What to pair with Penn 140/150/160/180

Started by WestCoast Transplant, March 18, 2018, 07:04:40 PM

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WestCoast Transplant

Greetings All!

   I am starting to really get into surf fishing for the first time in my life. I messed around last year a bit for surf perch in the Bay Area and want to start targeting bigger fish. In my enthusiasm I have collected a few Penn reels- 60,65,(2)140,150,155,160,180 and 209.
The 60 and 65 are on 12' rods already. One of the 140 came with a custom 9' one piece surf rod with no markings.

What would like find out is which/what i can pair with the 150/155/160/180 with for perch and which/what for stripers.
I looked at Penn Prevail for a start. i will most likely sell the 60,65 and 209.
The best place to be is outdoors

Swami805

Are you soaking bait or casting artifcials? World's your oyster when it comes to rod selection. Best bet is to find a shop and go pull on some if you can. This is also fishing trade show season, if you can make it to one of those there should be plenty of rods to look at.
For soaking bait from the surf I like a long all glass rod that loads up well for casting. For artificials not so long and graphite for the sensitivity. Really so much personal preference  involved.
Do what you can with that you have where you are

swill88

Great questions.  I want to be doing just what you are doing by this time next year.

Where places are you fishing at?

Baker beach in your pic?  Love that place.

Steve

SoCalAngler

Reel model really does not indicate what would be a good rod for it. The lb test to be used on each reel is a better guide to what rod would work.

thorhammer

Prevail would be a good stick. Generally all those, if using mono, work best with 25 lb test, in my experience, for casting. You might get away with 20lb, but it will likely get into the flange. try and see, some reels may have tighter tolerances. If it were me I'd get Chad (I am, actually) to mag the 180 for perch and the 150 for stripers. the 180, 160, 155 all use 155 main gear which is smaller. The 150 Surfmaster is likely steel and larger gear with more drag surface, plus has a clamp. I'm big fan of that reel. Solid bars are available and its strong enough to put on some braid backing if you are concerned about capacity. maybe 125 yd spool of 30lb PP or similar and about 150 of 25lb will get most anything done in the surf for bait. 

Shark Hunter

#5
If you want to get on the water cheap. You can pick up an Ugly Stik GX2 at Field and Stream or Wal Mart. Here is one on my Surmaster 200.
I think it was $35.
Life is Good!

thorhammer

Forgot about the Squidder 140 in your stand. That ruled the roost for 75 years. spool it up and let it rip.

WestCoast Transplant

Quote from: swill88 on March 18, 2018, 08:09:10 PM
Great questions.  I want to be doing just what you are doing by this time next year.

Where places are you fishing at?

Baker beach in your pic?  Love that place.

Steve

I hit Baker, Ocean by the Bath House and Pacifica. We'll have to meet up one day.

Quote from: Swami805 on March 18, 2018, 07:36:29 PM
Are you soaking bait or casting artifcials?
Soaking bait for stripers and Carolina/fish finder for perch.

Quote from: thorhammer on March 18, 2018, 09:02:39 PM
If it were me I'd get Chad (I am, actually) to mag the 180 for perch and the 150 for stripers.

I have the magnets in hand for the 180. I haven't decided to use the plastic and try it with braid or metal spool yet.
The best place to be is outdoors

Benni3

Penn battalion,,,,,some people down in hattarus nc use them for drum in heavy wind

Ron Jones

I would start with the Ugly Stick GX2. Especially for your bait soakers. Then, whwn your certain your getting into this, move up to spendier rods. Of the correct coast (which means your fishing the Pacific,) the big name always seems to be Sage or G. Loomis. They are spendy but get the job done really well. What I have come up with is the better you are the better the rod you can use. It took me a long time (decades, actually) to where I felt I could use a Super Seeker to its full potential, now if I'm not using it or one of my Sabers I'm wondering why.
Ron
Ronald Jones
To those who have gone to sea and returned and to those who have gone to sea and will never return
"

WestCoast Transplant

Quote from: thorhammer on March 18, 2018, 09:02:39 PM
Prevail would be a good stick. Generally all those, if using mono, work best with 25 lb test, in my experience, for casting.

Why 25lb?
The best place to be is outdoors

thorhammer

You may get by with 20. 25 seems to stay out of the gap between spool and frame better, and casts better than 30. My squidders seem to have better tolerance especially on aluminum spool and can take 20.


For surf fishing (I'm in NC) I mainly use Trilene BG, Ande or BPS Tightline on casting reels. It has decent abrasion resistance over the bar but the cost of that is that they are stiff, which translates to reduction in casting distance. Note these are not tournament lines and I have seen test results where they break 25% or higher above rating, so your 25 is actualy in the low 30's. Plenty on those drag systems.


This is just my viewpoint from years of doing what I do; others will have different ideas like throwing braid. It's not for me on a conventional, in our wind. For my skill level, throwing 50 braid (10 mono diameter) on a 180 is going to certainly go behind the spool.

WestCoast Transplant

The line up- greased 180, 140 with Newell bars and foot and a 140 with aluminum spool I picked up for $40. Ande BC 25# green on the way. The 160 is already on a 12' rod getting BC 30# for crabbing.

The best place to be is outdoors

Benni3

I just ordered a okuma celilo ce-c 1062ha 10'6  line 20lb to 60lb $37 free shipping to the store

thorhammer

Quote from: WestCoast Transplant on March 20, 2018, 02:17:31 AM
The line up- greased 180, 140 with Newell bars and foot and a 140 with aluminum spool I picked up for $40. Ande BC 25# green on the way. The 160 is already on a 12' rod getting BC 30# for crabbing.





Put some dacron or braid backing on the plastic spools; they can separate under pressure of straight mono wound tightly. If the spools dont have a drilled arbor ( i think they do) put a couple wraps of medical flex wrap on the arbor if you use braid.