Penn Clash II HS: Making Gorgeous Reels Look Boring
By Phil Foo
Some of my friends envy me for the work that I do. I get to play with fishing tackle all day long, and I do so almost daily. But sometimes it is a curse. When we do something daily and often, we become numb to them. Here is an example. Most men and women will probably go gaga should a beautiful super model walk by. Both men and women will probably be blown away for different reasons but something does click, and the mind does go wow.
Those who handle them (super models) on a daily basis will probably feel as numb as a foot placed in ice water for about half an hour. You can prick it with a nail and the said foot will feel nothing. It would probably be dead by then. So, don’t put your foot in a bucket of ice water for half an hour. Go look at super models instead.
[ I have been playing with good looking spinning reels and suddenly , BOOM! I was smacked right in the head by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, and then gazed into the eyes of Venus; the goddess of love. ]
There are times when friends go wow when a good looking fishing reel (for example) catches their attention. They then pull me over to check it out. I then go, hmmmm… I mean… the reel is a nice and good looking reel, and has all of the ingredients that makes a reel beautiful; but… hmmmm… it just does not push my wow! buttons. I see no fireworks or explosions. Seeing too many things of beauty does have a numbing effect as such. There definitely is truth to the saying, “too much of a good thing (is never good). Also, let’s not forget that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
All hail the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel.
Medicine For Numbness
This brings me to the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel. Having been numb for some time, my mind “exploded” when I laid eyes on the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel. I have been playing with good looking spinning reels and suddenly , BOOM! I was smacked right in the head by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, and then gazed into the eyes of Venus; the goddess of love. The Penn Clash II HS is such an amazing looking reel. I have been playing with it for over a week now and I am still thrilled by its looks.
The Penn Clash II HS is one of those reels that will turn heads. It is like driving to a BMW club meet up (or TT session as it is known here in Malaysia) in a Ferrari F8 Tributo. It may not be the most expensive Ferrari but it will certainly turn heads, help you garner new haters and secret admirers from both sexes, and make fellow club members wonder where they went wrong in their business lives. So yes, I will be taking the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel fishing and maybe bring it with me to my next tea session with angling buddies.
These holes that you see, are holes of beauty.
The Exotic Spinning Reel
I want to say that the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel is a sporty looking reel but I will be doing it a big injustice. It most definitely looks sporty. But sporty is what you use for cars like some of the Porsches, or the Lotuses, perhaps the Mercedes Benz AMG GT, maybe the BMW M8, and cars of that sort. The Penn Clash II is not like those. It is exotic like the Ferrari F8 Tributo. It just does not look good. It looks Amazing. It has holes in all the right places.
The Penn Clash II HS spinning reel comes in a matte metallic grey body, black spool and handle with metallic red trims, carbon fibre in a few places, and lovely cut outs. All these gives the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel its gorgeously dark, amazing, and exotic look.
A speedy 7.0:1 Gear Ratio brings in 44 inches of line per turn of the handle (on this model).
The Need For Speed
Most people have a need for speed. Some may argue with me that they do not have a need for speed. Some of you are right. But mostly not. Just look at all the rushing people do. People are even rushing to get mundane stuffs done. “You know, I had to queue for 10 minutes just to take out some cash at the ATM.” “Why is the darn cashier taking so long…” Mundane, mundane, mundane. Speed is a thing most of us are addicted to. If you don’t believe me, throw your broadband modem out the window and go back to dial up.
Anyway, the Penn Clash II HS is all about speed. It not just has the looks, it if fast too. This no nonsense amazing looking speedster is made to help you win lure swimming tournaments with a respectful neck breaking gear ratio of 7.0:1. While there are faster reels, the 7.0:1 gear ratio on the Penn Clash II HS is more than enough for most fishing applications. It may be even too fast for some anglers to handle.
The Penn Clash II comes with a superline ready spool that also has line level indicator rings.
A high speed reel is good for many applications and is more versatile allowing the angler to cover a wider range of fishing. But one thing to remember is that sometimes we want our lures swimming at more mundane speeds and of course sometimes at higher speeds. One will need to be able to manage a high speed reel well; to be able to apply the best speeds for the best lure actions and applications.
Fishing for fishes that enjoy a high speed chase such as barramundis and sebaraus or hampala barb (Hampala macrolepidota) will certainly be great with the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel. But not all fishing requires speeds of such. A lower more manageable speed is certainly needed for many other types of fishing. With a high speed reel, must know how to slow down. Should one be unable to, there is another option.
The Penn Clash II comes in a standard model (medium speed) reel as well called the Penn Clash II – without the HS (reel on the right).
The Standard Or Medium Speed Models
Penn Clash II spinning reels do come in medium speed models as well as for baits or lures that require slower cranking speeds such as lures that are bigger or that have higher water resistance. The Penn Clash II standard speed models come with gear ratios from 5.6:1 to 6.2:1. They are ideal for deeper water spinnerbaits, swimbaits, etc.
Operations
As with most Penn reels, the Clash II HS is made for saltwater applications. It comes is a tough and solid full metal body to handle high pressure from hard fighting fishes. Being a saltwater reel, extra protection from the damaging elements of salty seawater is needed. The Penn Clash II (both HS and standard models) comes with a Hydrophobic Line Roller Bearing and the Clutch Armor System to protect its critical components.
The Clutch Armor System protects the vital parts of the reel.
In terms of smoothness, the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel is generally smooth and feels connected, thanks to its tough CNC Gears. Weight wise, the Penn Clash II HS is considered lightweight for a full metal bodied reel. The cut outs at the rotor, spool, body (near the stem), and sections of the handle definitely helped with weight reduction, without compromising toughness.
Highlighted Features
Full Metal Body and sideplate
CNC Gear™ technology
HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
8+1 stainless steel bearing system
Clutch Armor System
Leveline® Slow Oscillation System
Hydrophobic Line Roller Bearing
My Thoughts
As at time of writing I have not had the opportunity to test the Penn Clash II HS spinning reel in the real world. As of now, what I can tell you is that it looks amazing, and from our lab tests, it has a smooth and strong drag; plenty enough drag pressure to handle most inshore fishes. What I have is the size 4000 model and it has been performing well in our lab. Wait for our field test article in a soon to come issue. Meanwhile, I’ll go organize a tea session with my fellow angling buddies with the sole purpose of making them drool.
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