Fishing Forum

Now that I m into Striper fishing, I ve gone nuts buying reels. Some of the older Penn reels are beautiful and like new. Quality does stand out. I ve owned Penn reels all of my life and think they make an excellent product.. HOWEVER..........
I purchased four "Roddy" 175 reels "by" Penn.....
They look fine. They are a lower quality than I expected from Penn. I read the instruction sheet that came with my new, unused reels. Spelling, grammar and comprehension in this "manual" amaze me. My wife said that I just bought "knock offs" from China. Just like a Rolex watch, I ve been screwed....
Question to you is this: Are there Knock offs ? OR Are these reels just not of Penn quality as we know it......
The reels seem to be usable for my needs but I just wondered....
I see Roddys listed at $65, but on eBay from $20.......
Do you have any experience with these reels ?
Steve
Fort Mohave, AZ
Stripers not Strippers
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Hey there Steve'o

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you've been had. I could be wrong, but i've heard of no such reel. I also took the liberty of researching the so called new "Penn" reel, and it's not even listed on Penns home page. See for yourself:

[url "http://www.pennreels.com/01_products/reels/reels.htm"]http://www.pennreels.com/01_products/reels/reels.htm[/url]

I've used Penn my whole life, and even the Cheaper version of the Penn 9 they make now are very stought reels. Penn doesn't make a cheap reel, even if the price is right.

I'm not sure where you purchased your reels from, but i'd be willing to bet it wasn't from Cabelas or Bass Pro. One sure fire way to avoid a re-accurance is to buy your products exclusively from tackle stores that carry only top quality products. Myself, I will only purchase products from stores like basspro, boatersworld, and melton tackle.

Just like your "Rolex Watches," there are knock offs. You can buy a Rolex, whicy we called "fo-lexes," in Kuwait for like 10 Dinar, if I remember correctly, that's like 3 or 4 dollars. They look just like a real Rolex, except the gold is not gold and they break with in weeks. LOL Reels are no different.

Get rid of those things and buy yourself a couple Abu Garcia 7000's and call it a day. []
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The "Roddy" reels are sold everywhere. Of course I got mine on (4)eBay from tackle shops. I ve read good reports on the Roddy so I figured they were good and with the name PENN on the side, I knew it was a good thing. As I stated before the reel looks very nice, works fine but my first suspicion was the aluminum side plates.
I owned a Penn International 30SW and man o man what a reel.....
This Roddy is advertised as light saltwater or heavy freshwater.
Anyway, You think they have absolutely nothing to do with Penn ????
Steve
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Hey Steve,
Can't say I have any experience with the reels your talking about,
wanted to give you a big Colorado welcome!
Vinny
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Thank you Vinny.
I found this website recently and had asked about "Stripers on the Colorado river".
This is the ONLY message board where I received answers that made sense.
I ve fished all of my 60 years in the San Diego coast area and had "fair" luck. I guess I was just out enjoying the weather and loved the ocean. One day I met a co worker who was really into "catching". I latched on to his expertise and found out the following: You must go where the fish are... DUH! I had spent countless hours in a dead sea waiting for a fish to come by. Sometimes one would swim by and Id go home with one fish. My co worker had me steer my boat south. In Mexico waters we always hit Albies, Dorado and TUNA.
Many times when I had hooked the bigger fish my equipment failed. Line broke, reels smoked and died. So off to the tackle shop I went. I purchased a Penn International SW30. Paid $475 for the reel. BEST INVESTMENT in fishing I ever made....
I learned that quality is VERY important. WalMart, KMart and Big Five sell "ok" stuff but usually not top equipment. Yes people, these stores do have better stuff in the glass case but it will cost you...
I usually bought the $29 combos and learned the hard way.
Anyway,,,,now I live in Arizona. Along the Colorado river near BullHead City. Purchased a pontoon boat and started fishing for Stripers. When I moved to the 112 degree "sometimes hell hole", I didnt know that this river was full of Trout and Stripers but there are record fish being caught. I want to get in on the action....
I decided to buy all new equipment for just this type of fishing. I saw that people were buying the "Penn" Roddy 175 reels. I figured Penn is the best. I ordered four reels and when they arrived, I knew that something wasnt right. Very nice looking reels for the price but not of Penn quality. I ve been emailing others to ask about the Penn/Roddy connection.
After reading the information that came with the reel, I know that China is involved. Words are mispelled and sentences dont make any sense.
The reel is,,,, Aluminum but not like Penn would use....
I know, I know...What did I expect for $25 ????
But the Penn name sold me.
Hey, I know this guy who will sell my a ROLEX watch, worth $2600 for $19.95. I need to stop writing now and go get a check for him.
Oh, he wants cash only. Still a good deal, dont cha thimk?
Steve
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I honestly don't know if those reels are truely affiliated with Penn or not Steve. It may be one of those senarios where Penn is allowing another company to sell reels under their name for a price; and more than likely a steep price.

