Penn International 975LD Baitcasting reel - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

StarsnStripers · 11-14-2002, 07:18 PM

Hey guys, I just found out about the Penn International 975LD. ($299, getting a sale for $199)The reel holds 340 Yards of 15# line. I am obsessed with Penn's quality and also jumping all over the idea that there is a Penn International for inshore fishing.
Does anyone own one of these "baby" Penn International reels?? Anyone have any good/bad experiences with them??
Also, what would be a good rod to match this reel?
It's purpose will be to fish plugs and lures, and maybe bait from my boat.
Here are the specs for the Penn International 975LD:

Line Capacity: 340 Yds. 15#
Gear Ratio: 4:5.1

JohnR · 11-14-2002, 07:59 PM

Kinda sorta a Boat reel... You could do a 965 cheaper but you've gone from $60 to $190 and you were complaining about price then...

Again, it's a good reel but probably overkill for you right now.

StarsnStripers · 11-14-2002, 08:50 PM

Well, I was considering it because most of the time i'm fishing from boat, that's in the summer I mean, now the boats away....I happen to be getting $500 for christmas.....and I wanted a cheap reel because I wanted enough leftover money to buy a better rod and reel for my boat....but now I figure I can use this one for my boat AND do a little surfcasting with it, after all, you know I am not a REAL surfcaster, my dad doesn't drop me off at point judith, only places like connimicut, the big dock @ colt state park and the providence power plant, i guess you can call it shore fishing....
Plus, I am willing to spend the extra $ because I have heard SSOOOOO much about Internationals ( the ones the size of my head) and an international for Stripers sounded awesome...

So, you think the International is good for boat and some SHORE fishing??

JohnR · 11-14-2002, 09:30 PM

Personally - if I had to have a 975, I would get the regular levelwind to do double duty. That being said, I honestly feel that a 975 is awful big for way up in the bay. You would do real well with a 6500, Heck, I use my 5500 and little Stradic up in the bay and my 6500 reels along the ocean front. If you're serious about the $500, you can do some OK outfitting with that. Also, if you are looking for a good boat setup, get a Penn 320GTI levelwind for $80, get a 6500TCST for the shore and you'll be far more versatile for less money than the 975. If I were in your shoes, that's what I would do.

Mike P · 11-14-2002, 10:50 PM

Don't be obsessed with the quality of the 975. You'll come away disappointed. Lots of plastic inside, more than I ever expected to find in a Penn. The level wind pawl wears out very quickly, and the free spool button will pop up in mid cast unless you keep it clean and very lightly lubed.

For the money, I'd take a Calcutta 400 over a 965 any day. Unfortunately, they don't make a Calcutta comparable in size to the 975.

Also---lever drag reels never really go into total freespool, so they cast like an old shoe.

Steve K · 11-15-2002, 01:19 PM

I second Mike's comments on the 975. Whenever I lay into a cast, the button pops up partially and the spool locks up. I love my Mag Elite because it casts much further and it is lighter. With the addition of smoothie drag washers, the drag is not bad either.

Steve K