All at once, it seemed, striper fishermen saw the value in a large, heavy-duty saltwater baitcasting reels. This revolution came courtesy of the rise of the glidebait, the large, jointed swimbaits that took the striper community by storm this season. Fishermen reveled in the drawing power of both soft, readily available glidebaits like the Berkley Chop Block and the resin, hard to get customs like the Stride and the Big Ray.
Simply put, big glidebaits can be fished more effectively with a baitcaster thanks to the increased line control and cranking power. And, this week, one lucky Striper Cup participant will have a chance to win their own striper-tough baitcaster, the Penn Fathom.
The Fathom is low-profile, saltwater-ready reel built around a full metal body and side plate with a stainless steel main gear and bearing-supported pinion. For striped bass, the strong drag and metal-body cranking power can handle the sudden runs and dead weight of big stripers, while the 25-pound max drag and ample braid capacity give you plenty of muscle for casting big plugs and live baits, and fighting fish in current around structure.