Penn Extreme V series

Don, yep she can take a fixed spool.

here is the link to the purchase page.

http://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/Veals_C ... s__37.html

I sometimes use the V3 with a Penn Surfmaster 70 FS reel and it goes great.

Dave/Wes, Thanks a miilion.

Luke, you've just sold another rod. You should send this post with all its history to Veals and get a discount.

Tight Lines,
DON.

You'll all be coming to get me when you find out how crap it is! :lol: (Only Joking)

ive had terrible trouble with the v3. Its no good for anyone who can cast at all. myself and my friend have snapped 3 and have had to get refunds. It will struggle with a 3 once weight with 2 baits and is no use for mixed or rough ground - why do you think veals are selling them for £100, they cant get rid of them quick enough, the lads in england well know to stay away from them so they get dumped on us stupid feckers.

Phew... A bit of balance, I was almost going to sell the kids shoes to buy one of these rods going on what ye'all were saying :D . Looks like I'll just hang back and see what being said in a few weeks.

cheers
Jon

ive had terrible trouble with the v3. Its no good for anyone who can cast at all. .

http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/cgi ... ?index=675

There seems to be some difference in opinion here

While i would always take what Neil Mac ellow says with a pinch of salt (He does after all work for Penn!) I personally have to dissagree with you on this one Mike. I have been using the rod with 5 oz weights and emptying my Mag Elite. That is not to say that you are wrong. Perhaps what you are saying is true. But I can see no wrong with the rod myself. If you say you snapped 2 of these? Why on earth would you get another one? What sort of style casting were you doing? I find it very hard to understand how you could snap three of these rods with 3 oz leads.

Also meant to mention there that it is not just the V3 that is €100. All the rods in this series are. Veals have a special relationship with Penn you will notice from their catalogue. Neil always has an article in it and they always try to promote Penn equipment above all other brands. Very fishy this? In my own opinion It is a case of a big bulk deal they received obviously for a cheaper price. I think you might be looking for gremlins where there are'nt any.

While i would always take what Neil Mac ellow says with a pinch of salt (He does after all work for Penn!)

Duhh..
I forgot that :o

I'm probably going to be lynched for saying this, and no doubt will be very unpopular.....

I'm not keen on Penn rods, they are mass produced and over rated. All the fishing mags are forced to give good ratings due to the amount of sponsorship they give to the mags. They can hardly write terrible reviews for their biggest sponsor can they?

The standard price for a V3 and reel is 165, so if you subtract the normal reel price of 70 off, it gives 95 as the rod cost. So the actual discount offered by veals is 33%, not half price.

£65 is probably a fair price for the rod, it's handy as a 3 piece to fit into the boot, but if you are looking for a real quality beachcaster look elsewhere. You are far better off looking at an ABU Esprit(available for 85-90 sterling) or one of the new Daiwa Supercasts at around 140. They will provide better performance and last longer. Yes, they cost more, but you are beter off saving the extra few quid to get a rod you will be happy with for many years to come. You get what you pay for I suppose.

As for the prices in Irish tackle shops, well we all know what they are like. I was asked to pay €337 for a Daiwa rod recently. Picked one up mail order for €180 including p&p. It's disgraceful. Only yesterday I was asked to pay 3.50 for a pack of 5 Kamasan hooks. 70 cent a hook? I don't bloody think so.

Yes I do agree with you Mike that it would not be a fantastic rod for rough ground because it is not a broom stick! This is the whole point, it is a rod that mere mortals can bend and thus cast a very long way... What do the rest of you think of it? I have no complaints.

Steve, while I am a big fan of ABU reels and think they are my favorites I can not say the same about their rods. I have always found their rods to be of less quality. I am saying this as someone who has 2 ABU boat rods and uses them! The thing isI think sometimes people do not realise that just because a logo is on an item, that does not nessacarily mean that they actually manufactured it... ABU were origionaly a compny that made swiss watches. They are precision engineers when it comes to this. That is why they make such good reels. The rod thing, caps, weights etc. I would wonder about. I have two boat rods and have had trouble with them coming apart at the butt on me. I agree completely with what you say about Penn. They do get promoted in mags for the reasons you say and this breeds a certain amount of urban myth in the sense that people say they are good because a mag does etc. I have found Penn rods to be better. That is not to say they are the best by any means. I share your argument with Penn on this point but it does not change the fact that they actually do make good rods and reels. it might be fashionable to have a greys or ZZippy but who cares? If a rod does the job you ask of it? Big companies like Penn are able to reduce prices due to the demand on their product. Small companies like Zziplex while they have a good reputation have a much lower comeback on their hand built rods and thus their sky high prices. There is little difference in the rod itself, just what you pay for it....

