PENN Squall II Level Wind 30LWLC Review: a no-nonsense workhorse for bottom fishing and trolling

I’ve been using the PENN Squall II Level Wind 30LWLC mainly for bottom fishing and light trolling, and it’s very much a “grab it and fish” kind of reel. No fancy gimmicks, just a conventional level wind with a line counter that’s clearly meant to live on a boat and get abused. I paired it with a 6'–6'6" medium-heavy boat rod and 65 lb braid over mono backing, mostly in 80–250 ft of water for halibut-style bottom work and some slow trolling for kings and lings.

Right away, the reel feels like typical PENN: not the lightest, not the prettiest, but it gives the impression it’ll handle rough use. The 30 size is a good middle ground: plenty of line capacity and drag for serious fish, but not so huge that it’s a pain to hold all day. If you’re used to small low-profile baitcasters, this will feel big; if you’re used to older PENN Senators and Internationals, this feels compact and manageable.

What pushed me to try this model specifically was the combo of level wind + line counter. I often take out people who aren’t used to conventional reels, and manually guiding line with your thumb is not something everyone picks up quickly, especially when they’re distracted or tired. With this reel, I can hand it to a beginner, tell them “crank when I say crank,” and not worry about them stacking all the line to one side.

Overall first impression: it’s a practical, work-focused reel. It’s not perfect, and a few details annoyed me (weight and the graphite feel in the cold, mainly), but for the price and what it’s built to do—bottom fishing, trolling, live bait—it gets the job done without drama. If you want something fancy and ultra-smooth, look elsewhere. If you just want a solid saltwater level wind that can take hits, this is worth a look.

On the value side, the Squall II 30LWLC sits in a pretty sweet spot. It’s not dirt cheap, but it’s also not in the high-end price bracket. For what you pay, you get a solid drag, big line capacity, level wind, and a line counter, all wrapped in a reel that’s clearly built for real saltwater use. If you compare it to some Shimano or Daiwa options with similar features, the PENN usually comes in cheaper while still feeling tough enough for heavy-duty fishing.

Where the value really shows is if you often fish with kids, beginners, or casual friends. The level wind saves you from constantly reminding people to guide the line with their thumb, and the line counter makes it much easier to say “drop to X feet” or “let out 80 feet for trolling.” That alone can save you a lot of frustration on the boat. If you only fish alone and are comfortable with manual level-wind reels, you might prefer a non-level-wind conventional for better casting and slightly simpler mechanics—but then you lose the ease-of-use factor.

The main trade-off for the price is the graphite frame instead of full metal, and the fact that it’s not ultra-smooth or lightweight compared to some more expensive reels. For me, that’s acceptable. You’re paying for a practical, durable tool, not a high-end, super-refined reel. If you want something that feels more premium in the hand, you’ll have to spend more, and you may lose some of the beginner-friendly features like the level wind and counter in similar price brackets.

Overall, I’d call the value good to very good for someone who wants a dependable boat reel that can handle halibut-style bottom fishing, lings, salmon, kings, and general saltwater use without breaking the bank. There are nicer reels out there, and there are cheaper reels out there, but this one hits a pretty solid middle ground where you get a lot of real fishing utility for the money.

The design of the Squall II 30LWLC is very much old-school PENN with a few modern tweaks. You’ve got the classic black and gold look that PENN has used for years, a fairly boxy profile, and a big level wind bar up front. No fancy cutouts, no skeleton frame, just solid shapes. It’s not ugly, but it’s clearly built with durability and ease of cleaning in mind more than style. If you care about aesthetics, you’ll probably call it “fine” and move on.

Functionally, the layout is simple: big star drag, a clicking free spool tension knob, and a standard thumb bar/lever for engaging and disengaging the spool. The detents on the star drag and spool tension are actually one of the nicer touches—you can feel each click, so once you know your ideal settings for a certain line or bait, you can get back there quickly without guessing. That’s handy if you switch between trolling and free-spooling live bait, or if multiple people use the same setup and constantly mess with the drag.

The level wind itself moves smoothly across the spool without any noticeable sticking or hesitation, even under load. That’s a big deal when you’re fighting a fish and don’t want to think about line distribution. The downside is what you’d expect: it does slightly limit casting distance compared to a non-level-wind conventional. You can still cast it, but if your goal is bombing baits as far as possible from shore, this isn’t the most efficient option. For boat fishing, it’s a fair trade-off: easier for beginners, slightly less casting performance.

One thing I liked is the Fast Gear Access Sideplate. It’s not something you’ll use every trip, but when you need to clean or grease the reel, not having to fight a bunch of tiny screws is nice. For someone who actually maintains their gear, this matters. Overall, the design is practical and user-friendly, but not particularly compact or light. If you’re fine with a slightly bulky, straightforward reel that just works, the design philosophy here will make sense to you.

The Squall II uses a mix of graphite and metal, and that’s one of the main trade-offs with this reel. The frame and sideplates are graphite, while the spool is forged and machined aluminum, and the bearings and key internals are stainless steel. This is pretty standard for reels in this price range. The idea is to keep weight and cost down while still having enough metal in the high-stress areas like the spool and gears.

In real use, the graphite frame feels solid enough. I didn’t notice any flex under load that affected performance, even when cranking up heavier fish from deeper water. That said, if you’re used to full-metal framed reels, you will feel a difference. The graphite doesn’t have the same cold, dense feel in the hand, and over the long term, metal frames usually hold their tolerances better under constant heavy drag. For typical bottom fishing, trolling, and live bait use, the graphite here is fine, but if you’re regularly pushing max drag on big, hard-running fish, I’d personally trust a full-metal reel more.

