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Post 17 Jul 2017, 13:41 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
I am looking for suggestions on a vintage spinning reel open or closed face for a Fenwick FS70. I would like to keep it close to the same vintage but also functional.

What are your thoughts


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Post 17 Jul 2017, 19:09 • #2 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Green Penn
This is a 716, the smallest size - you probably want a 714 (712 is a good size for inshore)
Image Image
The black 714Z is also a very nice reel.
Everything in the drive of these reels is metal - they're much quieter, smoother, and last longer than Mitchells.


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Post 17 Jul 2017, 20:34 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 09/18/09
Posts: 5561
Location: Relocated to the Drought Stricken West.
I was going to say Penn, but not only did Bulldog beat me to it. He provided gorgeous pictures to go with it.

When did Penn go to the gold or black and gold models that we think of today?


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Post 17 Jul 2017, 21:47 • #4 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
the 71xZ series went from green to black and gold, probably in the late 70s.
I have a couple of the 4x00SS skirted spool reels with graphite bodies from the late 80s and early 90s (inshore and ultralight) and they are workhorses. I've landed 30" redfish on the ultralight - also big black drum, jacks and king mackerel on the inshore reel (4400SS).

Interesting, you can find a lot of prewar Penn trolling reel history (duplicated on Wikipedia and many websites), but nothing on the postwar models.
http://www.whitefishpress.com/bookdetail.asp?book=190
All you can get from the company website is the original Penn Spinfisher 700 (bluewater) was introduced in 1960.

Here's a Field & Stream ad from '76, which places the age as a perfect match for the Fenwick.
https://books.google.com/books?id=x15v_fHIi_MC&lpg=PA107&ots=TsOV0iG8Qj&dq=penn%20714%20ultrasport&pg=PA107#v=onepage&q=penn%20714%20ultrasport&f=false

Something to add about these reels - not a recommended practice - but a guide buddy at the coast fished his for years etc without ever rinsing it off. The only reel I've ever heard of that can be put away like that and survive.

Image


Last edited by bulldog1935 on 18 Jul 2017, 07:38, edited 2 times in total.

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Post 17 Jul 2017, 22:53 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
Thank you for the info. I will go on the hunt for a Penn 714


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Post 19 Aug 2017, 20:18 • #6 
Sport
Joined: 04/18/08
Posts: 54
Location: central, pa
Shakespeare 2052 is a nice small ,but heavy, us made reel.


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Post 15 Sep 2017, 17:17 • #7 
Sport
Joined: 03/28/17
Posts: 28
Location: US-GA
You guys are such a bad influence. This thread prompted me to seek out a Penn for my old Fenwick. .

Image


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Post 16 Sep 2017, 11:41 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 06/03/15
Posts: 424
Location: Weatherford TX.
Sorry not USA made but when I think of Fenwick spinning rods and spinning reels I think of Mitchell reels.... just because that's what I was raised on and they were the Rolls-Royce of spinning reels in their day.....I recently bought a 300 and a 308 just out of Nostalgia on eBay for $25


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Post 17 Sep 2017, 05:52 • #9 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
RobC wrote:
You guys are such a bad influence. This thread prompted me to seek out a Penn for my old Fenwick. .

Image

I'd say I was a good influence. That reel will keep fishing longer than you. As far as smoothness and reliability, Penn Spinfishers are the best fishing reels ever made - they simply do not have a weak point.
I've fished through Mitchells (Made in France). By the time I was 20, my 6-y-o Mitchell 300 (on Berkley Tri-sport glass rod) had cried Uncle catching Spanish macs, a few big reds and one really big spec. The nylon main gear brinnelled, and clicks every contact point now, making it sound a bit like a train. Same part in a Penn is bronze, and that won't happen.

Copying my recent ORCA post
Ron Mc wrote:
I'm in the process of staging gear for the upcoming coast kayak trip (still a month away) - new stern light - checking boat boxes for completeness, removing surplus gear from travel bags, will eventually get around to waxing the boats and Boeshield on the fasteners...
Image

Reels need lube, maybe minor cleaning from storage, new Boeshield. Found my 35-year old fly fishing fanny pack has frozen solid zippers, and I'll be replacing it (had to cut it open to recover leaders and tippet - salt tackle lives a rough life - even YKK zippers).

I'll be loaning my daughter's rigged boat, and some of my tackle.
As I'm going through my gear a little bit every evening, one other reel shines - my old Penn 4x00SS spinners, which are over 30 years old.
At first picking one up, they wind stiff. One drop of oil on each side of the main bushing, handle, one on the spool shaft, and they're spinning like tops. My Penn 4400SS has fished thousands of miles, thousands of fish - landed big kings and jacks, and just won't quit. The 4200SS UL has landed 30" reds, and here's my daughter horsing big sheepshead on the flats.
Image

My old guide buddy at the coast fished his Penns, propped them in the garage, and took them out again without even rinsing them. The only reel ever made that can be ridden hard, put away wet, and keeps going.
I don't treat them this way - all my tackle gets a bath after a coast trip.

Don't have a 4x00SS photo to show, but here's a beauty 716.
Image Image
In my book, these count as the smoothest and most reliable spinning reels ever made, though Tommy has a great argument with his ABU/Zebco.
I'll also add my top-line Tica Cetus XUL has held up so well for salt pier fishing, I've added a medium Tica Libra to break-in on this trip. I'll have a fishing report late next month - they're a really good buy.

