Figuring out what rods and reels to buy to do a trolling setup can be a challenge. A lot of times the rods aren’t specifically marketed towards trolling and it can be tough to figure out what length, power, and action of a rod is best and what reel makes sense to pair with it.
In this article, I’ll talk through 3 trolling combos, one budget option, one mid-range option, and one high end option. Each one will discuss the different reel sizes and the appropriate rod model to use with it. After reading this article, I hope you’ll have a better idea of how much it’ll cost you to outfit your boat with some trolling combos. Some of these are a great value, and some are such high quality that I seriously doubt you’ll feel any buyer’s remorse no matter which one you go with.
Budget Combo: Penn Squall Lever Drag Reel + Conventional Rod Combo
The Penn Squall Conventional Lever Drag combo is a great value. When trolling for 30-40 lb fish, I’d recommend getting the combo that includes the size 60 reel. The size 60 reel has a max drag of 33 lbs so it’ll be able to handle it if you hook something bigger, yet still won’t be too bulky to use for the smaller fish. If you’re doing inshore trolling or nearshore trolling for smaller fish like mackerels, a size 40 will be good. Read more about Inshore trolling in my article Inshore Trolling: How To PLUS Must Have Lures!
The Squall is available in lever drag, star drag and levelwind options, but for trolling I’d recommend the lever drag. A star drag system will get really hot when you hook any big game fish and it will cause the drag washers to warp. A lever drag system is much better at not overheating because of its larger diameter drag washers and can give you higher max drag because its designed a lever drag system pushes drag washers directly onto the spool, instead of on the main drive gear like star drags. Penn has done a nice job making the lever drag parts low profile to help make this a lightweight and ergonomic reel.
The drag system in the Penn Squall lever drag is the same Dura Drag system that’s in the much more expensive Penn International VI trolling reel. The Dura Drag system is a sealed drag system in which the drag washers are totally sealed from the elements to prevent corrosion and excessive wear. The drag washers are greased and made from a Penn proprietary material which gives it the instantaneous reaction when you hook a fish.
The lever drag version also has no levelwind, which is advantageous when targeting big game fish. A levelwind can struggle to keep up when a fish takes your line and can be a source of failure in the reel. Its best not to have a levelwind on large trolling reels, however, it does come with the expectation that the angler is manually levelwinding during the retrieve. This can take practice, but isn’t too hard once you get the hang of it.
The reel weighs in at about 20.7 ounces in size 40. This is in large part due to the graphite frame and sideplate. Heavy duty big game trolling reels, such as the Penn International VI, are aluminum bodied. Although this reel will do the job when trolling nearshore or offshore, it is a single speed. The gear ratio on the size 60 is 4.3:1 which is a moderate gear ratio. If you were to spend a little bit more money and get a two speed reel, you could have the power you need to reel in much bigger fish. This rod and reel combo is great for beginners, and you can always sell it when you’re ready to upgrade for those bigger fish.
The rod is one that Penn specifically made for this combo. The size 40 reel is paired with a medium power 7’ rod, and the size 60 reel is paired with a 6’ heavy power rod. The medium power is suitable for inshore trolling with diving lures, or nearshore for smaller fish. Larger fish will need a stronger backbone to fight against, which makes the heavy power a better choice for 30-40 lb fish.
The guides also differ by size. Size 30, 40, and 50 all have ring guides. The size 30 and 40 ring guides are made of aluminum oxide. The size 50 ring guides are Turbo Aluminum Oxide. The size 60 combo has turbo aluminum oxide ring guides in the middle of the guide train, and a PacBay roller stripper and a PacBay roller tip. The roller stripper guide will help decrease the friction as the line comes off the spool because the size 60 reel has such high line capacity that the line needs to come down at a steep angle to get to the rod. The roller tip helps decrease the friction when a heavy game fish takes your bait and swims quickly away. The roller tip can help save your rod from snapping under such a strong and sudden pull.
The rod butt is an aluminum gimbal to help it stay parked in your rod holder. The rod action is fast to give you the sensitivity to feel the bite, work your lure, or work with live bait if you prefer. The reel size 40 combo is rated for 20-40 lb line and the size 60 combo is rated for 30-80 lb line.