I'll tell you a sure fire way to find out, email Penn and ask them. I still couldn't imagine that a large corp. like Penn would sell out to a small company in China and risk their flawless track record for a couple green backs.

Most of my Conventional tackle is Penn, with the exception of my new additions, those are Okuma 45's. The complete mass of my bait casters, to include my larger saltwater casting reels and my bass reel is Abu Garcia. The only spinning tackle I have are my ultra lites, and those are all Quatum ultra lites on Ugly Stix Xtra Lite rods. I'm actually fixing to add a larger sized spinning reel to the equation for chunking purposes at the reef, more than likely going to be a Penn. I'm a firm believer that Penn Makes the best spinning tackle for the money. [cool]

As for stores like Walmart, about the only thing I get from there is some of my terminal tackle, I.E. hooks, splitshots, bobbers. I can't buy hooks and things of that nature anywhere else for that price, and as far as hooks go, they are as good a quality as anywhere.

And once again, Welcome to BFT!!!!! [cool]
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Just got a direct email from an EX Roddy dealer. Seems Roddy OWNS Penn. Roddy 175 s are crap according to dealer and he no longer carries these reels. Said if I use it for light fishing it should be ok but forget it for big fish..
I m listening to you guys for more input..
SW
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Ol Steve has stirred the pot. I have people responding to my questions from all over.... I was amazed a few minutes ago when the Penn factory rep called me at home... Now there is good customer service for ya.
Penn rep said that the Penn factory (as we know it) has nothing to do with the Roddy company. (Other than):===> The owner of Roddy also owns one half of the Penn company. Because he owns half of the "real" Penn company, he has the right to put the Penn name on his Roddy reels... Located in California, these Roddy reels are made overseas (rep said). I asked why a cheap reel could have the Penn name on the side of the reel. Answer was, "he owns half of Penn and can do what he wants".......
So to stop my whining I ll conclude by this: The reel has the Penn name. Its not of the Penn quality as I know it. The reel looks like it will be ok for light fishing on the river (trout). But again, You get what you pay for....
OK, on to the next subject...... SW
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[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Hi there steveweston1945 and welcome. My first question has to be why?? Why did you move from a cool SanDiego to the Mohave desert. 115º is a little much. Okay back to your reel of question. The following is what I found out about your Roddy reel. Sounds okay to me based on the specs below.[/size][/green][/font]
Roddy by Penn fishing reel saltwater baitcasting 175

[url "http://shop.vendio.com/harleerod/item/759756055/?s=1152007201#"][/url]

[font "verdana, sans-serif"][#ff0000][size 2]STK#MF10047[/size][/#ff0000][/font]
[font "verdana, sans-serif"]This one is going to be hot. A new baitcasting reel that will take saltwater by storm. True one piece aluminum frame. Reel was made to the highest precision using CNC machinery. Great for heavy freshwater and light to medium saltwater baitcasting applications. Fluke, flounder, sea trout, schoolie stripers, bluefish and other inshore gamefish LOOK OUT! [/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]FEATURES
[/font]
[li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]stainless steel pinion gear
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]large line guide
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]star drag lever with click
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]push button cap
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]High tensile strength brass drive gear
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]aluminum spool
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]one piece aluminum body
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]instant anti-reverse one way roller bearing
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]bait clicker
[/font] [li][font "verdana, sans-serif"]internal brake system[/font]
[font "verdana, sans-serif"]Model[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]Gear Ratio[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]Line Capacity[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]# Bearings[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]Weight[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]175[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]5.5:1[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]150/15[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]5 + 1[/font] [font "verdana, sans-serif"]13.2ozs[/font]




