Penn 209

[jimcr]

Does anyone use these for trolling,and what are your opions on them?

[mattmishler]

Yes i have used them, there drags are very touchy, iv used all the way to 5 colors and riggers

[Adam Bomb]

Slow retrieve is a downer. But, they are dependable and have brought many a fish to the boat. With todays options, it would be difficult to buy them if given a choice. But, i understand budgets etc, and if thats the case, they will be a solid reel that will serve you well.

[N II Deep]

Jim. I have five of them. Setup for diggers to three colors. They are slow but the cost wad right. I paid ten to fifteen for each. I have upgraded most and keep these as backups

[tbromund]

Yes they are slow to retrieve, but the drags on them are superb. Super smooth and a great option for setting up a light line rod. With the slow retrieve it is darn near impossible to horse a fish in.

When I started in this trolling game back in the mid 90's all I ever ran for my riggers were Penn 209's with 12 lb line and landed many a 30 lb king with them.

FWIW for about the same money, you can get a Shimano Triton TR200G which is what I am currently using on my riggers. Awesome reels for about $69. They are the same reel as the charter special just with a star drag instead of the lever drag.

Tim

[jimcr]

These are brand new,in the box. I set one up to try with 3 colors, seemed slow on the retrieve and the drags seamed light. Will the drag improve with use or should I sell them and get other okumas ?

such as xp 302's. Or possibly magna 40.

The 302's I have right now are great for lead core to5 color.

[BlueCollarOutdoors]

I used a 209 and maybe a 309 for my leadcore reels. Worsk great, dont need a counter just put out the lead and your set. They were free and still a repeatable process when you get one.

[luremaker]

I agree with what has been said they are slow but they are a great work horse I use mine for core and have never had any issues ,I would use them if that's what you can a ford and they will give you years of service.

luremaker

[adrenalin]

I would compare them to a zebco reel for bluegills. about the wimpiest reel for trolling you can buy.

[sherman51]

i used them many years ago, and would not suggest you go out and buy them. but if your budjet is for them then by all means use them and upgrade if and when you can. i reccomend the newer line counter reels. i bought all mine off ebay over a 4 or 5 month time. i got my daiwa sealine sg17lca reels for 54.00 to 65.00 each. some of them were new then i got daiwa accudepth adp17lc reels for 35.00 to 45.00 each. i got 1 sg17lca that the handle turned backwards. i contacted the seller.(if the seller dont take care of you, ebay will give you a refund if item is not as described.)and he paid for me to send it to tuna tom,s for repair. so you need to check them out good as soon as you get them. if there not as listed contact the seller first. if he doesnt take care of you then contact ebay for a refund. but i was having trouble with some of my reels so i sent them to tuna toms. and contacted brett,s place on the bay. and bought 12 of the okuma convector reels for 64.00 each with shipping. then i found out the only thing wrong with my other reels was the braided line was slipping on the spools. i hadnt used a mono backing on the small reels with braid. so he put pins in the arbors to tie to. no more problems. heres my list from bottom to top, and get the line counter versions. and what ever size you want. i got the small ones because i take small women and my small grand kids. and just fish erie for walleye and steelhead. here is my list. bottom to top that i know alittle about. okuma magda, then the daiwa accudepth plus adp lc about 55.00 new on ebay then the okuma convector line counter about 67.00 new on ebay, then the one i like for the money i paid used on ebay, the daiwa sealine sg lca about 95.00 to 100.00 new on ebay. then one that some guys swear by, the shimano tekota the price is all over the place depending on the size. i seen them on ebay from 162.00 for a 600 to over 200.00 for an 800. and daiwa has a couple of new ones but i dont know much about them. one is a sg lcx, and a digital one. the size you want you put in the middle like sg27lcx or sg47lca, i just left that part blank. i sure hope this helps you alittle. i had this all typed out once and lost it all.LOL. and started again. good luck and good fishing. and just keep asking your questions. you will get some good answers, and then some like mine.LOL.

sherman

[FsnMachine]

I have some I still use for my riggers. They work great for me and the slow retrieve equals no horsing or lost fish for newbies and guests on my boat.

[mriversinco]

Since I just got into this lately, I've got a wide assortment of reels. The 209's I've got are fine but I did have to drop $5 into them for new drags and they work very well. Yes, they are slow but the drags are awesome and with alot of newbies on the boat they seem to not let anyone horse fish in.

If it were me, I wouldn't buy them new though. I'd save up for a better reel, or buy those better reels used. If you watch different sites, better reels come up often for quite a bit cheaper than 209's new. Most of those used reels are still very serviceable. About the only thing you might need to do is upgrade the drags. For the $8 per reel for drags, you're still ahead of the game. Of course this is for reels that are better quality. I wouldn't buy (used, or new) any reel in lower quality than the Okuma Convectors. For other brands, the lowest one I would buy are: Shimano tr200g, Daiwa sealines, etc.... But keep your eyes open and you'll find some great deals. If you go cheap, you'll be looking for better reels in a year or two and you won't be able to dump those cheaper reels easily.

Hope this helps.