The aluminum spool is nicely done: smooth edges, no rough spots, and it lays line evenly with the level wind engaged. It doesn’t feel cheap, and it handles braid well without digging in too badly, as long as you pack the first layers under decent tension. The stainless steel bearings (3+1) are shielded, which helps a bit with salt, but you still need to rinse and occasionally open things up if you fish in harsh conditions like Alaska or on party boats where reels get dunked and banged around.

Overall, the materials are pretty solid for the price. You’re not getting a tank-like metal frame, but you’re also not paying that kind of money. The reel feels built to handle true saltwater use as long as you do basic maintenance: rinse with fresh water, dry, and grease once in a while. If you’re the type who never rinses anything and leaves reels in a wet bucket, this will eventually show corrosion like anything else, but that’s more on the user than on the materials.

Durability is where this reel leans into the classic PENN reputation. Between my use and what I’ve seen on boats (especially up north in rough saltwater conditions), the Squall II 30 size holds up well to regular, sometimes rough handling. We’re talking banging around in rod holders, getting splashed constantly, and being used by people who don’t exactly treat gear gently. The graphite frame hasn’t shown any cracks or serious scuffs beyond normal cosmetic wear, and the internals have stayed smooth as long as they get rinsed.

The level wind mechanism is often a weak point on cheaper reels, but on this one, it has stayed smooth and consistent, even after sandy decks, salt spray, and a few accidental drops. I haven’t seen it start to bind or wear grooves too quickly. The stainless bearings and metal internals will still corrode if you completely ignore maintenance, but if you give the reel a freshwater rinse after trips and occasionally re-grease, it should last several seasons of heavy use without major issues.

One thing to keep in mind: the reel is not maintenance-free. The Fast Gear Access Sideplate is there for a reason—PENN expects you to open it up once in a while. If you’re the type who never services reels, you might start to feel some roughness after a season or two of hard saltwater use. That’s not unique to this model; it’s just how salt and metal work. But compared to cheaper no-name reels, the Squall II definitely holds up better in real-world abuse, especially in places like Alaska or heavy bottom fishing environments.

In short, durability is a strong point, as long as you accept that “durable” doesn’t mean “indestructible.” It’s built to be a workhorse, not a showpiece. If you rinse it, occasionally open it up, and don’t actively try to kill it, it should handle years of bottom fishing, trolling, and general saltwater punishment without giving you much drama.

Out on the water, the performance of the Squall II 30LWLC is very straightforward: it pulls hard, the drag is reliable, and the level wind keeps things idiot-proof. I used it mainly with 65 lb braid over backing, dropping bait in 100–250 ft and doing some slow trolling. Cranking power is good; you don’t feel like you’re fighting the reel itself when bringing up heavy rigs or decent fish. It’s not buttery-smooth like high-end Shimano gear, but it’s consistent and doesn’t grind or complain under load.

The HT-100 drag lives up to its reputation: it’s smooth and strong, with no jerky starts. You can comfortably lock it down for bottom fishing and still feel like it’s under control. The star drag is easy to adjust mid-fight if you need to back off a bit. I also liked the secondary tension for free spool. With a bit of tuning, you can get a nice controlled free spool that doesn’t blow up into bird’s nests every time a beginner hits the lever. That makes it a good reel for guiding or taking friends and kids who don’t have much experience with conventional reels.

The casting side is decent but not mind-blowing. You can throw baits or rigs out from a boat or pier without a problem, but the level wind does cost you some distance, and the reel’s size and weight don’t help if you’re trying to cast all day. Where it shines is more in vertical work and trolling than repeated long-distance casting. The line counter is actually useful for trolling and repetitive drops: once you find the depth or distance that gets bites, you can just tell everyone “drop to 120 on the counter” and you’re dialed.

Overall, performance is workmanlike and reliable. It’s not the smoothest reel I own, and it’s not the lightest, but it does exactly what I expect from a PENN boat reel: it cranks, it holds drag, it doesn’t do anything weird under pressure, and it’s forgiving enough for less experienced anglers. If you want super light, super smooth, or surf-style casting performance, this isn’t it. If you want a dependable bottom/trolling reel you don’t have to babysit, it fits the bill.

On paper, the PENN Squall II Level Wind 30LWLC is a conventional reel with a level wind system and a line counter, designed mainly for mono or braid + mono backing. It has a forged and machined aluminum spool, a graphite frame and sideplates, HT-100 carbon drag, and a 3+1 stainless steel bearing system. The gear access sideplate is made to open easily so you can get into the guts without feeling like a watchmaker. PENN advertises it as suitable for a wide range of fishing: bottom, trolling, live bait, and general saltwater work.

In the hand, it’s a medium-sized, fairly chunky reel. The 30 size packs a lot of line: the official specs say 440/25, 355/30, 275/40 (mono yards/pounds). In real use, with 65 lb braid and some mono backing, you get plenty of capacity for deep drops or long trolling passes. The handle is aluminum with a stainless core, and the knob is big enough to grip with wet or gloved hands. The line counter sits on top and is pretty readable, even in low light, as long as you don’t have water drops all over it.

The main thing to understand is that this is not a finesse reel. It’s built to be mounted on a boat rod and left there. If your style is casting lures all day from shore, this isn’t the most comfortable or efficient tool. But if you’re dropping bait to the bottom, trolling plugs, or soaking live bait for bigger fish, the Squall II 30LWLC fits right into that role. It’s also clearly aimed at people who fish with friends, kids, or customers: the level wind and line counter make it much easier to explain what to do and repeat it.

In short, the presentation is straightforward: a robust, boat-focused conventional reel with a few quality-of-life features (level wind, line counter, easy sideplate) that are more about practicality than flash. You’re not buying a piece of jewelry here; you’re buying a tool that’s meant to live with salt, bumps, and people who don’t baby gear.