cut off the external trip on the reel's stem. 9 out of 10 times it flips over, it's because the roller isn't exactly vertical and the trip is stopping the bail wire from fully opening.

You'll have to flip it over by hand afterwards, but it pays off in lure savings

[nightfighter]

I think Mike P's suggestion sounds like what I might want to try. So I'll do a search for a Nautil thread, unless Slip, JP, or someone can show me where to find the info I need. Just not sure I'm ready to cut the bail off, and I'm already closing the bail manually 75% of the time. This reel is a little heavier than I'd like. What's the weight comparison to a 704?

[Saltheart]

I have a 650SS not a 6500SS. the bail flipping is overcome by always making sure it down on the bottom and smoothing out your casting mation to get less 'flip" and more "stroke". If you get by that problem , you still have to flip the bail and check the line at the roller every cast , it becomes habit.

then after that , just be sure to have the anti reverse fixed the beginning of every other year and the reel will be fine for a long , long time.

sounds like a lot but as I said , it all becomes habit after a while.

[missing link]

I've had my 6500ss for 7 yrs with no problems my bail has flipped 4 times maybe never lost anything , if any one dosent like them and just has them laying around there garage send them over to me I'll put them to good use. I have mine on an 10' ugly stick also it's a reasonably priced combo and stands up time after time. later LINK