There wouldn’t be many anglers in NZ that haven’t fished with a spin reel with a secondary drag system more commonly known as a “Bait Runner,” “Live Liner,” or “Bait Feeder.”
Most reel manufacturers have an offering in this vast category, and three brands undoubtedly have the market share. Shimano, Penn, and Okuma.
All the brands have different spin reels with secondary drag systems, but undoubltey the most popular in NZ are:
- Penn Live Liner
- Shimano Bait Runner
- Okuma Bait Feeder
Shimano made this reel style famous in NZ with the Shimano 6500 Bait Runner. Back in the ’90s, this reel was manufactured in Japan – Japanese manufacture of this reel stopped in 2003. With certified quality control and check process, Shimano Bait Runners are now manufactured in Malaysia as the OC, D, and Thunnus series. All very popular at different price points.
Penn produces two different Live Liner reels. The Spin Fisher VI and the Fierce. The Fierce is priced at the entry-level market and the Spin Fisher at the premium end. Spin Fishers were once manufactured in the USA but are now manufactured in China to maintain a competitive price edge while still adhering to strict quality control. So you will find the bulk of tackle shops in NZ – with a good snapper fishery – stock both Penn and Shimano reels.
So which one should you buy?
Specs are both readily available on all these reels from manufacturers’ websites. However, to a lot of people, they can be meaningless.
The reality of what matters to most people is which is my best option? And will it last the distance?
At Hauraki Gulf Fishing, there are only two options; we believe you should consider buying. Either the Penn Spin Fisher VI Live Liner or the Shimano Thunnus Bait Runner.
You might think that’s a big call, given that the Shimano Bait Runner OC and D series are two of the most popular reels on the market. So let me tell you why.
Both the OC and D reels look nice and feel smooth in hand, which is an instant tick for the consumer, and I think most people would agree the D series looks better than the OC. And they do have some good features on them as well. However, where these reels let themselves down is the quality of the gears, the presence of an anti-reverse switch, and lack of water ingress prevention seals. In addition, OC & D are made with diecast alloy gears. The consequence of this is weak gears exasperated by no saltwater sealing.
Thunnus is a slightly different prospect. It is fitted with Shimano’s flagship Hagane gears (cold forged) and then treated with a Paladin coating for additional strength. As a result, the gears are solid and smooth; they come from the older Stella SWA – so you know they are good. Moreover, the reel body is Ci4, a carbon body, making the reel nice and light. However, it also runs an anti-reverse switch and has no waterproof sealing on the body. Apart from this, it’s an excellent reel with a smooth drag and tight tolerances and, like most Shimano reels – looks sharp. Ci4 is a superb material, although not as solid and robust as metal – it has obvious weight advantages over an alloy body.
So which is better? Ci4 or metal body?
It’s a personal preference or opinion, and their is no correct answer. You may get a little bit of reel flex under heavy load, but it’s not something that has been flagged as an issue by anyone in the trade. So it comes down to if you like the weight advantage of Ci4 or prefer a metal body reel.
Penn Spin Fisher VI Live Liner is now its 6th and best edition of this reel. When picking up the reel, the first thing you notice is how solid and hearty it feels in hand. But let’s dig deeper into what matters to you – the consumer. The gear set is made of machined brass – and is the same gear set used in Penns now-famous Slammer range. Very strong gears that won’t give way under load or corrode easily. Brass, of course, is slightly heavier than aluminium.
One of the best features of the Live Liner is its water ingress prevention system. Or IPX5. By definition, this means it can resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray. Or, in real terms, It can handle saltwater spraying while sitting in the rod holder heading out the fishing andgrounds. This feature is outstanding for bait fishermen/women, saves so much money on repairs, and makes at home maintenance easy.
The drag system is smooth and robust – made from carbon and suitable for mono or braid. Smooth carbon drag is a must for a quality reel. Both the Shimano D and Thunnus have carbon drags as well. The only part on the Penn Spin Fisher Live Liner we would like to see upgraded is the bail arm. It’s currently two-piece. We haven’t heard of any failures or encountered them ourselves to date, but it is a potential weak point. By comparison, the Thunnus & D series does come with a single-piece bail wire.
We should note as a disclaimer that at Hauraki Gulf Fishing, we regularly fish all Penn gear, including Penn Live Liners. Currently, our go-to is a 4500 with 6kg and a 6500 with 10kg mono – they have been faultless in their use and only get serviced once a year. Therefore, it would be unreliable and unprofessional not to declare our association. However, we have kept neutral in reviewing the best offerings available in spin reels with secondary drag reels from Shimano and Penn.
While the ‘perfect reel’ is still to be produced, out of the current offerings, the current benchmark is Penn Spin Fisher VI Live Liner. The IPX5 waterproofing and no anti-reverse switch are key quality indicators for NZ conditions. The Thunnus is also an excellent reel but would be a lot better if it had water ingress prevention seals.
Hauraki Gulf Fishing reel ratings
We put these reels on equal footing, with both reels having key features that the other lacks.
Penn Spin Fisher Live Liner 8/10
Shimano Thunnus 8/10
Things we love about the Penn Spin Fisher Live Liner VI
Extra-strong brass gears, IPX5 sealed body, no anti-reverse switch and its smooth drag.
Things we dont love about the Live Liner VI
Its two peice bail arm
Things we love about the Shimano Thunnus
Tight manufacturing tolerances, single-piece bail arm, cold-forged gears and its smooth drag.
Things we don’t love about the Shimano Thunnus
No water prevention body seals and the presence of its anti reverse switch
