Gosh, I can't even begin to what's been done to this reel. Besides all the upgrades... stainless everything you can think of, double dogged, versa drag, custom power handle..... but beyond that. The beatings, the sand, the salt, the blood (pulled 80-100yrds of blood soaked braid off today)... this reel was built to withstand traveling the world and it has. From record size black tips to 1,000lb great whites and trophy marlin it's held up pretty well.
Daron took this reel and worked his magic on it when I wasn't in a place to be spending a bunch of money on new gear or the latest and greatest. But since then I've been able to figure out exactly what I want and need and am able to best travel with and have the means to do so now. So this reel will be going back to Daron for a complete tear down and diagnosis of all parts (most of which originated here) and then either sold or given away to someone up and coming in the land based big game world.
Good job brother....if Daron did the build I do not doubt litttle work will need to be done beyond a service and lube job....Bill
Nice reel Chris!
I'm gonna build be a 12/0 someday :)
I remember when you caught those white sharks, incredible story!
Good to see you on here!
That reel was assembled with donated parts. It was a group effort of the good people on this site.
I couldn't have done it without them.
Glad to see it served you well Brother. ;D
I know this is a late reply on this thread. I am a newcomer on here, sort of been lurking in the shadows. I am also fairly new to the land based shark fishing. Been fishing my entire life, fly fishing for steel head up north, offshore in the north east, big blues on the weekends, walleye and trout out west and now I am on a new journey down here on the Gulf Coast. Figured out the inshore species, then stumbled on something great, which was catching Black Tips from the bridges. Naturally that created a monster and I started chasing beasts from the beach. I just picked up my first 12/0. It was packed full of old dacron that when pulled off revealed a mess of salt and grime. Few days worth of cleaning and she looks better. Not perfect but it has character. I would really like to do some upgrades on this and pick up a couple more.
It would be hard to improve a 12/0 other than maybe changing out the drag washers.
What Steve said...you can change the gear sleeve to SS if you wish, but honestly just carbontex drags will give you plenty to hold onto in a stand-up fishing situation.
Tisk Tisk Gentlemen,
The three most important things you need to do for land based sharking is A Stainless Sleeve, New 5 Stack and a Handle upgrade.
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=25537.0
Knew we'd flush you out ;D
Just because you can does not mean you should or need to. When was the last time someone stripped the gears on a 12/0 while fishing? Walter Maxwell's record tiger shark was caught from the pier and beach on a stock reel.
I have serviced several 12/0's with boogered up sleeves. It is just one less thing to worry about.
Mo has Tom's on her website for $40. Cheap Insurance. JMO
I am with Daron on this —
Yes, one would likely be fine with a stock sleeve and a stock crank — providing the handle nut is VERY tight — with the lock screw in place.
However, when that half ton shark takes the bait — all bets are off.
If a SS power crank is on your 12/0 — with a brass sleeve — and a shark of a few hundred pounds — providing all of your terminal gear is solid — the first thing to fail will be the top of the brass sleeve. The SS power crank has a good chance of rounding the attachment point. Any one doing land-based sharing — already has a few thousand dollars and a lot of prep done beforehand. Why not eliminate the weakest link?
Heck, I spent more for my fishing license last year (that never got used!) — then a SS sleeve costs.
I have never fished a 12/0 — but have serviced hundreds (probably more) of Senators up to 16/0 — and more than a few have had rounded or distorted brass sleeves.
Gears seldom fail — sleeves are a different story.
If Daron recommends it — that is good enough for me.
Best,
Fred
Quote from: foakes on April 03, 2021, 07:51:53 PM
I am with Daron on this —
If Daron recommends it — that is good enough for me.
