When Penn Reels calls itself “The Biggest Name in Fishing,” it isn’t exaggerating. No fishing company is more venerable.

Otto Henze, the company’s founder, immigrated to the United States from Germany in the 1920s, and began working as a machinist at Ocean City Reels in Philadelphia.

Ten years later he started Penn Fishing Tackle in the city, developing saltwater fishing reels.

The company prospered, but Henze suddenly died in 1948. Martha Henze, his wife, took over his responsibilities and became president. She made the company thrive.

Penn Reels celebrated its 75th anniversary this year and now manufactures reels, rods and a few other products

The company is the grandfather of the industry, and Penn continues to thrive, including developing new reels.

Nearly 20 new reels are being introduced for 2008. Here’s a look at two.

Slammer Live Liner

The Slammer Live Liner is the same as the Slammer spinning reel but features a drag system that allows the line to be free-spooled for live bait fishing, like a spinning reel and conventional reel combined.

The tension of the Live Liner drag can be adjusted to maintain control and to fish various sized baits.

The Slammer Live Liner comes in three sizes:

Model              Line Capacity             Weight         Gear Ratio       Line Retrieve Per Crank

760L                300 Yds./ 20#            28 Oz.             4.7:1                38”
560L                240  Yds./15#            21 Oz.             4.6:1                30”
460L                240 Yds./12#             20 Oz.             4.6:1                N/A

Metal Senator

The Metal Senator is a metal version of the old, legendary Senator, the workhorse of fishing.

The Metal Senator features a machined aluminum frame and machined aluminum side plate.

It’s also built with Penn’s Integrated Side Plate, already featured on Penn’s International Torque. The patented design enables the reel to achieve higher drag with fewer parts, because the integrated side plate absorbs the load, keeping the pressure off the main and pinion gears.

Model                          Line Capacity            Weight          Gear Ratio       Line Retrieve Per Crank

113 MTL 4/0              475 Yds./30#              N/A                 4.25:1              32”
114 MTL 6/0              475 Yds./50#              43 Oz.            3.75:1              29”

For more information, visit the Penn Reels web site.