The newest models now come in 7’6″ as well as 7’0″ which is great for the larger sport boats, the actions and weights have changed significantly and the longer rods feel a bit faster and thicker but all around nice for the price.

Penn has finally created a dedicated rod series that will fit right in on the west coast, everything from light anchovy flylining for albacore up north to rail fishing for 300lb+ bluefin out of San Diego. These rods dont break the bank but manage to pack in a lot of performance, from the blank construction down to the choice of guide set or reel seat these things are perfectly balanced for the style of fishing we specialize in. The rods feel comfortable and have a nice bend to them, I would mainly stick to the middle ratings on all of the rods since some of the broad ranges can be a bit optimistic, a rod that fishes 30lb well will not fish 80lb well also. So far all of the rods weve felt have a light tip with a bit of bend followed by a decisive shutoff making them feel reminiscent of Calstar Grafighters, they are a bit thicker than some of the other imported rods weve seen but that wont affect the fighting performance too much.

The heavier rods also feature Fuji HB guide frames which are as strong as a ring guide can get, these also feature the SiC inserts which are a further upgrade. The 40-100lb and 30-80lb rods feature a gimbal, while the others do not since they arent needed for the lighter class rods and the same goes for the rail series.

These are probably the most exciting and relevant rod release Penn has had in many years, at least for our market. Big thanks to Steve Carson who did an amazing job helping develop this series to make sure it is right for our market, everything from the model choice to the components and finally to the fine tuning of each model to suit our needs. These rods have undergone a lot of testing and use in our market so they should be a good addition to the arsenal of any angler.

• SLS3 Blank Construction
  Fuji K-Series tangle-free guides with SiC inserts (select models)
  Fuji HB-Series guides with SiC inserts (select models)
  Fuji DPS Reel Seat (select models)
  Sea-Guide Aluminum HBS Reel Seat (select models)
  Custom Full Rubberized Shrink Wrapped Handles (select models)
  Slip Resistant, Durable Hypalon Handles (select models)
  Aluminum Gimbal (select models)