Penn Conflict II LC6000, a fixed spool to make your every fishing skirmish a real pleasure. Enjoy the experience…
PENN CONFLICT II LC6000
RRP: 219.99
Buying new fishing tackle should be exciting, well it certainly is for me. I first got my hands on a Conflict ll LC 6000 in January and I’ve enjoyed many hours of fishing with it ever since. This fixed-spool reel from Penn has been a joy to fish with on my local beaches and from a boat. It casts really well and has proven to be both strong and durable. I’ve really put it through its paces and landed some nice fish along the way.
BUILD QUALITY
I’d class the Conflict ll in the higher end of the Penn fixed-spool reel price bracket. Those extra pound notes you are spending on this model will buy you a slightly higher specification when it comes to the build quality, when compared to some of the other Penn fixed-spool reels on the market.
The main build features that caught my eye were the RR30 (rigid resin) carbon body and rotor, making the reel both strong and lightweight, and the fact it has eight stainless steel ball-bearings. A key benefit from having those additional bearings is that it allows an ultra-slow oscillation. The 4:8:1 retrieve gives you a really good line-lay, which is particularly important to me when using lighter monofilaments or braids.
Coupling slow oscillation with a longer and shallower spool causes less friction as the line peels off the reel in the cast, and so allows you to achieve some greater casting distances. Along with those two main features, the reel is aesthetically pleasing.
I love the handle because I found it very easy to grip. The oversized bale-arm seems to be a common feature now on the Penn saltwater fixed spools, along with the HT-100 drag system. By the way, just in case you were wondering, HT stands for Hi-tech and you get 100 miles of drag before the drag washers start to wear.
Make no mistake, these reels are designed for catching big fish and I doubt many of us will exceed what they’re capable of, certainly if we are just participating in domestic fishing around the United Kingdom. Even in the smaller models, the Conflict ll drag system is more than capable of dealing with most of the faster running species caught on our coastlines.
Conflict II spool capacity indicators
SPOOL SIZE
Marketed by Penn as the first family of long-cast saltwater fixed-spool reels, the Conflict ll comes in five different size brackets. Ranging from a 4000 up to an 8000 in size (prices from £189.999 to £249.99), this group of reels can be used for many different saltwater disciplines. The smaller models would work really well for lighter beach work, while the larger versions could be used when fishing over more mixed ground with thicker monofilaments.
Even though this range of reels boasts a shallower spool, it’s a longer spool and line capacity is not a problem. For example, my Conflict ll 6000 will hold 335 metres of 0.36mm monofilament, that’s 16-18lb line in old money. There are also some line capacity indicators on the spool, which I found really useful, particularly when loading lighter braids.
Even though the Conflict ll sits on the higher end of the price bracket for Penn reels, I believe the user gets great value for money. There really has been a lot of thought put into the design of this range, which is full of top-notch components and technology. The reel, which is stealth black, looks good, casts well and is light, strong and durable. It hasn’t let me down and I’ve really enjoyed using it.
Conflict II bale arm roller
SPECIFICATIONS
Penn Conflict II LC 6000
BEARINGS: Eight
CAPACITY: 450m/0.31mm
CRANK: 4.8:1
MAXIMUM DRAG: 18lb/8.1kg
RETRIEVE: 43in/109cm per turn
WEIGHT: 525g
RRP: £219.99
