Looking to put together a heavy musky rig..    Looking for suggestions for a bait cast or level wind reel.    The rod is a Bull Dawg 8' XH.  



I would prefer left hand retrieve,  but not a deal breaker.  

I definitely want to run braid in the 60# range.    



line alarm ( clicker ) would also be a nice option.  



Finally something that would also handle a decent size hybrid striper as well.  

Penn Fathom Level Wind.

Excellent star drag reel. Several models to hold different amounts of line, available in left hand retrieve and 30lbs of max drag. I've got the 40lw model spun up with 80lb braid for sharks.

Shimano Calcutta 400

Somehow I missed this one while I was looking at various different reels.    So far looks like a heck of a reel for the $  



I have a LH Penn Squall in a size 20 on my offshore boat rod.   Any Idea how the Size 20 Fathom will compare size wise?





 

It should be pretty much the same in size. Fathom will get you more drag, a full metal body and level wind. Squall has the advantage in line retrieve per crank but lacks the full metal body and power.

Squall 20 left hand level wind 415/17 • 315/20 • 290/25 mono capacity 865/20 • 650/30 • 455/50 braid capacity 15 lbs of drag 28(in)line retrieve 16.9(oz) weight

Fathom 25 level wind 330/20 • 290/25 • 220/30 mono capacity650/30 • 450/50 • 380/65 braid capacity30 lbs of drag24(in) line retrieve20(oz) weight

^Format got jacked up form copy pasting but you get it.

The brown truck just dropped one off a little bit ago..   Looks and feels like a sweet reel!  



 

Nice, enjoy! I love my Fathom 40...it's one hell of a reel....especially for the price I paid. Got it for $80 on ebay.

Check out the Daiwa Lexa 300 or 400. Available leftie or rightie, in a variety of retrieve ratios.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Lexa_300_Casting_Reels/descpage-DL3C.html