Penn Prevail Surf Rod Review

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Introduction

When it comes to looking for a great surf rod the Penn band has to be considered, and this is why I wrote this Penn Prevail Surf rod review.

This is a great brand and the Prevail rod is what you expect from the brand. This rod is high quality, has many great features as mentioned below.

One of my favorite aspects about this rod is the sensitivity that is maintained throughout it. This is often an overlooked aspect of fishing rods, but pay attention to the section discussing sensitivity below because Penn knocked it out of the park with this rod.

Lets get to it

Summary Table

Penn  Prevail Surf Rod Review: The breakdown

Material

The Penn Prevail is made of a composite material that is both graphite and fiberglass.

The Graphite is important because it improves sensitivity and keeps the weight of the rod low overall.  The fiberglass is super important because it maintains the rods strength and overall durability.

When you have a composite rod like this it is important to know that the fiberglass typically makes the action a slow to medium action while graphite are faster action and improve the sensitivity and power of the rod.

For the majority of fishing that anglers like you and I do, a composite rod like the Penn Prevail is a great option because it allows you to maintain sensitivity while also knowing you have a strong rod.

Construction

This rod comes in a two piece set up. I really like my rods to come in two pieces because it allows for easier transport and overall easier storage.

Having the option to break the rod down also leads to better care for both the rod and reel in my opinion. This is because by breaking the rod down into two separate pieces you need to take the lure or hook off and then you might as well wind the line up on the spool.

No stress gets put on the rod just to store it and your line remains strong.

Guides

The guides on the Penn Prevail Surf rod are one piece stainless steel dura guides.

The guides have aluminum oxide inserts.

That brings up a few points, first the guide itself. Having a stainless steel one piece guide is great. This provides great strength while minimizing the chances of individual pieces breaking off.

Also, the aluminum oxide inserts are important because they are what your line will glide on. If your line glided on the stainless steel guides it would likely fray, weaken, and ultimately break. The aluminum oxide inserts make it so the line glides easily and smoothly over the guides without issues.

Grips

The grips are ergonomic Winn grips with diamond x shrink tube to provide extra comfort. I can assure you that I have held the Penn Prevail rod, and the grips are incredibly comfortable and they have the right amount of give and resistance to them.

I haven’t actually fished with this rod, but from what I can tell it is an incredibly comfortable rod and will allow you to comfortably fish for hours and hours.

Reel Seat

The reel seat is a sea guide graphite material that ensures your reel will stay attached to the rod.

It is also important to tell you that the reel seat has a great design that really makes a lot of contact with the reel and this improves the sensitivity that you feel all the way through to the reel from the rod.

Length

The Penn Prevail, ii comes in rod lengths of 8’ to 12’.

There are 6 different models in total, with two of them coming in the 9’ length.

The main difference between the 6 models of the Penn Prevail rod is the:

Rod Power

Line Rating

Lure rating

All three of those options go up in rating the longer the rod. The rod power goes from medium to fast in the longer rods. This is important because the longer the rod, the larger the fish usually, so you will want more power so it flexes less and there is more strength behind the rod.

The same is true for lure rating and line rating. They both get more heavy duty with the longer rods, which is in line with what you would expect because the longer rods are going to be going after larger fish, and you need a heavier lb test rating and larger lures.

Action

The rod action of all the different lengths of the Penn Prevail is moderate fast. This means the first 1/3 or so of the rod will flex, and that the rod will return to its neutral position rather quickly, helping you set the hook faster.

Really a moderate to fast action is a great choice for a surf rod, and especially when you consider the construction and material of this rod in combination with a moderate to fast action. All of those things together means you will be able to quickly set the hook.

Sensitivity

When it comes to sensitivity of rods, I am referring to how easy it is for you to feel the nibble and bite on the hook all the way through the rod and reel.

Sensitivity is super important, and easy to not think about when you are buying a rod, but the sooner you feel the nibble on the hook the quicker that fish is reeled in.

The Penn Prevail has great sensitivity throughout the rod, this is primarily because of the material that it is made of. Graphite maintains sensitivity really well throughout a rod.

Always think of sensitivity when you are buying a new rod.

What others are saying

• “Love it!”
• “I love this brand a lot”
• “Great rod, casts a far distance”
• “Casts great, paired with the Penn Conflict II LC 7000”
• “Rod is very well built, good construction, solid, and the guides are great too”
• “Pulled in a 7-9 foot shark no problem, fought 4 sharks for 3 hours total without ever coming close to breaking”
• “Casts well”

What to consider when buying a rod

Length

This is important, especially in the surf rod and fly rod subsets of rods.

Typically when it comes to mountain lake or river trout fishing you will get a rod in the 7 foot range.

For surf rods and fly rods there is a lot of variation in the lengths and this is for good reason. The longer the rod, the further it will cast, which is super important for the surf rods.

If you know you will be out on the open water a bunch then you might want a longer rod that will not only allow you to cast further, but it will provide a more rigid power and faster action for deeper fishing as well.

Material

As briefly mentioned above, fiberglass is great for adding strength to a rod, but it diminishes the overall sensitivity of the rod.