Image

BTW Jon, the reason this is a salt topic for me, I very rarely use anything but fly tackle in freshwater.
In the salt, fly fishing is best reserved for sight-fishing, and conventional tackle takes over for most blind-fishing, such as drifting a kayak.


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Post 17 Sep 2017, 11:49 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/27/16
Posts: 2327
Location: US-IL
i agree the penn reels are bullet proof ,but have opened up lots of old mitchells.all metal gears in them.the bail springs and the bails themselves are usually the problem.i still manually close bails on spinning reels as my first was a mitch 308 with a broken spring.i rarely fish with anything but a flyrod these days and my 40 or so spinning reels live in the closet,some new in the box.


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Post 17 Sep 2017, 12:58 • #11 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Image

Mitchell went to nylon transfer gear to keep the noise down - that only works until the gear deforms under big winding pressure.


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Post 17 Sep 2017, 17:31 • #12 
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dang BD.i had a feeling i would see this picture.i still have a half dozen garcia mitchells and love to just make em whir a bit for the happy memories.never had nothing but trouble with them myself.for my spring crappie trip i have cheapo shakespeare micros .they all use the same spool.i use nanofil super line.very thin stuff and gets the little jigs down fast.if i hook something big and they trash the gears i jst swap the spool onto a new one.the line costs more than the reels.i caught almost as many crappies on flies this past trip tho as they were up pretty shallow.


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Post 18 Sep 2017, 19:30 • #13 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/04/12
Posts: 705
Location: SE Pa
Do an eB*y search for 'vintage spinning reel' for a few weeks and jump on something that strikes your fancy. There's a lot of cool stuff out there.


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Post 20 Sep 2017, 12:26 • #14 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Fenwick - Penn
Image


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Post 21 Sep 2017, 19:42 • #15 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/27/16
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that rig will set you back more than a few bucks BD.you gotta be one of the most interesting people on this site


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Post 18 Jan 2018, 21:03 • #16 
Sport
Joined: 07/07/17
Posts: 28
Location: US-IL
Hi Guys, That's the leather brimmed hat, is it not?

Jay Edwards


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Post 18 Jan 2018, 21:03 • #17 
Sport
Joined: 07/07/17
Posts: 28
Location: US-IL
Hi Guys, That's the leather brimmed hat, is it not?

Jay Edwards


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Post 19 Jan 2018, 13:22 • #18 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
bluesjay1 wrote:
Hi Guys, That's the leather brimmed hat, is it not?

Jay Edwards

yes, I think it must be


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Post 21 Jan 2018, 17:46 • #19 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/04/12
Posts: 705
Location: SE Pa
bulldog1935 wrote:
Image

Mitchell went to nylon transfer gear to keep the noise down - that only works until the gear deforms under big winding pressure.

Are you saying these particular gears have a known reputation for failure? I may be wrong, but I didn't think it's associated with line retrieval/ winding, simply oscillating the spool in & out.


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Post 24 Jan 2018, 06:46 • #20 
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
actually, they don't fail as much as wear heavily - actuallly, brinnell - under big fish loads, becoming Clunky and Very Noisy.

I'm sure I could still take my noisy Mitchell 300 from HS fishing, but also glad I don't have to, and at some point if you continue fishing this reel in this condition it is going to break.
My Penns, one (just slightly) larger and one much smaller have done Much More work x 20 and both are still smooth and solid as new.

Little question in the early 70s, Mitchell was the reel everyone wanted - including me. 300 with its large capacity spool was the inshore size, and use the small capacity large arbor spool for your freshwater line. I'm sure everyone who fished them has fond memories. But nobody who took them inshore fishing then is still doing it - I fished through mine in 4 years. And you could never accuse a Mitchell of being smooth to begin with.
At the same time, I doubt if many with a Mitchel 300 asked as much of it as I did fishing inshore and jetties. I sheared the handle pin on my 300 under fish, and replaced the handle with the longer torpedo grip.

FWIW, the 410 is a big step up from the 300 (408 v. 308, etc), and I know better than to ask of this reel what I would of a similar sized Penn.
this is the 410 with an aftermarket alloy spool (behind is a mint boxed 440)
Image


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Post 09 Mar 2018, 12:52 • #21 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/25/16
Posts: 1069
Location: Rocky Mountains - Colorado
Well I finally got around to uploading a pic for the new to me vintage Penn 712
Image

I know its a little big for the Fenwick, but it will do until I can find the right 714 to add to the gear.

Thanks Bulldog for the info and help

Scott


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Post 09 Mar 2018, 14:25 • #22 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
fine reel, and and they don't make them that beautiful any more


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Post 02 Jan 2020, 21:11 • #23 
Guide
Joined: 06/08/18
Posts: 293
Location: Boston , MA
Bulldog , the only thing missing from that Jaws pic , which would make it complete , is a Cold Gansett !!! Hi Neighbor !!!


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Post 02 Jan 2020, 23:31 • #24 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19076
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Image

How's the coffee stout? There's a pretty good one brewed in Corpus, though the graphics are less than appetizing.

Image

Arctic Rhino coffee porter sold in Alaska is awesome.

Image


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Post 03 Jan 2020, 21:46 • #25 
Guide
Joined: 06/08/18
Posts: 293
Location: Boston , MA
Almost as good as the original !!!


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