Prologic

Penn is famous for manufacturing heavy duty fishing reels and rods, spanning boat fishing, spinning, and in more recent times, carp fishing. So as it comes as no surprise when the company in question produces a reel that excels in all areas, making the new Vantage Long Cast a desirable upgrade for many. It is far from a budget reel, yet despite the retail price, there is plenty of performance to be found that you would expect from a much higher ticket item!

What you will first notice is the lack of weight to the reel, and a lot of weight saving has been achieved by implementing an XRC carbon infused body. Despite this, and because of the material used, there is an incredible strength added to the build. There are two sizes of the Vantage Long Cast Reels to choose from, with the 7000 and 8000 on offer. There are some subtle differences to mention between the two, with the physical size and weight most noticeable. The 7000 weighs in at 538g, whereas the 8000 settles on a respectable 629g.

Apart from the obvious increase in the physical size of the 8000, the recovery rate of the reel is slightly higher, with 100cm of line returned per turn as opposed to the 98cm of the 7000. You are also able to load more main line on to your spool should you wish to choose the larger of the two models. The monofilament capacity of the smaller option is 400m of 0.35mm main line, whereas the 8000 is able to hold 550m of the same diameter. With braided main lines and their thinner diameters, you can hold a substantial amount more! This is ideal when fishing abroad of large windswept inland oceans in search of a giant carp or two. There are however, two supplied line reducers, which prevents the user from using more line than is necessary.

Where the Vantage Long Casts really come into their own is when looking to fish at long ranges. Penn has a fantastic track record of producing reels that are able to cast to the horizon and further, and this particular model is able to hit very long casts. Penn’s own X-Slow Leveline technology is able to create perfect loading of the line on to the spool, through achieving 50 wraps of line per single spool oscillation. This therefore means that line will effortlessly fly off the spool and through the rod rings with ease when hitting your long-distance marks.

Penn also takes great care in insuring that the user experience is extremely pleasurable, having installed a total of 7+1 sealed bearings. This buttery smooth reel will continue to perform flawlessly too, as features such as the waterproof sealed drag system will ensure that there will be no dirt or water interference when battling it out with your next well-earned bite. The quick drag system also enables the angler to switch from free spool to full drag in a flash, whilst allowing fine adjustment of available line for the hard fighting fish.

Visually, the Vantage Long Cast Reels really are a joy to look at with their matt black finish and subtle silver detailing. Add to this a side-folding aluminium handle for compact storage, with a dark wooden handle knob; these minimalistic looks are definitely something that carp anglers will be attracted to!

Stepping things up slightly is the more refined, slightly pricier Vantage XT Long Cast reels. Built around the same successful design, much of the general feel of the reel is very much the same, but with a few subtle tweaks. Weight is further reduced through the use of the XRC material in both the body and now the rotor too, bringing the two reels down to 495g and 582g for the 7000 and 8000 models respectively. Gearing has been upgraded too, with tough CNC machined gears. A further two more bearings are added too, bringing the total to 9+1 for an even smoother performance. Finally, there are a few subtle cosmetic alterations too, with some deep blue detailing and a change of handle to a sophisticated looking rubber T handle.

VANTAGE LONG CAST 7000 - RRP £199.99, 8000 £209.99
VANTAGE XT LONG CAST 7000 - RRP £229.99, 8000 £239.99

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