I've had a V3 for a while and have had no problems whatsoever. There’s plenty of good rods available so you don’t have to buy it. As far as rough-ground suitability is concerned, there is no rod that would stand up to the stress that some anglers I’ve seen exert on the rod (usually through frustration) trying to break free from a snag. Everything available to buy, not just fishing tackle (and not just a Penn rod), is subject to inflated descriptions designed to get you to part with your money. People can argue all day over the relative merits of competing rods (mandrill, spline, torque…yeah, yeah, yeah) but the rod alone will not help you cast further or catch more fish. The V3 doesn’t cure cancer, make the tea or help you get laid either. I think it’s a great fishing rod for me but I’m not saying it’s objectively better or worse than any others out there. A rod can provide varying benefits to different anglers depending on how it is used. I bought the V3 as a back up to another 12 ft beachcaster (an ABU btw) and find it is better for me. If you have reservations about the V3 or Penn rods generally just buy something else.

well said :wink:

Luke,

Just as a matter of interest, are they some of the newer ABU rods or older models? I believe that the new ABU rods (for 2003/2004), particularly the beachasters, are a vast improvment on their older models, whioch were not always great rods.

I'm just wondering as I was considering buying an ABU beachcaster in the next month or two.

I don't see the problem in using "mass produced" rods if they do the job. Talking to a casting instructor he was impressed with the villian for it price range. He has to deal with guys paying to much money for rods they can't bend and says its only worth spending money on a multiplier as an intial outlay. I'm sure a serious casters would go for a conoflex or a zippy but many of us aren't serious casters.

Just on rough ground rods. These have stiffer actions to allow a fish to be pulled through and over obstructions and are not built to break from a snag.

Donagh

Can't speak for the beach casters Steve cos I would be lieing as I have never had one. My rods I am talking about are a 12 lb class ABU Workhorse and the same rod in 20lb class. The 20lb rod has never given me trouble but the 12lb one has come loose at the butt. I have done repair work on it but I personally think it is bad design. It is a pain cos its my favorite rod. The blank itself is superb with exactly the right sort of stiffness yet unstiffness that I prefer myself. I love this rod that is why I still use it. Thing is though, it has a screw on but section like most 12lb class rods that makes a weak point where pressure can break it. I don't like to use 30 lb class rods. There is no need for them in the Irish sea as the water depth rarely exceeds 100 ft. This is a design fault in my opinion that many rod manufacturers continue to make. I will never understand it. My first boat rod was a Leeda 50lb rod that also had this screw on but and that snapped in three places when i pulled at a snag tht I thiaught was a Conger bite :oops: Needless to say one of the snaps was at this but piece! If it had of been a lighter rod it would not have happened...

Steve,
I have an Abu Conolon Premier 13Ft (£120), it's a 2003 model and I must say i'm very happy with it. Very well built, nice finish and the adjustable reel seat is very handy although it does add thickness to the butt section around the reel and may have an effect on gripping the spool during casting( i have small enough hands but it doesn't bother me too much).

AS far as distance is concerned, it has a stiff through action and the tip is not too soft either, casting far as with any rod requires the technique to bend a rod and a reel that can release the line at speed, I have neither I'm afraid. I'm working on the thechnique and being a lefty, finding a reel such as a Mag/CT is impossible.
Suffice to say I can bang it out a reasonable distance and recently while out I met a seasoned angler and he took a few casts (he had technique) . Needless to say it went considerably further and he was very impressed compared to his 2 team Diawas he had spent a fortune on.

I still have a ways to go before I can 'rule' this rod but never the less I'm very pleased with it all round.

P.S. I have a tip tornado light and it's an absolute Gem but somewhat more expensive.


FWIW

Jon

Luke, that 12 lb class ABU boat rod that you have: it wouldn't be an ABU "SUVERAN", would it?

The Suveran range of boat rods have an excellent reputation. I've tried one out in both 12 and 20 class and am very very tempted to get one. (Ended up with a NorthWesten 12 and 20 rods insted, but that's a different story........ :D )

Chap I was fishing with brought up 2 (yes, 2! :shock: ) tope together on a Suveran 12lb. Supreme display of angling skills. Mind you, he didn't start out to hook two at once. :lol:

Anyway, everything i've seen so far about the Suveran is good.