In the limited time I had to test the mid-size CLA5000, I was impressed with its overall performance, design and smart looks. Several blues to 10 pounds and schoolie stripers of similar size were the best I could muster over the course of two back-bay plugging sessions, but it was enough to leave me feeling very good about the reel. I’m a stickler for smooth working drags and that’s a trademark of all Penn spinning reels. In the 50-plus years I have been fishing Penn spinning reels, I have never had an issue with a balky drag. True to form, the Clash, with its wide-ranging, oversized and sealed HT-100 carbon fiber drag system provides the ultimate level of confidence that when it matters most, the drag will perform flawlessly.
The reel’s body is constructed of corrosion resistant anodized aluminum, and the smaller models (2000-5000) are infused with light weight Rigid Resin 30 to minimize weight while providing exceptional strength. State of the art software and CNC machinery are used to cut the drive, pinion and oscillation gears to exact tolerances. The 2000 to 5000 models utilize machined brass pinion and machined aluminum drive gears. The 6000 and 8000 models feature machined brass pinion and drive gears. Penn’s high grade stainless steel, sealed ball bearings were designed to perform in a saltwater environment. They are incorporated into all of the Clash models to keep salt out and maximize efficiency.
Techno balanced rotor assemblies ensure smooth, wobble free performance, and you will never have to worry about the heavy duty, aluminum bail slamming shut while casting. The reel’s friction trip ramp makes premature closing virtually impossible, but can be closed by a solid push of the handle or by flipping it back manually. The braid-ready spool is designed to keep line from spinning around the arbor, and a series of lines on the inside of the spool provide a gauge for ensuring that the spool is properly filled. I loved the large, comfortable knob on the machined aluminum handle. It provided a solid grip and additional power when fighting fish.
In my humble opinion, I would tag the 2000 and 2500 models as ideal for freshwater applications and very light saltwater use. The 3000 and 4000 are ideal tools for numerous light tackle applications in the salt, while the 5000 can cover a host of chores including snag and drop bunker duty, plugging for bass and blues from a boat or matching up to an 8- or 9-foot surf stick. Moving up to the two largest models, the 6000 and 8000, they should be able to handle any heavy work the ocean can dish out. Surfcasters might want to consider the 6000 as a good match for tossing plugs, bucktails and tins on 10- and 11-foot sticks, while the 8000 would make a nice tool for lobbing the heaviest baits and sinkers beyond the wash. Boatmen who are into jigging or casting to pelagics with spinning gear should find the 8000 up to the task, and without breaking the bank.
The Clash series features seven models ranging from the diminutive CLA2000 to the bullish CLA8000, and MSRP prices vary from $179.95 to $259.95.
