Opinions on Penn Int. 30VSX?

[the_codfather]

I like to do light tackle trolling and some bottomfishing, I was thinking of upgrading my trolling outfit this spring to some new rods/reels. I havent been able to come up with much for reviews on the Penn International 30 VSX series. They look like pretty solid reels with good drag systems.

I was going to pair them with 50lb braid on Gloomis Pelagic 30 and 50 weight casting rods. I cant stand roller guides, and like I said, light tackle challenge. The penns are pretty heavy but they will hold up to 800 yards of line, which is nice for when I hook a big fish solo and have to clear the deck before grabbing the rod.

Any comments from someone who has used them?

[bass_blaster]

I have a 30 VSX for a trolling set-up. Its on a 30-80 5.5ft Seeker Black Steel. Nice strong reel. I haven't caught anything huge on it yet so I can't really say much, but I've used it trolling for smaller tuna and when fishing for the giant squid and it's definately a nice reel. I think Alan Tani did a rebuild post of a 50VSX and he seemed really pleased with the reel. It might have been a 50VSW though, not sure.

[lasparky11]

I have a 30VSX I bought just before summer. On the plus side it has a ton of drag, very smooth. Shifts real nice not to big of a reel. The gear ratio is perfect for what I like. On the minus side its heavy, and the spool is real heavy for a 30 add to that it does not have the line capacity the older 30's have. Because of the heavy spool it does not feed line out very well. With that said I took the reel to Cals 2-speeds. Cal machined 4.5oz of metal off of the spool and machined the side of the frame (widen the area over the spool) I hope that makes sense. Anodized the frame black, with gold side plates. Did a super blueprint + with new bearings. WOW what a difference, I can fish up to 100lb if I want. The reel holds almost as much as a std 50 now. I believe there is a 450 yards of 100lb spectra on it + 100 yards of 80lb top shot. Cost of the reel on ebay $375.00 new in the box + I think Cal charges $350 for the machine work. Less than an Accurate, more than an Avet. Fishes better than both in my opinion. Every one who used it this on the long range trips I took loved it.
You might want to consider a 16VSX I have one also. I had Cal go through and do a blueprint + on it, and a bearing kit. I can fish 60 to 80 on it. Cal told me when he did the reel that some of his customers were fishing 100 on them . I use it for a killer 60 live bait rig. Cost of the reel $350 on Ebay $200 at Cals.
If you want I can take some pictures of it and post them.

[brandonmc]

I fish with a 16 VSX pin rigging. It's a tough reel, I love it. The 30 VSX is a beast of a reel for 50lb braid. Get a 16 if that's what you want to fish. Mine will do 26# at strike, with freespool, out of the box.

[ronzob]

Originally Posted by brandonmc

I fish with a 16 VSX pin rigging. It's a tough reel, I love it. The 30 VSX is a beast of a reel for 50lb braid. Get a 16 if that's what you want to fish. Mine will do 26# at strike, with freespool, out of the box.

I agree. Get the 16VSX and fish it out of the box with up to 80# on it...I use my Cal'd 12s and 16 for everything.. trolling, dropper loop, balloon and live bait. It's a stout reel!

R

[the_codfather]

Thanks for the advice guys! Ill bump it down to a 16. If I wanted to say...upgrade the quality are there any other good option for a dual speed that wont run me $1,000 a pop?

[lasparky11]

The 16VSX is a great choice. Check out ebay there is one up for aution right now. Normally peak out around $375.00. For whatever reason the brick & motor tackle shops cannot sell them that low. I got mine from the same seller that is listing the 16 now.

[brandonmc]

There are a ton of great two speed reels on the market for less than a grand! The VSX series are great, we've established that. If you want something a little fancier look at the Alutecnos Albacore series.......smooth, smooth, smooth and built like a tank!

[the_codfather]

Thanks for the advice guys I've decided to go with Tiburon SST 12's for the 30s and 16's for the 50s. They offer good capacity, drag and casting ability plus great freespool and dual speed, not to mention the automatic shifting.