Best,
Fred
Right on. Dominick
I haven't touched a 12/0 in fifty years; not since I was into shark fishing. There were probably thirty or forty guys in our local shark "community" fishing piers, jetties and beach. It was impossible to get a pier or jetty to yourself for the evening. There were lots of long summer nights of waiting with nothing much to do except shoot the bull about adventures, equipment and such. Everyone had their story about some fish fight, accident or equipment malfunction. The same stories seemed to be repeated over and over. Most Senator problems were about lack of a smooth drag, lack of drag power and overheating drags. Stuff like having to use a Coke bottle to hammer down the star and them pour water on the right side as the washer became scorched and slick. Or, burning a glove using it to put more pressure on the spool. There were also stories about ruined dogs and ratchets, but never a story about rounding off a sleeve.
I would have thought the drag would slip or you would be picked up off your feet/behind before you could put enough pressure on the handle to ruin the sleeve. I don't doubt what you guys are saying, but the concept never came up. Of course, this was long well before anyone heard of upgrades or after-market parts.
Back then I was a Penn fan like everyone else. There was one guy with a couple of Ocean City but they were not available locally so Penn was the only game in town. I have long since abandoned Penn and found several things to be critical about. The gear sleeve problem you describe sounds like yet another reason to denigrate Penn. If it is that common problem, then why haven't they changed the design and fixed it? It wouldn't be a big deal to use a stainless sleeve or strengthen the handle connection.
Penn has gone to a square hole in the handle for a four point contact instead of two. Rudy
Quote from: oc1 on April 05, 2021, 05:58:54 AM
There were also stories about ruined dogs and ratchets, but never a story about rounding off a sleeve.
I would have thought the drag would slip or you would be picked up off your feet/behind before you could put enough pressure on the handle to ruin the sleeve. I don't doubt what you guys are saying, but the concept never came up. Of course, this was long well before anyone heard of upgrades or after-market parts.
Basically, the Penns will not have much of a "sleeve-rounding" issue — when they are fished stock — providing the handle nut is good and tight.
Problems arise as we have upgraded and hopped up these reels — CF greased drag stacks, 7 stacks, power handles made from SS, better grip handles, etc. When the reels are upgraded beyond their engineered target ranges — weak areas will appear.
Today, too much emphasis is on the reels and cranking and line — and unfortunately less on the rod and the rod handling techniques when fighting a large fish.
IMO, Penn is a great company with mostly products we can count on and upgrade if we wish. Got to be doing a lot right — to stay around for 3 or 4 generations of anglers — worldwide — with a vast array of products — with many parts that are still available.
Best, Fred
So, just because you can does not mean you should or need to?
Quote from: RowdyW on April 05, 2021, 02:53:05 PM
Penn has gone to a square hole in the handle for a four point contact instead of two. Rudy
Even in the Senators?
Quote from: Gfish on April 05, 2021, 06:45:12 PM
Quote from: RowdyW on April 05, 2021, 02:53:05 PM
Penn has gone to a square hole in the handle for a four point contact instead of two. Rudy
Even in the Senators?
Only on some of the new type designs.
Quote from: oc1 on April 05, 2021, 06:37:04 PM
So, just because you can does not mean you should or need to?
Why not? That's what leads to better designs and or better performance. not everybody is satisfied with string & a stick to wind up their line. ;D ;D Rudy
Quote from: RowdyW on April 05, 2021, 08:07:10 PM
Quote from: oc1 on April 05, 2021, 06:37:04 PM
So, just because you can does not mean you should or need to?
Why not? That's what leads to better designs and or better performance. not everybody is satisfied with string & a stick to wind up their line. ;D ;D Rudy
Then why are we still waiting for Penn to put a stainless sleeve in a Senator.
Quote from: oc1 on April 07, 2021, 09:47:06 AM
Quote from: RowdyW on April 05, 2021, 08:07:10 PM
Quote from: oc1 on April 05, 2021, 06:37:04 PM
So, just because you can does not mean you should or need to?
Why not? That's what leads to better designs and or better performance. not everybody is satisfied with string & a stick to wind up their line. ;D ;D Rudy
Then why are we still waiting for Penn to put a stainless sleeve in a Senator.
