Penn Fishing Tackle was established in 1932 by Otto Henze – a German immigrant to America. Over 75 years on and it is the most durable and popular saltwater fishing brand in the industry, and millions of anglers worldwide trust Penn as they set off onto the open water. Only four years after the company’s conception it was already revolutionising game fishing reels, and in 1996 brought out the now famous Senator reel.
Sadly in 1948 Otto died, very suddenly. His wife, Martha, decided his dream of creating a world class tackle company would not die with him and she took over presidency of the company. This move was highly unusual for the time, as women were not considered fit either in business or in fishing, and it demonstrates the resilience and innovation that has come to define the Penn brand.
In the mid 1950s all five of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) records were set using Penn rods – officially putting the brand on the map as the best game tackle company out there. At the same time, it expanded its product range and began producing for all areas of fishing, including light-tackle and fresh-water fishing. Its reels are now popular in the carp and predator communities as well as sea fishing.
The 1960s saw the introduction of the first Penn spinning reels, and by 1978 it had over 150 different reels in production. At this time the company also sponsored Frank Mundus, the man who inspired the character Quint in the hit film franchise Jaws. Frank Mundus is the current IGFA record holder for the largest ever whale caught. The whale weighed over 3,400lbs, and is largest fish of any kind to be caught by rod and reel.
Penn has maintained its run of holding IGFA records, and to this date holds over 1,400. In recent years it has also been consistent winners of the International Convention of Allied Sportsfishing Trades (ICAST) award for Best New Product in Showcase.
The company has set up a Penn Univeristy scheme, which allows 25 avid anglers to spend time offshore fishing with ‘Professor’ Steve Carson. Carson is on hand to provide tips and tricks to the anglers, as well as to award state of the art reels to those anglers who catch the largest fish. It really is a once in a lifetime experience.
As you can see, Penn reels are clearly high quality products, and stand up to its rigorous standards of durability and resilience on the water. Penn rods are equally expertly designed. Each individual rod type is built with a specific action, and specific type of fishing, in mind. This means that you are buying equipment which has been fine tuned, and is precise to you needs. Pairing one of its rods and reels creates a dream team, and you are left with an expertly balanced set up which offers maximum durability and performance. The company also offers a specific combo service where its experts have pre-paired rods and reels to give you maximum performance.
It also produces tools and equipment to help you maintain and manage your tackle so it never lets you down when you’re on the water.
With over 75 years of experience and knowledge, Penn has created fishing gear that ensures you can outmatch the competition with every cast. Their fishing tackle sets have broken records across all IGFA classifications - helping anglers everywhere excel no matter where they fish or what species they're targeting! At Angling Direct we carry an impressive selection of reels for sea fishing plus rods suited to beach casting, spinning from boats and bass fishing alike.
Penn Fishing Tackle was established in 1932 by Otto Henze – a German immigrant to America. Over 75 years on and it is the most durable and popular saltwater fishing brand in the industry, and millions of anglers worldwide trust Penn as they set off onto the open water. Only four years after the company’s conception it was already revolutionising game fishing reels, and in 1996 brought out the now-famous Senator reel.
Penn has maintained its run of holding IGFA records, and to this date holds over 1,400. In recent years it has also been a consistent winner of the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) award for Best New Product in Showcase.
In the mid-1950s all five of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) records were set using Penn rods – officially putting the brand on the map as the best game tackle company out there. At the same time, it expanded its product range and began producing for all areas of fishing, including light tackle and fresh-water fishing. Its reels are now popular in the carp and predator communities as well as sea fishing.
Penn reels are clearly high-quality products and stand up to its rigorous standards of durability and resilience on the water. Penn rods are equally expertly designed. Each individual rod type is built with a specific action, and specific type of fishing, in mind. This means that you are buying equipment which has been fine-tuned and is precise to your needs.
The 1960s saw the introduction of the first Penn spinning reels, and by 1978 it had over 150 different reels in production. At this time the company also sponsored Frank Mundus, the man who inspired the character Quint in the hit film franchise Jaws. Frank Mundus is the current IGFA record holder for the largest-ever whale caught. The whale weighed over 3,400 lbs and is the largest fish of any kind to be caught by rod and reel.
Pairing one of its rods and reels creates a dream team, and you are left with an expertly balanced set-up which offers maximum durability and performance. The company also offers a specific combo service where its experts have pre-paired rods and reels to give you maximum performance. Penn also produces tools and equipment to help you maintain and manage your tackle so it never lets you down when you’re on the water.