Keith Lusher 08.31.23
If any reel manufacturer could say that they have figured out how to produce a quality reel that excels in saltwater use it has got to be PENN. For years I’ve been using PENN for my inshore saltwater marsh fishing and for years the reels have never let me down. While I usually don’t spend over 150 bucks for my spinning reels, I decided to purchase a high-end reel and focus on it for the majority of my saltwater fishing. The thought process behind this is simple: find one reel that excels with catching speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and sheepshead, and use it for all of my saltwater fishing instead of numerous other rod and reel combos. After a ton of research and some helpful advice from a few saltwater fishing guides in my inner circle, I decided on the PENN Slammer lV.
I took this reel out on the water and got to put it to the test. The first thing I’ll start with is the rigidity of the reel. It has virtually no flex in it because of its full metal body and side plate that helps keep everything aligned properly when the reel is under pressure. PENN now uses CNC technology which means the gears are cut from one block of metal. With its 9 total stainless steel ball bearings, the retrieve was probably the smoothest I’ve ever experienced.
I was fishing a cut in the marsh with water flowing out of it and was able to jig a Shrimp Creole Matrix Shad on a 3/8 oz. jig head to pick up 8 specked trout and 1 redfish. I was able to test out the drag system when the redfish (26 inches) slammed my bait and made a run. The 20lb. max drag system handled the fish with ease and I was able to net him within five minutes. The HT-100 Carbon Fiber Drag System was ultra-smooth and very consistent.
An added feature that I was looking forward to trying out was the Automatic Bail system. I was not disappointed. It’s a great bait runner feature that has the potential to allow me to fish on the bottom with live bait or market bait and wait for the fish to run a bit before setting the hook.
The reel was slightly on the heavy side but a heavier reel is always in order when fishing for saltwater fish so I’d rather sacrifice weight for quality.
At the end of the day, I can honestly say that I have found my all-round saltwater reel in the PENN Slammer IV and would highly recommend it even with the premium price tag. Its overall smoothness in the retrieve and drag department is a no-brainer and the automatic bail system was a great feature that has tons of potential when using live bait. It is an absolute masterpiece of an inshore reel.