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Moving from San Diego is a long story.
In a nut shell: I was the only English speaking person in my neighborhood. I had a chance to sell my home for a big profit too. Found an Airpark home in Fort Mohave(pilot retired)that was about one fourth the cost of a simular one in California.
Anyway, I never gave fishing a thought after moving until I found out that the river by the Casinos had Trout and Stripers.
Swore I d never own another boat but it was so-o-o easy to sign my name on the dotted line..... I now have a 25' pontoon. We started off by just camping on the boat at Lake Mohave. But I always carry a fishing pole...... We caught Trout and a few small Stripers. I heard that Willow beach was the hot spot. Theres a Trout hatchery there and Stripers are caught in the 60 pound range. I m sure there not too many catches in that range but the lure has me hooked...
I had sold all of my really good fishing gear when in San Diego. Now I needed the better equipment because the WalMart stuff I have will not land a whopper.... So I bought the Roddy 175s. I read the same advertisement that you see here in the posts. The reels look good but I couldnt help notice that the quality was not what I ve known from Penn. Thats how I wound up with these reels (eBay). I love eBay. I have purchased REEL Penn products on the site. Used, but like new. So far I ve purchased a Penn 9, 209 with more on the way.
Man o man, if youve owned Penns you know what I mean....
I should have known better.... about the Penn Roddy at $21... Hummmm?
I guess that some people like the reel. I have absolutely no experience with Roddy but you can look for future reports from me. I will shoot straight......
Steve
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[cool][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Good luck in your new home. I live about 100 miles north of SD near Disneyland and know what you mean about the language problem. Fortunately everyone in my neighborhood speaks English. Although I guess a few are bilingual. Hey a pontoon boat can be a lot of fun. I only have a float tube but maybe one of these days I will get myself a toon. [/size][/green][/font]
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Here is an update on the Roddy 175 reel.
I purchased four of these reels because they have the "PENN" name on the side. They look pretty in the ads and have six bearings for a quality operation.
I have yet to "field test" the reel but when I took delivery of the four, I noticed one had the side plate that was installed cock eyed. So I took the plate off to see what was what. First thing I noticed was the gears. They are plastic. Well maybe nylon but plastic anyway....
And of course, Made in China is on the bottom.
This doesnt mean that for $27 its a bad thing. But it sure proves that even with the world famous name of Penn, You get what you pay for.
I also have purchased four Penn reels that are used. These are REAL Penns. Even in used condition they are superior reels to Roddy. One I bought is the lest expensive "REAL PENN" , its called the DelMar. It better than Roddy.
Next week I field test. I ll be fishing for Trout, which I think the Roddy will be ok. Also fishing for Stripers which I ll use my new, used, REAL PENNS....

Later....
PS its only 116 today in BullHead City.
Even the fish are asking for a drink of water.....

SW
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You know, back in the day, even if you didn't pay but 40 bucks for a Penn reel, you still got the same quality. For instance, the old red faced Penn 9 was just as strong as anything else you could buy, and cheap to boot. Steel gears and all. They were slow and dogish, but none the less a beast. I miss the quality of the "Old" reels of years back. They were heavy and slow, but man were they tough; and cheap to buy too.
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I ve been on eBay and have purchased "old" Penn reels. I received two that are "almost" new. I aint a kiddin. They are very nice.
I guess some people take care of the equipment.
When I pick up the old Penn and then the Roddy, I can "feel" the difference in quality.
To be fair about Roddy, its a good looking reel and for fresh water I m sure its ok to use.
This whole thread started when I bought four Roddy 175s by "Penn".
Penn my fanny!
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Sunday morning and I m up having coffee and looking at eBay "stuff". Major winds here in BullHead and rain (Monsoons) expected. But thats not why I m typing.
On eBay I found a bait casting reel dealer in the UK that has advertised a reel and is EXACTLY the same as the Penn Roddy. The same except where my reel says Roddy, this one says Rainbow. The reel has the same everything... six bearings, same controls,,,,
well I could go on and on but I ll stop now.
But for me its a wake up situation. I ve lerned a lot on this short journey. First, theres nothing like Made in America (USA).
Our prices might be higher but we make the best products.
Its simply amazing... Big Five, WalMart, K Mart have nice looking reel/pole combos selling for $19. I ve always asked myself, "Self how can they make a pole and reel, wholesale it and then retail it at $19. That must mean the manufacturer makes the rig for $4.00"
"You get what You pay for"
One last thing.... I got to tell ya, it was a very good day for me when I joined this group. Thank you people.....
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Well folks, its Thursday evenng August 3 rd and we have just returned from a short two day trip at Lake Mohave.
Water was 78 degrees and the trout werent to be had.
I did catch nine catfish, two striper and one carp.
All on the Roddy reel.
The Roddy worked fine. I cant really complain about its operation and now think its an "OK" reel.
However it is a conventional reel and the casting features are the same as any other conventional....
Compared to a spin reel I could only get about half the distance in my casting.
So for now I ll quit whining about Roddy wearing the Penn name and just once again say, "You get what you pay for".
Listed retail is $49.95. All day on eBay===> $27.00
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Thanks again for the update Steve. It sounds like you may still have come out on top for only a few bucks per reel. I imagine if you take care of them, they'll still last a very long time. [cool]
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Right on.
Actually its not a bad reel, its just I was upset at Penn for letting people "think" it is really a PENN product.
It is but it AINT!

CHINA rules.

and we let them.......
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