Graphite maintains the sensitivity throughout a rod, but makes it stiffer and this can lead to the rod being weaker and breaking easier.

Having a rod made of composite material is great. This gives you the best of both materials. Many rods and rod companies will add a certain amount of graphite or fiberglass and really experiment with this. The Shimano Tiralejo rod has 30% more graphite added to it from prior models to improve sensitivity.

Just know that more graphite means more sensitivity, but it also means decreased strength overall.

Another material called aeroglass is what some companies will use to make rods. A few rods in this article (rods under 100) are built out of aeroglass.

Action

Rod action refers to the ability of the rod to bend and then how quickly it reverts back to its normal shape.

There are Slow, medium, fast, and extra fast actions, and probably a few more in between, but you get the idea.

The slower action rods will flex all the way down to the handles, and then they will take a decent amount of time to revert back to neutral. These rods are good for smaller fish like panfish, because they allow a softer fight and won’t completely rip the hook through the fishes lip.

The medium action rods will bend about half way down the rod and they are good for large and small species of fish. They allow rapid setting of the hook, but not as quick as the fast action rods.

The fast action rods only bend at the tip or down about ¼ the length of the rod. These rods are great for longer casting distances and quick hook setting. If you plan on fishing for aggressive species of fish then a fast action is important because it will allow you to set the hook quickly before the fish starts to fight.

Action is important and something to be considered every time. If you don’t have intentions to fish specific species of fish, then I would recommend you get a moderate to moderate fast action rod. These actions will cover a wide range of species and applications.

Power

The power of a rod is the resistance to the rod being bent. This is important to consider because the heavier rod powers are good for higher weight lines and lures.

That is the main thing to consider when looking at the power, what size line and or lure will you be using.

If you plan on using a 20lb test line and a larger weighted lure then you will likely want a moderate heavy power rod.

If you are fishing for lake trout and using a 3-6 lb test line and small lures then a medium to light power rod will do just fine for your needs.

Ultimately the power will correlate with the size of fish, but that gets too confusing.

If you know the lb test you will be using, then use that to guide what you need in terms of rod power.

Video on Action and power**

Rod Handles

These can be made from many different kinds of materials. With the Penn Prevail rods they are made of rubber.

You will commonly see cork, rubber, and EVA. Each one is a good option and they each (depending on the quality) have a good amount of give while maintaining some stiffness.

Those two things are important to consider because you want the handle to be comfortable, but if it is too soft you will start to lose sensitivity through the rod into the handle.

Rod Guides

When it comes to rod guides they are usually built out of a stronger metal then they have a softer metal or acrylic/ceramic inserts in the ring.

I prefer the guides to be fugi guides which are great or one piece stainless guides. Both of these guides offer great strength with minimal flexion or ability to bend.

The inserts in the eyelets of the guides are important because these are what your line will move over. This is why these are softer metals or sometimes ceramic, because that is more gentle on your line and won’t fray it or break it.

Aluminum oxide is pretty typical of insert material, and it is a great option in my opinion.

Reel Seat

The reel seat is important because this is the area that your reel will attach to the rod. You want them to be threaded and locking is a plus, but not necessary.

The more contact that the reel has with the rod the better your sensitivity will be transferred through the rod into the reel. This has to do with both the rod and reel, but ensure that on the reel seat you can adjust it to allow for larger reels which will allow for more contact.

The material of the seat is typically a strong material, so I don’t worry about the material.

I worry about making sure they thread on, making sure it is locking, and ensuring there is good contact between the rod and reel.

As I mentioned this is both a rod and reel thing, so sometimes you won’t know when buying a rod until you buy the reel. At least with this information you can make sure the seats are locking and have a thread on them to help tighten down.

Other Related FAQ’s

Are Penn Prevail Rods Good?

These rods have a great reputation and they hold up to that reputation.

These are good rods that will serve the purpose you want them to serve.

I have been happy with the performance of these rods when I have used them, and many other consumers have as well.

How long should a surf rod be?

It depends. As mentioned above, if you plan on being out in the open then a longer rod will allow for greater distance casts.

Honestly anwhere in the 10’ range would be appropriate for a surf rod. If you are in close areas of the surf then an 8’ rod is appropriate, if you are out in the open water then you may want to consider a longer one.

Do longer rods cast further?

Absolutely. The rod power also comes into play with casting. As a general rule of thumb though, longer rods will cast further and that is why I recommend longer rods for fishing in the open surf.

What is the difference between Penn Prevail and the Penn Prevail 2

The Penn Prevail ii is built with composite graphite blanks. This is the main difference between it and the other models in the prevail lineup.

Penn Prevail Surf Rod Review: The Final Verdict

I hope this Penn Prevail Surf Rod Review has been helpful to you.

This is truly a great rod, and has some great features. If you plan on doing some surf fishing, you can’t go wrong with this rod.

If you have decided on purchasing, you can click this link here and pick yourself up one of these rods. You won’t be disappointed in this rod, I promise.

Thanks for reading

Good luck out there

Sean