Hey Everybody, I posted this on
pierandsurf forums, but it looks like this forum is more active, so I am re-posting here for more discussion and for general sharing.
I found a Squidder 146 with an aluminum spool for super cheap and picked it up. As a collector I have been on the lookout for one for awhile. Everyone speaks so highly of these little reels. The one I got is a little worn, but in great working condition. Bearings spin really nice. I got it with pretty worn out carbontex drag washers, which tested out at around 6 lb of smooth drag. That seemed a bit light, so I wanted to upgrade that. I found the Ultimate Upgrade drag washers by Bryan Young and put them in. Now it is pulling 12-15 lb of drag (tested with a suitcase scale). Nice. No other upgrades yet.....
I took it out to try casting it and fishing it. Casts great! Not even sure I need to mag it because it is easy to throw without backlash... I tied on a fish finder rig made with 50 lb fluoro, and put a live pin fish on, casted it out. Let it sit for less than 10 minutes, and guess what? It was taken by an 8+ foot bull shark. First catch was a stupid-huge bull shark! Not my target.... Oy.... I fought it for 15 minutes, but in doing so with this new high drag
the anti-reverse dog failed... Oy.... The reel made a bit of a birds nest during the ordeal. I was fighting it and trying to undo the birds nest at the same time (walking backwards, maintaining tension), all while holding the handle because the anti-reverse dog wouldn't stop it from spinning backwards. I had the reel on a 12 foot heavy heaver, and this combo under this condition took all my strength to handle. No fighting harness or anything like that.... It wrecked my arms. And it would go 'pop' and slip out of my hands and spin backwards forcefully. I hurt my hands pretty bad. Got bruised up. My arm hurt for a week after. It was very hard to hold on with a mess of a reel and no anti-reverse. Of course, I lost the shark. Couldn't have gotten it up on the pier anyways.... Unlucky day. First fish I caught after spending money and time on upgrades wrecked this reel.
But what else failed on this occasion? The swivel on my fish finder rig broke. It wasn't the 50 lb leader, nor my knots, nor did the hook straighten out (like has happened before). But the swivel broke! This swivel was supposed to be good for 150lb, but not on this day.... Similarly, the main gear did not shear, nor did the gear sleeve--just the anti-reverse dog.
Only one part mushed and failed. Kind of unexpected.
I wasn't sure what this reel would be capable of after the drag upgrades. I know the stainless steel gears are a popular choice to upgrade as well, but I have never heard of anyone needing a tougher anti-reverse dog as a result of this. I never wanted to target something so big and powerful. I would like to believe it could handle 4-5 foot blacktips, but again, I would target them with heavier tackle. Just nice to know I could if I needed to. I hookup with sharks as bycatch often, and the smaller ones are much more common.... But seriously, I am a bit shocked that no one else is talking about the "downstream effects" of these upgraded drag washers making the rest of the reel come apart under load. There is so much LORE on the internet over this reel, I feel surprised.
Anyone else experience anything like this with a Squidder before?