The average person won't wear out a bronze sleeve. Penn is probably trying to keep the Senator in a low price niche. Just look at the price difference between a bronze sleeve & a s/s one. Have you looked inside a Senator H2 lately and seen all the s/s in there? Bridge, yoke, jack, etc. I guess you haven't. Even if Penn made everything out of s/s there would be experimenters that will try for one up man ship and demand titanium.
They must have decided that the bridge, yoke, jack, etc. are more vulnerable to failure than the sleeve. Right?
Quote from: oc1 on April 07, 2021, 05:37:01 PM
They must have decided that the bridge, yoke, jack, etc. are more vulnerable to failure than the sleeve. Right?
No, their s/s is cheaper then brass. :D How many NEW Senator sleeves have you worn out? Do you own any Senators that you fish regularly?
Quote from: RowdyW on April 07, 2021, 06:19:57 PM
Quote from: oc1 on April 07, 2021, 05:37:01 PM
They must have decided that the bridge, yoke, jack, etc. are more vulnerable to failure than the sleeve. Right?
No, their s/s is cheaper then brass. :D How many NEW Senator sleeves have you worn out? Do you own any Senators that you fish regularly?
None. Senators are dinosaurs.
Are you the resident dinosaur expert too??
Quote from: foakes on April 05, 2021, 03:56:08 PMToday, too much emphasis is on the reels and cranking and line — and unfortunately less on the rod and the rod handling techniques when fighting a large fish.
You nailed it Fred. Like Ernest was saying (on Ken Burns'
Hemingway), "
pump and reel, pump and reel!" Those monster marlins were taken on stock reels no doubt. But it never hurts to beef 'em up though.
Quote from: RowdyW on April 07, 2021, 07:37:49 PM
Are you the resident dinosaur expert too??
If I was a dinosaur expert I'd know what these reels are. They are not Senators.
https://www.sportfishingmag.com/hemingway-bimini-s-historic-fishing/ (https://www.sportfishingmag.com/hemingway-bimini-s-historic-fishing/)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-REPRODUCTION-8X10-PHOTOGRAPH-ERNEST-HEMINGWAY-MARLIN-FISHING-/164653386520 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-REPRODUCTION-8X10-PHOTOGRAPH-ERNEST-HEMINGWAY-MARLIN-FISHING-/164653386520)
https://pixels.com/featured/ernest-hemingway-fishing-the-old-man-and-the-sea-thomas-pollart.html (https://pixels.com/featured/ernest-hemingway-fishing-the-old-man-and-the-sea-thomas-pollart.html)
https://line.17qq.com/articles/whetetqrx.html (https://line.17qq.com/articles/whetetqrx.html)
https://www.ernesthemingwaycollection.com/about-hemingway/ernest-hemingway-in-key-west (https://www.ernesthemingwaycollection.com/about-hemingway/ernest-hemingway-in-key-west)
... and there are lots more if you google "Hemmingway fishing images". That dude caught a lot of big fish and didn't mind having his picture taken with them. Several people here will recognize them immediately.
A Senator is more like a combination of a Timex and the Eveready Bunny.... "takes a beating & keeps on ticking" and "still going"............. How many designs have fallen by the wayside while the Senator is still around. It's a reel made for everybody not just the well off. Hemingway was a snob. Senators have caught every fish on the planet and will continue to do so. I can't say the same for your stick & string attitude. END OF TOPIC!
Sal built me a 10/0 which is just a narrow 12/0 and upgraded the sleeve and drag and handle. I have caught a few 10 foot sharks offshore with it and it performs perfectly. I have also converted a 12/0 to a 10/0 on a second heavy rod for a back up that may not get any use. I have another 12/0 that has been modified and is a closet queen. Not for sale.
My .02 cents,
Dwight
Here we go. This is an ORCA thread about Hemmingway and Penn reels.
https://reeltalk.orcaonline.org/viewtopic.php?t=20443 (https://reeltalk.orcaonline.org/viewtopic.php?t=20443)