Penn Fishing Tackle Manufacturing Company is an

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

n manufacturer of

fishing tackle Fishing tackle is the equipment used by anglers when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used in fishing can be called fishing tackle, examples being hooks, lines, baits/ lures, rods, reels, floats, sinkers/ feeders, nets, stringers/ k ...

, primarily known for making heavy-duty

fishing reel A fishing reel is a hand- cranked reel used in angling to wind and stow fishing line, typical mounted onto a fishing rod, but may also be used to retrieve a tethered arrow when bowfishing. Modern recreational fishing reels usually have fittings ...

s and rods.

History

Otto Henze immigrated from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1922.“Penn Fishing Reels.” Fishing Reels. http://www.fishingreelsnow.com/penn_fishing_reels.html. accessed Feb. 6, 2011 At 25, he worked as a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

for the fishing reel manufacturer

Ocean City Manufacturing Company The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of Saline water, salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Water distribution on Earth, Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1932, Henze rented a 3rd floor loft on 492 North Third Street in Philadelphia from a general machinist firm, William Schmitz & Company.�
The History of Penn 1930
” Penn. accessed Feb.6,2011 There he completed his first two reel designs, the Model F and Model K. In February 1933, the first Penn reels were sold to the Miller Auto Supply Company in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. Encouraged by the sales, Henze developed two more designs. Privation during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

forced families into

subsistence fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fisherman, fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these househ ...

, aiding company growth. In 1942, Penn Reels moved to West Hunting Park Avenue. Upon Henze's death in 1948, his wife Martha assumed the company presidency. Penn Reels grew from a regional presence to a world leader in the years that followed.

Early reels

The Penn Model F was a

surf fishing Surf fishing is land-based game fishing while standing on the shoreline or wading into the surf zone. A general term, surf fishing may or may not include casting a lure or bait, and refers to all types of shore fishing – from sandy and rocky be ...

reel designed for long-distance

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejected ...

. It had

bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

side plates and weighed twelve ounces. This model was a surf reel used mainly for

. The similar Model K added a lever actuated free spool and durable metal reinforced plates. It was offered with and without a star drag. An adjustable bearing allowed the spool be tightened to prevent backlash. In 1933 the Model F was renamed the ''Sea Hawk'', the basic Model K the ''Bayside'', and the Model K with star drag the ''Long Beach''. The choice of coastal Atlantic and Pacific cities for the former K models reinforced their connection to saltwater fishing. In 1936, a revolutionary new reel was introduced to catch the most challenging

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

, the ''Senator''. Immediately successful, it led to numerous fishing records being set, and remains popular, known for its high quality and dependability.�
Penn Senator Reels
” Jamestown Distributor. accessed Feb. 6,2011 It featured high speed stainless pinion gears for taking in line faster and was well adapted to the extra demands of professionally guided charter fishing. In 1938, an exceptional surf casting reel, the “Squidder”, was introduced. It too became highly popular with anglers and charter boating. Many remain in use.

Today

Penn Reels hold a unique place in saltwater fishing reels, with over 1,400

International Game Fish Association The International Game Fish Association (''IGFA'') is the leading authority on angling pursuits and the keeper of the most current World Record fishing catches by fish categories. Fishermen who are sport fishers are careful to follow their string ...

(IGFA) world records being set using them. Over 220 different models are manufactured today.Byrne, Stephen. �
Penn Fishing Reel History.” Trails
accessed Feb. 6,2011 Their signature reel remains the Penn Senator, the Jig Master also being popular, signature rods the Penn Power Stick and Tuna Stick In 2006, Penn’s Torque reel was named the America Sport fishing Association’s Saltwater Reel of the year. In 2003, the Penn Fishing Reels Company was acquired by rival tackle companies Sea Striker Inc. and Master Fishing Tackle. It was acquired in 2007 by

K2 Sports K2 Sports, LLC (K2 Sports) is an American winter sports company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. K2 Sports operates the K2 Skis, K2 Snowboarding, K2 Skates, Backcountry Access, Ride Snowboards, Tubbs Snowshoes, Atlas Snow-Shoe Company, LIN ...

. Jarden acquired K2 Sports and added Penn Reels to its Pure Fishing portfolio of fishing tackle manufacturers and marketing companies. Newell Brands took control of Pure Fishing when it acquired the Jarden Corporation in April 2016. In January 2019, Penn Reels, together with associated companies forming Pure Fishing, was sold by Newell Brands to Sycamore Partners for $1.3 billion.

External links

Penn Reels official website

Penn Spinning Reels Reviews

References

{{Reflist 1932 establishments in Pennsylvania Fishing equipment manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1932 Manufacturing companies based in Iowa Manufacturing companies based in Philadelphia 2003 mergers and acquisitions 2007 mergers and acquisitions 2016 mergers and acquisitions 2018 mergers and acquisitions