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PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo: OutdoorHub Review
For more than a year now, I’ve been using a PENN Squall II Lever Drag Combo for fishing offshore around Florida, mainly in the Atlantic, with a couple of trips to the Gulf with it. This specific combo I’ve been using is the 60 Size Squall II with the 6ft Heavy Power 30-80lb rated rod. Most of the trips I’ve been on have been for trolling offshore to chase after pelagics like tunas, mahi, and maybe a wahoo. With occasional trips to go bottom fishing while targeting snapper and groupers. So after a year in the salt and tons of drag being pulled on the reel, let’s see how it held up.
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What It’s Made For – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
This is a bigger, heavier-duty conventional combo, built specifically for fishing off a boat. I would call this a purpose-built trolling combo for bottom fishing. The lever drag is perfect for easy adjustment as you set up your trolling spread. A large line capacity, with braid backing to monofilament topshot, and 33 lbs of max drag make this combo a very capable setup for targeting most pelagics.
Specifications and Features – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
- Bearings – 5 Stainless Steel Ball Bearings
- Gear Ratio – 4.8:1
- Max Drag – 33 lb
- Mono Capacity – 325/0.71 290/0.76 205/0.89 (M/MM)
- Braid Capacity – 860/80 735/100 610/130 (M/LB)
- Rod Type – Conventional
- Rod Grip – EVA and Plastic Combo with Aluminum Gimbal Butt
- Power – Heavy
- Action – Fast
- Rod Length – 6′
- Rod Pieces – 1 Piece
- MSRP – $329.99
Rod Build & Performance – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
The PENN Squall II Rod is a single-piece tubular glass blank finished with a solid tip, resulting in a very stout rod with decent sensitivity. The heavy power of the rod gives it plenty of backbone for muscling big fish in a fight. The grip of the rod consists of two parts: a slick plastic butt that ends in an aluminum gimbal butt to lock into a rod holder, and a shaped EVA foregrip that helps prevent the rod from twisting in the hand while fighting a fish. The Dura-Guides on the rod have a roller tip and a first guide to help reduce line wear, while the rest of the guides are rugged but a bit basic. The reel seat is graphite, but itis fairly beefy compared to some other graphite reel seats I’ve seen.
Rating: 7/10
Combo Balance & Ergonomics – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
As a combo, the balance of stout heavy power Squall II glass rod works well with the 60 size Squall II reel, giving you plenty of power to muscle just about anything that’d you would want to hook up to. While it’s not the lightest combo, that’s not a big concern while trolling. The slick plastic butt of the rod makes slipping the combo in and out of a rod holder, even under load, easy.
Rating: 7/10
Durability & Saltwater Resistance – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
I’m okay with how the combo has held up over the last year offshore. There are no major signs of corrosion damage, aside from some of the screws on the tip roller guide rusting. Though that could be on me, not rinsing the setup thoroughly after getting back to the dock too late. Most components of the reel and rod are graphite, so corrosion isn’t a major concern, though I did have an issue with the reel clamp. Generally, I don’t use any thread locker on these and have no issues, but on the last trip, while fighting fish, the reel clamp nuts backed off, and one got lost. Is this a deal breaker? No, but it is inconvenient.
Rating: 6/10
Fish-Fighting Power – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
This combo is plenty strong to fight just about anything under 200lbs, excluding sharks. It is more than capable of turning tuna, with us catching a ton of 30- to 50-lb tuna on it while fishing the Gulf Stream off Mayport. The glass rod is plenty strong and has just enough give to help buffer when the fish decide it’s time for a crazy run. The reel has plenty of drag at 33lbs max drag, and the lower 4.8:1 gear ratio gives you plenty of torque to just bulldog fish.
Rating: 8/10
Value for Money – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
For its sheer fish-fighting ability, the PENN Squall II Combo is a solid value. This particular combo comes in at $329.99 with smaller models starting at $280. As middle-of-the-road trolling combos, these are solid, rugged options that should hold up season after season with proper maintenance. I don’t see many combo offerings out there with the same level of features as this in the same price point. I would recommend these for anyone looking to get into trolling or just to expand their combo lineup.
Rating: 8/10
Final Verdict – PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo
Overall, I would say the PENN Squall II Lever Drag Rod & Reel Combo is a solid choice for the money and is in the buy-again territory. It has plenty of strength in both the rod and reel and is a very capable setup, as evidenced by the killbox above. For a lever drag offering, the value is really here with the combo for trolling. So if you need some new trolling setups for the spring without breaking the bank, I say look no further. Though I do say it’s for bottom fishing, it’s up to you. The lever drag isn’t that big of a deal for dropping baits to the bottom, where you normally lock your drag. Also, the combo is a bit heavier than what I would normally use for snapper and grouper, but that’s my personal preference, and it doesn’t mean it won’t work.
Overall Rating: 7/10
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