Trolling Reels

[reeltor]

Thats a nice line up Rob. I"ve got a slew of different reels that I bought trying to find a new favorite.
Couple of 309's
one Penn 320
three Penn 330's
one Penn 535
couple of Penn 113's
one Diawa Sealine 40
three Shimano Tekota 800's
two Okuma T20L's
one Avet MX
one Quantum Cabo 30 levelwind

After all the looking around I"ve found the Tekota's are my favorite by far, but they are expensive. The Okuma's and the Daiwa are tanks and have held up well too. I use the Daiwa, Shimano's and Okuma's for heavier lines and the others off boards for tandems and singles. All the Penns are older, which I like, and frankly there is no reason to look further for bay fishing. Price is right, parts are readily available and they are easy to service yourself.

[hippie]

got two brand new Penn 113-H's a few years ago. Even right out of the box, the 113's had to have the drag turned down tight (like with large plumb pliers) inorder to pull an umbrella rig without any weight! If I had to do it over I would go with a bigger reel. Bob

[goinsfishin]

Originally Posted by hippie

got two brand new Penn 113-H's a few years ago. Even right out of the box, the 113's had to have the drag turned down tight (like with large plumb pliers) inorder to pull an umbrella rig without any weight! If I had to do it over I would go with a bigger reel. Bob

I think I'd take them apart and see if maybe they are missing a drag washer......somethings not right.....I've pulled a 24" 6 arm umbrella with 32 oz inline with a 113H and the drag was fine, actually had to loosen it a bit to set how I like them.

[hippie]

Steve, I don't know anything about Penn reels. I would love to troll with these because they are the biggest in my arsenal. It seems as though there is not alot of adjustment in the star drag. When I tighten it down it is really too tight because I can't pull any line off the reel. Thanks, Bob

[drichitt]

Just picked up 4 Penn 340 GTi for $99.95 each; regular at $149.95. Received an email from Bait N Hook in NJ this am, no tax or shipping over $250. Promo Code: 340GTI ....Don

[garlien]

For the little bit of trolling I do...The 309's are sweet....Then again I am fool enough to troll slow with spinning reels too....

Hey, if it works, it works.....

[goinsfishin]

Originally Posted by hippie

Steve, I don't know anything about Penn reels. I would love to troll with these because they are the biggest in my arsenal. It seems as though there is not alot of adjustment in the star drag. When I tighten it down it is really too tight because I can't pull any line off the reel. Thanks, Bob

Somethings definitely wrong......113's are workhorses......I'll be glad to take a look.....PM me a phone number.

[jdimig]

Mr. Alan Tani is the worlds best source for information on how to service your reels.
http://alantani.com/

Thanks Alan.

[Fish Nut]

Originally Posted by hippie

Steve, I don't know anything about Penn reels. I would love to troll with these because they are the biggest in my arsenal. It seems as though there is not alot of adjustment in the star drag. When I tighten it down it is really too tight because I can't pull any line off the reel. Thanks, Bob

It sounds like something isn’t right with them. The Penn 113H in my experience are strong & robust drag systems. If you turn them tight they will lock up or nearly lock up allowing no line to come off. A drag washer may need replacing. Just remember Starr Drags aren’t like the level drag systems they are a little bit touchy at times.
My father has reworked our reels each reel s drag performs similar to each other we set them up this way by placing shims and such to get the desired drags when broke in the HT100 drag system is smooth. I will put a scale on each of these reels and see what range of drag I am getting soon. Once again if you crank down hard enough on the Starr it will lock up.


I can pull a number 3 planner with my 113 at 10 knots with no drag pulling out. But still have enough play if a big fish hits.