PENN® Pursuit® IV
The Tough Saltwater Fighter
By: The Angler
Well known for their saltwater fishing capabilities, PENN has recently launched a new saltwater spinning reel called the PENN® Pursuit® IV. It is a reel built with a purpose in mind; fighting saltwater gladiators. It is never about sexiness. It is all about toughness and fish defeating capabilities.
[ The PENN® Pursuit® IV comes with a lightweight corrosion resistant graphite body that has the rigidity of a North Korean professional music teacher… ]
Built To Fight
Anglers who have been fishing with Penn know exactly what I am talking about. Penn reels are like the Hummers (Sports Utility Vehicle) of the fishing world. They look like they are made to wage war and fight battles. Well, Hummer was once Humvee; a bunch of badass jeeps that served in the war and still used by the military (USA). They don’t look sexy but they certainly look menacing and battle ready.
The rigidity of the body especially the reel foot provides for confident fishing experiences.
The well proven HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers provides high pressure on fish while remaining smooth.
Tough Rigid Body
The PENN® Pursuit® IV comes with a lightweight corrosion resistant graphite body that has the rigidity of a North Korean professional music teacher (if you’ve seen the video of little North Korean children performing on stage with their guitars that are larger than them, you’ll know what I mean). The body of the PENN® Pursuit® IV hardly flexes. It feels more like metal instead of graphite.
Flexing Rotor Arm Explained
The rotor on the other hand is another story. It flexes a little allowing the bail-arm roller section to get nearer to the spool under heavier pressure. I didn’t use to like this but that was a long long time ago during a time when doctors warned that milk and eggs were bad for us humans. Then I became part of the industry and realized that it was deliberately done so.
[ Don’t get me wrong. This does not mean that cheap plastic reels with rotors that flexes like jello are good. They are not… ]
You see, the weakest part of a spinning reel is the main shaft that supports the spool. If the pressure is too great and the rotor arm does not flex, the main shaft can very well bend, turning the reel into Quasimodo; the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Yes, high-end monster fighting reels have rotor arms that are stiff and will not flex. That is because they’ve got a freaking fat, rigid, and tough main shaft that is built to take very heavy pressure. For cheaper reels, the answer lies in the balance between the flex of the rotor arm and the main shaft.
4+1 Bearings. Some reels have more. For a saltwater reel, is more really better?
Don’t get me wrong. This does not mean that cheap plastic reels with rotors that flexes like jello are good. They are not. They are utter crap that should be displayed in every reel making factory to show the workers what crap is and not to make one. This is because such reels have rotors where the entire thing flexes. They flex so much that the entire rotor from the bottom to the arms flexes and rubs against the spool. Well, that is also because the darn crappy main shaft these reels come with partake in the flexing party too, perhaps to see who flexes more.
Quality reels like this PENN® Pursuit® IV flexes only at the rotor arm. That flex is a little flex and when under heavy pressure depending on the pressure it is rated to take. The rotor body remains rigid and intact during such pressure. That way the main shaft remains intact, the rotor spins without issues, and the tough fighting gladiator gets to take a picture with the warrior on the boat.
A big rubber handle provides for better grip when battling a hard fighting fish.
The Penn Pursuit IV comes with Superline ready spool just like its older brothers.
Super-line Ready Spool
With usage of super-lines climbing higher; super-line ready spools are becoming more and more common. Super-lines unlike monofilament lines do not have grip especially on metal spools. As such either a backing line of monofilament is used (this makes me sound so old), or rubber is added into the construction of the spool to provide grip to these super-lines. The PENN® Pursuit® IV comes with machined and anodized aluminium spool that has rubber in it providing grip to super-lines.
A 6.2:1 gear ratio gives the Pursuit IV good amounts of cranking power.
Should You Buy The PENN® Pursuit® IV?
If you are looking for a hard fighting saltwater reel but do not have thousands of Ringgit to throw or even hundreds above the half a thousand mark; then you should seriously consider the PENN® Pursuit® IV. It is a durable, smooth, and tough reel made for saltwater fishing.
FEATURES
HT-100™ carbon fiber drag washers
Lightweight and corrosion-resistant graphite body
4 Sealed Stainless Steel Ball Bearings
Instant Anti-Reverse Bearing
Machined and anodized aluminum spool
Superline Spool
Line Capacity Rings
