Old Penn reels

Mango is right and Alan Tani, "The Reel God", would agree that the most practical reels for saltwater kayak fishing are the old school Penn reels.  Alan also says he prefer that our reels have bushings rather than bearings for ease of maintenance.
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So I was reading this tread on a good rod/reel set up for rockfish, lings, halibut ect. and I came across this reply from ChuckE and it got me thinking.  Hey, I think we have one of Uncle Eddie's old tackle boxes with a bunch of old reels in it thats been sitting in the garage for the last 30 years.  So I went out and looked, and here is what i found. (Pic 1) From Left to Right there is a Penn Peerless No 9, Ocean City Zephyr, Penn Monofil No 26, Penn Senator 3/0, Penn No 85 and a Penn Peer 109.  And up front in the box there is a small Ocean City reel with what I'm pretty sure is the original line on it.  It looks like string. 

I've looked online and found out that nothing I have is rare, and people do still fish with them.  And I think they are from the 50's-60's.  The info I've read so far has been kinda vague and what I'm wondering is, will any of these reels work for Ling's, rockfish, Halibut?  Maybe even a WSB??? I would really like to catch some fish on a vintage reel, I think it would be cool and kind of an homage to a long gone relative.  Seeing an abalone shell that came from Uncle Eddie way before I was born that my grandma had in her house when I was a kid inspired me to start abalone diving.  I'd love to be able to use his reels to catch some fish. 

So, after all that what I'd like to know, do any of you guys use old penns?  As old as these?  Older?  Will one of these these even work? All of the features of the reels work and they feel smooth.  Thanks guys!

Jeff

Ive got A collection of old Penn reels myself that I find @ garage sales etc. I use the alot for rockfishing I just dont seem to catch fish! ... They still work great and ive never had them tunned up. Use them !

yep they will work for RF and butts. WSB you will want to really make sure they have good line capacity and drags. I'd say take a few to Alan and have him fix them up. for $50-75 you should have some good reels. It looks like you got a good stock pile. I bet you could sell a few if you wanted.

Hi Jeff:

   I sold my Penn 505 becuse of the weight and uprgaded to Penn 310 GTI level wind.
 Old Penns are great unless you become tired of holding on to your Rod all day.  
                                                                                         Just my Spin
                                                                                         Ernie
505 Intel
http://store.scottsbt.com/PENN-505HS-Parts-List-C256.aspx

310GTI Intel
http://store.scottsbt.com/PENN-310GTi-Parts-List-C230.aspx

If I remeber correctly some of the 109's are knucklebusters, it the handle spins when casting, if so, I would use this for light bottom fishing.  The 3/0 is heavy duty (for kayak fishing), and there are some after market stuff for those to really amp them up if want to spend the money.  I have heard that some of Hawaiin surf fisherman cast them for surfcasting.  Some of your side plates may be of bakelite if they are from the 50-60's era.  Something to think of as that stuff tends to get brittle with age.  If you go to Scotts (or Scotty??) online he has the break down on the scehmatics and parts for old penn reels.  I have had Alan do up a couple. I feel a little more confident to try stuff on my own. I have a Left handed squidder I plan on rebuilding, and 500 that is tricked out and a 155 and a 99 I suspect was a later model one.  Alan will tell you the plastic spools may not hold up well to modern line and go with a heavier line than what you may be used to that and the side plates have a looser tolerance.  A lot of people will tell you that their newer reels will retireve at  a 5:1, 6:1 ratio which sounds fast but those old reels are huge compared to newer reels so a 3.3:1 ratio may retrieve as fast and some times faster than a smaller reel spinning faster.  Something to consider.  Train your thumb to slow the speed of the reel when casting and you will find these to be good reels. Enjoy!

yep they will work for RF and butts. WSB you will want to really make sure they have good line capacity and drags. I'd say take a few to Alan and have him fix them up. for $50-75 you should have some good reels. It looks like you got a good stock pile. I bet you could sell a few if you wanted.

I would add that you should check the spools and replace any of the old plastic ones. I've seen the plastic spools on older Penns blow up after fighting fish because the stretch in monofilament line crushed them.

Nice find! Somewhere, Uncle Eddie is smiling & saying "get on it boy, and lets get fishing!"