We’ve been dealing with lots of websites saying they’re out of stock, so if you cannot find this particular combo in stock, you could buy the Penn Squall Lever Drag reel on its own, and pair it with the following Star Aerial standup rods. This will cost you a little more, but if you can swing the extra cost, you won’t regret getting a better rod.
| Reel Size | Line Rating | Guide Style | Length | Power | Rod Model # | Rod + reel price | |
| Penn Squall LD Combo | 30 | 15-30 | Ring guides | 7’ | medium | SQL1530C70LB | $200 |
| Penn Squall Reel + Star Aerial Rod | 30 | 15-30 | Ring guides | 6’ | medium | EX1530C6 | $280 |
| Penn Squall LD Combo | 40 | 20-40 | Ring guides | 7’ | medium | SQL2040C70LB | $200 |
| Penn Squall Reel + Star Aerial Rod | 40 | 20-50 | Ring guides | 6’ | medium | EX2050C6 | $280 |
| Penn Squall LD Combo | 50 | 30-50 | Ring guides | 6’6” | Medium heavy | SQL3050C66 | $220 |
| Penn Squall Reel + Star Aerial Rod | 50 | 30-50 | Ring guides | 6’ | Medium heavy | EX3080C6 | $300 |
| Penn Squall LD Combo | 60 | 30-80 | Roller stripper, roller tip, ring guides | 6’ | heavy | SQL3080C60RST | $250 |
| Penn Squall Reel + Star Aerial Rod | 60 | 30-80 | Roller stripper, roller tip, ring guides | 5’9” | heavy | EX3080RS | $350 |
Mid Range Price Point Combo: Shimano TLD 2 Speed Lever Drag Reel + Shimano Tallus PX Rod
Fortunately, an increased budget can get you a 2 speed lever drag reel. Two speed makes the reel more versatile so it can handle a variety of situations. The low gear ratio has the power you need to take on big game fish, and the high gear ratio gives you the higher retrieve rate when reeling in a high amount of line. The low gear ratio can handle more power from the fish because of the fewer, but larger teeth on the gear. The beefier gear teeth can hold up to a lot more pressure from a fish without the gears binding. A low gear ratio option like 1.7:1 can handle almost anything. And if you are reeling in something smaller and you want the speed that comes with a higher gear ratio, simply switch to high gear during the retrieve. Two speeds substantially improve the versatility of a reel.
The graphite frame and sideplates on this reel keep the weight light, but its not quite as light as the Penn Squall Lever Drag reel because of the additional gearing for the two speed system. The size 30 Shimano TLD 2 speed lever drag reel weighs 37.5 oz. Most likely, you’ll be pairing these reels with a standup rod and you’ll be holding it for the fight, so lightweight can be a good feature to look for.
There are 4 ball bearings in the reel which are located one on each side of the spool, a main drag bearing, and a pinion support bearing. The bearings are Anti Rust Bearings (ARB) which have a corrosion resistant coating to protect against saltwater corrosion. Although these bearings are good, Shimano makes an even better bearing, called the SARB bearing, which is a shielded anti rust bearing. The bearing races are shielded to further protect against contaminants getting in.
The reel has a rod clamp to make sure it sits securely on the rod. Its an additional measure to make it feel secure, as it also fits in the reel seat provided by the rod. The reel clamp also prevents warping of the reel seat bracket on the reel when fighting a big fish. The reel has a barrel handle grip which is very comfortable to hold onto. Its just big enough to feel sturdy, without being oversized.
This is a lever drag reel which has two max drag settings: strike and full. The strike setting is used for your hookset and the fight, and the full setting gives you the chance to increase the drag at the end of a fight to get the fish in the boat. The size 30 reel has a max drag at strike of 24 lbs and a max drag at full of 33 lbs. As with most Shimano products, the reliability is great, the feel is great, and this one is a great reel to buy multiple of for a full trolling setup.
The size 30 reel holds 600 yards of 30 lb mono and would be paired well with a Shimano Tallus PX conventional rod, model number TLX70H. This rod’s line rating is 30-50 lb mono, 7’ in length, heavy power, and fast action. This is a versatile rod that can handle trolling, bottom fishing or chunking. It's made with Hi Power X construction which is an alternating diagonal wrap of carbon fiber. This helps the rod resist the urge to torque over during a big fight.
The ring guides are Seaguide Zirconia ring guides. Most of the fish you’ll be targeting with the Shimano TLD 2 speed lever drag reel are not big and strong enough to drive the need for roller guides. The Aluminum gimbal on the rod is strong enough to sit securely in a rod holder and also tapered well enough to easily pull it out for a hookset and a fight.
