Penn Fishing Tackle introduced the International VI at the ICAST fishing tackle show, and this reel is sure to be of interest to an awful lot of folks out there. The Penn international series is still made in the US of A, in Penn's Philadelphia plant. And like the Penns of yester-year, you can still feel their solid heft when you pick one up - the body and side plates are machined anodized aluminum, and the shaft and pinion gears are stainless-steel. Note, however, that they are now easier to handle, with three to 13 ounces of overall weight shaved off of these reels (depending on size). Ready to take a look?
You probably noticed from the video that these reels are also available both in the old-style gold, and new-style silver. Right now Penn is listing the international VI series as available starting September 11 in 30, 50, and 80 class sizes, and says they can put out 30, 45, and 65 pounds of drag, respectively. Line capacity ranges from 1220 yards of 100-pound braid to 3,640 yards of 100 pound braid (or 2235 yards of 200 pound braid line). They're all two-speed models, with 4.1:1 and 1.4:1, 3.5:1 and 1.3:1, or 3.1:1 and 1.5:1 gear ratios. As has always been true of the Internationals, these ratios are indicative of the true purpose of these reels: playing tug-of-war with truly gigantic fish. While we FishTalkers would opt for smaller, lighter, higher-speed reels if we were targeting whites (and note that the 12 and 16 mentioned in the video would be ideal and the 30 would be okay for the job), the low-end grunt the larger reel sizes offer is ideal for cranking against fish that go deep and dig in for a long fight, like bluefin tuna.
Penn hasn't said when the 12, 16, and 120-class models will hit the tackle shops, nor have they listed pricing just yet. But for the 30 through 80 sizes, prices range from $649 to $899. You can get more info and keep up with the latest by visiting Penn Fishing Tackle.