Nice find! Somewhere, Uncle Eddie is smiling & saying "get on it boy, and lets get fishing!"
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So ture. The Abu's I fish with were give to me by a friend. Her dad used them he passed away while on an alaska fishing trip. Good feeling everytime I haul up a fish with them...Kinda like he's there with me smiling!

Yep!

Ditto what was said about the weight and plastic/bakelite spools.

I have several, but the only ones I use are the smallest versions because of the weight.

My favorites are the #100 size, without bearings, but I use a small Squidder quite a lot, too.

BTW, I dig the pug showing its approval

I use a small Squidder quite a lot, too.

pulled this one up with my little squidder with 30lb line on it, 23lb'er

  I use a pair of penn 85's that I love. I have bought several other 85's on E-bay that are like new for about $15.00 each. The guts of this reel are built like the proverbial brick s----house.I added new drag washers. Available at

 http://store.scottsbt.com/Penn-Parts-Home-Page-W7C1.aspx

 Also available are metal spools but you could possibly pick them up on E-bay included with another used reel for parts for less money.

  I would like to know what a comparable brass gear setup would cost for a new reel as to strength. Expensive I think.

  I like to joke to myself that if worse comes to worse , I can always beat a fish to death with it, heavy for jigging tho.

  Maintenance is easy. But be very careful with the dog spring. Take apart reel  gently and memorize the setup before proceeding .Tough to re -insert on some models, but easy once you figure it out.(dog springs also for sale above link).

  I've had no problems so far using a plastic spool with mono. I  fill the spool a little over half way.

     Love it when a ling or hali takes line on the drag. Very smooth.

   Difficult for casting, unless you're some sort of casting zen master.  Reel does overrun and birdsnest on the drop when hitting bottom, but paying close attention with the thumb solves the problem.

   Easier link, http://store.scottsbt.com/PENN-85-Parts-List-C163.aspx


http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Penn-No-85-/250694952012?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5e95644c






    

Thanks again guys!  Yeah, the Pug totally approves.  It's gotta pass a sniff test with him first!  I love the idea of being able to catch fish on what could be a family heirloom.  Piscean, thats what I'm talkin about!  I've got a love for vintage things.  My Grandmother cooks on the same stove her house came with in 48, I've got a 71 chevy that still hauls stuff, my cousins in Hawaii have a Portuguese bread oven thats been going for well over a hundred years.  I just think its so cool to get use out of "oldie but goodie" things.  I sent Alan Tani an email, hopefully with a few upgrades I'll be ready to go.  Im really freaked out I'm going to miss the boat on the WSB action (pun intended i crack myself up).  Remember how in 05 the Salmon was rockin?  I hope that next summer the WSB come back so I can get one, cause I dont think I'll be able to gear up in time for this year.  Thanks for all the replies!  

Oh, and I got this quote from Alan Tani on another website about the Penn Senator reel and I dont know what he means "and this reel will also eat most 25# monos."  Hopefully someone can clear that up for me.  thanks guys!

I am guessing Alan means 25lb or lighter mono will get sucked into the side plate/spool gap. Either that or it holds an insane amount of line so maybe use a heavy backing line to eat up some spool

I used penns for years, and hot rodded some with accurate frames,gearing,drags, different handles, etc. The use of spectra and the weight factor is what caused me to not use them any more(I like to jig). Modern reels are lighter and have tighter tolerances(good for spectra) but are more susceptible to exposure to salt/sand, poor maintenence .
 
The little penn levelwinds, squidder, and 500 series will handle all the normal sportfish up here. For  mono up they are fine and are my "buddy/loaner reels". The 2/0- 3/0 senator is a great reel for boat-trolling lead balls for salmon. You can leave the rod in a rod holder and crank a dodger/flasher-sinker rig up with no problem.

Here's the one I think is the best-siuited for kayaking of all the old Penns.  They have the quick takedown screw, bushings instead of bearings, and are not terribly heavy at 16.5 oz.

This one seems a bit high, but is still a bargain, imo:
http://cgi.ebay.com/PENN-100-SURFMASTER-QUICK-CHANGE-SPOOL-VERY-NICE-/220674528598?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33613a1556

I have a couple of Penn 10s, from the seventies or early eighties.  Just used one to catch my avatar fish.  Small reels with low retrieve but they are tough.  I have 30 pound braid on it.  My son has used similar reels to land stripers and big lings.