Whether you’re standing up for the fight, or sitting keeping the rod in a rod holder, you’ll be grateful for the nice feeling diamond wrap grip. The foregrip length ranges from 11-13 inches on the different models, which is plenty of space for a two handed grip when wearing a fighting belt. To make sure you pair your Shimano TLD 2 speed lever drag reel with the appropriate sized Shimano Tallus PX conventional rod, I’ve provided a table below with recommendations and pricing information.
| Reel Size/model # | Mono line rating | length | power | action | Rod Model # | Rod + Reel Price |
| 20/TLD20IIA | 15-40 | 7’ | medium | fast | TLXC70M | $530 |
| 30/TLD30IIA | 30-50 | 7’ | heavy | fast | TLXC70H | $540 |
| 50/TLD50IIA | 40-60 | 6’ | X-heavy | fast | TLXC60XH | $650 |
| 50/TLD50IILRSA | 40-80 | 6’ | XX-heavy | fast | TLXC60XXH | $650 |
High End combo: Penn International VISX Reel + Star Paraflex Rod
If you can swing for a higher priced reel, you must look at the Penn International VIS. Penn Internationals have a long history of being trusted by anglers across the world. You may even know someone who still uses a hand-me-down Penn International that’s decades old. To me, that simply adds to the appeal. I’d love to spend the money once on a high quality item, and have it become something that I can pass down to my children. I have 3 kids, so I figured I need to have at least 3 (1 per kid), but maybe I should go for 6!
Penn offers the reel in a single speed version, VI, and two speed versions, VIS, VISX, VISW. The VISW is a wide spool which can be a challenge to levelwind manually. The VISX is a narrow spool with a higher drag curve and no crossbar on top. I personally love the VISX version as it is a smaller reel that packs a seriously powerful punch.
Unlike the other two reels we’ve talked about, the Penn Internationals have a machined aluminum body and sideplates. This frame can hold up against the biggest big game fish you’ll target.
It has a sealed Dura Drag system to keep out any contaminants and keep your drag running smoothly for years and years. The strike point on the lever drag system is adjustable which allows you to move it around depending on whether you want it closer to the full drag, or if you want the bigger range between strike and drag.
The reel has a clicker and line capacity rings so you can hear when a fish bites and also alert your captain that its time to follow the fish if your line is getting low. The double dog ratchet anti-reverse is practically failproof and very smooth because of the many teeth in the ratchet.
To top it off, the Penn International is made in the USA!
The reel has a high line capacity which is perfect for trolling long and/or deep lines and letting big fish run. The color is that iconic Penn gold that looks great when paired with a Star Paraflex rod with a red and gold decorative wrap. They do offer a silver now, which could look great with a black rod and a gray and white boat.
For my nearshore fishing for 30-40 lb fish, the INT16VISX model is plenty. It might seem like you’re buying the small one, but I promise you it can handle just about anything on the East Coast of Florida. If I’m routinely offshore fishing for wahoo or marlin, I’d certainly go up to a 30 or a 50 size. You can always buy more as your fishing locations change.
Penn has designed a mechanism to push past the strike spot that is easy to use. I can do it one-handed when my hand is still on the handle. There’s a button on the end of the lever that you push in while simultaneously pushing the lever past the strike position. I’m grateful for Penn making this easy so that when I’m in that high stress moment of getting the fish to the gaff, I’m confident I can push the lever to full easily.
If you’re considering the Shimano Tiagra instead of the Penn International, read my article Top Notch Trolling Reels That Will Last for Generations and be convinced that the Penn International is the way to go! This article also contains very detailed technical information about the reel so you can have the utmost confidence you’re buying the right product.
I pair my Penn International with a Star Paraflex rod. Star rods have been around a long time and make a great product. The Star Paraflex rods are versatile enough to be used for live bait, chunking, or standup fishing. They have a beautiful red and gold criss cross wrap on a black rod.
The Star Paraflex rods have a limited lifetime warranty and there is no requirement to register your rod for warranty. The warranty covers any defects in materials and workmanship. To me, a lifetime warranty gives me the piece of mind I need when choosing a trolling outfit.
As I’ve done in the other sections, see the table below for the recommended reel size and rod model number pairings:
| Reel Size/model # | Mono line rating | Length | Power | Guide style | Rod Model # | Rod + Reel Price |
| INT16VISX | 30-50 | 5’9” | heavy | Ring guides | PGSU59MH | $810 |
| INT20VISX | 30-50 | 5’9” | heavy | Ring guides | PGSU59MH | $830 |
| INT30VISX | 50-80 | 5’9” | X-heavy | Ring guides + roller tip | PGSU59XH | $880 |
| INT50VISX | 50-100 | 5’9” | XX-Heavy | Ring guides + roller tip | PGSU59XXH | $930 |
If you’re interested in reading more about the best trolling rods, read our article What Makes a Good Trolling Rod? Length, Power, Guides. After reading this article, I hope you feel more confident in your decision about which trolling combo to go with. Tight lines, y’all!
