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Penn Clash vs Spinfisher Which is Best?

When is comes to building tough, well designed saltwater spinning reels Penn has firmly established itself as one of the top players around. If you are undecided between the Penn Clash vs Spinfisher V then we hope our comparison can help you make your final choice between the two.

Penn have many saltwater spinning reels and the Clash and Spinfisher both benefit from the latest technologies that Penn have to offer.​

Design

​Given the difference in the range of sizes between the two the Penn Clash is certainly the smaller brother to the Spinfisher V.

The Clash range starts at ​2000 and goes as high as a 8000 model. The Spinfisher however starts at 3500 at tops out at a 10500. The difference in size is easily apparent; with the Spinfisher V being the beefier of the two.

Looks wise the Clash has a much more understated design with it's muted black main coloring and gold highlights.

penn-clash-spool
penn-spinfisher-spool

The Spinfisher V is certainly the looker of the two. It's main body is some what similar in its coloring to the Clash with a black finish and color detailing. The spool on the Spinfisher V really stands out however as it is finished in all gold with a black drag adjuster.

Of the two the Spinfisher V is certainly the more striking not that looks are the main selling point of any reel. 

Both reels have line ​capacity rings on the spools and both benefit from being braid ready, meaning that no backing is necessary before you spool the braided line onto it.

Features​

Clash​

  • 8 stainless steel bearings
  • HT-100 slammer drag
  • Leveline oscillation system
  • Full metal sealed body

Spinfisher V

  • 5 shielded stainless steel bearings
  • HT-100 slammer drag
  • Techno balanced rotor
  • Full metal sealed body 

When looking at the features above it is clear that the Clash and Spinfisher share a lot of the same design features and build materials. Penn have a tendency like most fishing reel manufacturers to spread their best tech across the best products in the range.

Penn Clash vs Spinfisher V ​what features are different between the two ? 

The main difference in the design of the two reels is that the Spinfisher V is more capable of handling the corrosive affects of saltwater. ​Not that the Clash is prone to seizing up on the first touch of saltwater it's just that from the outset the Spinfisher's design brief was for it to be ultra sealed. 

The Spinfisher is a bigger heavier reel that is usable just about anywhere.... The clash on the other hand is more suited to lighter inshore work. ​That extra weight on the Spinfisher has helped to make it's casing and internal gears that little bit stronger and more durable.

Specifications​

Below you will find the some of the specifications and line capacities for the Penn Clash and Penn Spinfisher V. 

​Line Capacity

From the tables it is clear that the Spinfisher is the top choice if you are looking for a beefier reel. The clash in it's biggest size is capable of holding 465 yards of 50 lb braid whereas the Spinfisher can hold 750 yards.​

Drag ​

​The Clash has a max drag of 30 lbs and the Spinfisher has a max drag rating of 40 lbs. 

Weight ​

When you match up the sizes closest to each other in each model you can see that the weight of the Spinfisher is considerably more than the weight of the equivalent Clash​.

If you plan on doing a lot of casting then this can become a very big deciding factor. A heavy reel can add to your fatigue by the end of the day especially if you are casting and retrieving lures all day.

Penn Clash ​Specs

Model

Braid   YD/LB

Mono

Weight

Max Drag 

Gear Ratio 

CLA 2000

210/8 180/10 165/15

240/4 180/6 125/8

8.2 oz

10 lb

6.2:1

CLA 2500

240/10 220/15 160/20

255/6 175/8 140/10

8.5 oz

12 lb

6.2:1

CLA 3000

250/15 180/20 130/30

​200/8 165/10 120/12

10.2 oz

15 lb

6.2:1

CLA 4000

​315/15 260/20 185/30

270/8 220/10 165/12

10.7 oz

15 lb

6.2:1

CLA 5000

420/20 300/30 240/40

225/12 200/15 135/20

16.90 oz

20 lb

5.6:1

CLA 6000

490/30 390/40 335/50

335/15 230/20 210/25

20.7 oz

25 lb

5.6:1

CLA 8000

465/50 390/65 345/80

340/20 310/25 230/30

27.2 oz

30 lb

4.7:1

​Penn Spinfisher V Specs

Model

Braid   YD/LB

Mono

Weight

Max Drag 

Gear Ratio 

SSV3500

230/10 215/15 165/20

390/4 250/6 210/8

14.4 oz

20 lb

6.2:1

SSV4500

365/15 280/20 200/30

300/8 250/10 185/12

15.4 oz

25 lb

6.2:1

SSV5500

425/20 320/30 250/40

​360/10 270/12 240/15

20.4 oz

30 lb

5.6:1

SSV6500

​430/30 340/40 280/50

330/12 300/15 210/20

21.3 oz

30 lb

5.6:1

SSV7500

430/40 360/50 320/65

440/15 300/20 210/30

26.9 oz

35 lb

4.7:1

SSV8500

650/40 540/50 470/65

440/20 300/30 250/40

29.5 oz

35 lb

4.1:1

SSV9500

630/50 540/65 490/80

360/30 300/40 220/50

38.3 oz

40 lb

4.2:1

SSV10500

750/50 670/65 580/80

415/30 350/40 255/50

39.8 oz

40 lb

4.2:1

We have omitted the Live liner(LL) models from the table as the specs are quite similar for each size that it is available.​

Penn Clash vs Spinfisher​ V

Penn Clash vs Spinfisher​ - Verdict

The clear winner for us is the Penn Spinfisher V. If you are looking for a highly durable, quality saltwater spinning reel then the Spinfisher V is it.

For larger fish species and offshore work It is clearly much better suited to the extreme conditions of saltwater fishing than the Clash. If however you are looking for something a little lighter then the Clash is still a very capable reel.