Those are good reels.  My father had one and it was great. No problem easy maintain ect.

I fish Penn reels, the older z series and recently the ss series. Some of my z series are 30 years old and after a good cleaning and lube they fish just about like new. They are not as smooth as others but they have drags that handle anything that swims. My Brothers over the years show me there reels and how smooth they are, then 2-3 years latter they show me there next smooth reel etc etc. Mine have never malfunctioned or let me down. However Penn as of 1-2 years ago changed there reels and now manufacture in China instead of Phily Pa. I don't know about there new reels. However I just bought a couple U.S.A. manufactured Penn reels and that should get me through my lifetime. They are workhorses fellas!

  I lilke shimano reels.  I had a plueger president and only got a couple years out of it.  I have 4 stradics and am on my 2nd sahara which retails for around $60 and comes with a spare spool.  The stradics are around $160 now but well worth.  I've also fished diawa ss tournament series reels, they have one of the nicest drags on any spinning reel and lay line perfect on the spool but are not balanced and not very smooth.  The new stradic FI lay line awesome on a spool and have a sweet drag.  My 2 cents..

Does any manufacturer make a reel that would be ideal for crappie and perch? My thought would be a reel that had a fast retrieve and only spooled 60 or 70 yards of line. I have never fished for perch in more than 70' of water. Why do I need a reel that has over 150' of line on it.

Penn Spinfisher SSG Series Spinning Reels 420  275/2 165/4  110/6       5.3:1
http://www.fishusa.com/Penn-Spinfisher-SSG-Spinning-Reels_p.html?i=DCABFB3458B24D1D9B55536221C9E4B4


Or http://www.fishusa.com/Penn-Captiva-Series-Spinning-Reels_p.html?i=DCABFB3458B24D1D9B55536221C9E4B4CV2000 120/6 5.5:1 32

http://www.fishusa.com/Shimano-Sahara-Spinning-Reels_p.html?i=DCABFB3458B24D1D9B55536221C9E4B4