Squidder Upgrades

ReelCurious · September 22, 2015, 01:59:16 PM

Hello everyone - great site here with tons of information. I've been wanting to upgrade a Squidder to be a solid OBX reel for weight and bait chasing red drum and the occasional ray/shark that might come through. It's for surf casting and distance is important so I went the direction of the Squidder instead of a Jigmaster or something bigger. I'm noticing that almost everything is focused on the big game reels or the Jigmaster though.

Of parts that are still available, here are my thoughts:
Tiburon Frame
Drag Upgrade
SS Spacer/Sleeve
Mags

Is that about it in terms of what's available right now? I don't see the SS bridges, faster/stronger gears, etc. available for the Squidder. Is there anything else I could do to turn my old gal in to the queen of the ballroom on the sand?

Thanks!

thorhammer · September 22, 2015, 03:12:32 PM

Hello Reel,

I haven't seen a steel bridge for a squidder, tho I believe you can install a SS gear sleeve. the Squidder is a bit slow, 3.3 to 1 as I recall. The topic of faster gears has been discussed in its forum previously and I think it is what is due to the size of the gear well in the side plate: no room for a larger main. However, feel free to search that thread; its been a while since I read it.

If your reel has the spool with fins in the bell, I'm not sure you have room to mag it out. That said, the reel was tuned for decades using STP mixed with a lower viscosity oil to get it where you want it. I have four and break them out now and again as they were a staple for 70 years....well documented in Mike's book "Penn Chronology".

my .02: first upgrade is carbon drags and better handle, then maybe frame, then sleeve, and let 'er roll.
John

Rancanfish · September 22, 2015, 04:25:16 PM

All my Squidders and Surfmasters have an original plain steel gear. You can still get them on Ebay occasionally. (Penn #5-60). Make sure it's not brass. I also get the chrome over brass bridges for looks.

I think if you add the frame and sleeve you are good to go. If you want more drag you can contact Bryan Young and get the 5 stack drags set up. You are then into the 'adds' a bit over a hundred bux.

I'm not a fan of magging reels. If you want a good magged surf reel get a Penn 970 for a $125. But I love squidders too!

ReelCurious · September 22, 2015, 04:38:31 PM

Thanks, I'll see if I can find the SS gear. I have the aluminum spool in mine, I was going to put 3 rare earth magnets w/cups epoxied in to the non-handle side plate and see what that did to it. I know it's basically adding training wheels but my thumb isn't that smart yet. I have a Penn 525 Mag and I like it, but it just doesn't warm my heart like the Squidder does.

It's a little silly to admit, but I'm biased to the reels with the decorated reel plates. Otherwise I would probably jump in to a Jigmaster. Maybe I can't criticize my wife so much for all the different colors of shoes...

thorhammer · September 22, 2015, 07:42:20 PM

All good stuff ....525 Mag is my-go to in a lot of situations, and I have all Magpowers each with an application (just got another 980 yesterday, actually). Randy is correct, you can get deep quick with mods. Now what you might do if you want old school, is go with a 99 Silver Beach. It's basically a mid-width Jigmaster so it's more castable than a 500, is faster anyway, available with deco tail plate, has double beauty rings on tail plate, and of course you can mod it any which way you want, including mag if you desire.

I'm headed to OBX next week and packing tonite, now youve got me thinking I'll pack my Newell'ed Squidder...

ReelCurious · September 22, 2015, 08:48:09 PM

Thanks for the heads up on the 99 Silver Beach. I've actually never looked at that before. Are the side plates the same size of the Jigmaster so that you can do the fun Jigmaster type stuff but it's just narrower for castability? I might see if I can pick up a cheap one from the bay just to see how it feels in the hand.

thorhammer · September 22, 2015, 08:54:53 PM

Yessir. Tib makes a frame and spool, rest of stuff is same as far as i know. there are couple at a good price now, including a nice red Newelle'd one (but plain tail plate on that). From what I saw in a brief look while writing that reply is that a 99 old enough to have deco plates probably has chrome over brass spool, so you may look a bit to get one somebody already changed spools on, etc. Looking at the 500's on my bench ( I so happen to be in the middle of servicing them all), i have one that is a little low on line about squidder capacity. lets see what she does out in the test pond...

thorhammer · September 22, 2015, 09:48:08 PM

Quote from: thorhammer on September 22, 2015, 08:54:53 PM
Yessir. Tib makes a frame and spool, rest of stuff is same as far as i know. there are couple at a good price now, including a nice red Newelle'd one (but plain tail plate on that). From what I saw in a brief look while writing that reply is that a 99 old enough to have deco plates probably has chrome over brass spool, so you may look a bit to get one somebody already changed spools on, etc. Looking at the 500's on my bench ( I so happen to be in the middle of servicing them all), i have one that is a little low on line about squidder capacity. lets see what she does out in the test pond...

ok, good news: Reel: full size 500, marroon plates (original 500) with 500L spool loaded 3/16" low from full with old (read, "Slinky") Hi Seas Quattro I had laying around from another build. 30lb shock, 6 oz lead. Rod: 12' graphite MH rated 4-10oz. reel not serviced in recent memory, been in a tote so I squirted some Super Slick Stuff in the bushings and let fly. Didn't stomp the gas due to 30lb shock but still got a hundo; you should be good to go with a serviced 99.

Bad news: the 500S I started with got 70 yds before it revealed a warped sideplate / frame. Ow.

Funny news: the dude on the other side of the pond jumped a foot high when the 6oz landed ten yds from him. Tough, its my pond not his! lol

ReelCurious · September 22, 2015, 11:53:06 PM

lol, that's awesome.

I'm going to see about tricking out this Squidder, but I'm going to start trolling for Penn 99 parts. I figure the Squidder will be tricked out to it's capacity, but I'll go the minitank route with a 99 for the real snotty stuff with 8oz+ or even for piers where I need to winch dead weight up if I can't get a net down. Thanks for checking in to that!

Different question, for things like the bridge where the parts are specific to the 500, can I assume they're good to go for the 99?

Rancanfish · September 23, 2015, 12:24:58 AM

The 99 confuses me.

I think your yoke and eccentric are jigmaster compatible. But it takes a 5-60 gear too, so... wut? Yer on yur own cuz.

Someone knows, and will be along........

ReelCurious · September 23, 2015, 12:35:38 AM

I wish there was a picture of the narrow spool Jigmaster next to a 99. A lot of people reference the 99/500 - it's hard to tell the difference between the two lines to be honest.

bluefish69 · September 23, 2015, 12:37:47 AM

It goes like this 500 - 99 - 501

Mike

MarkT · September 23, 2015, 01:22:42 AM

The Newell equivalents were the 338 (500), 332 (99), 322 (501).

thorhammer · September 23, 2015, 01:38:55 AM

Reel, after I said that, I changed clothes and was gonna check the schematics to verify equivilency but got easily distracted by shiny baubles (beer fridge) on way to chuck in the pond. Lemme look a bit after I finish this 535 up. I like your plan to go with both; beauty is that with quick change you can go from surf spool to pier spool easily. I expect a tanked 99 with braid backing will kill a tarpon or cobe from the pier...I like it.

Where are you that you get to OBX?

ReelCurious · September 23, 2015, 01:44:43 AM

I live in MD north of Baltimore (Fallston). I tend to range anywhere that's within 2 - 2.5 hours drive where I can fish through the night. However, I'm blessed that my parents retired to Buxton (Hatteras), so I fish with my father fairly regularly - it's a great time. I enjoy land based coastal fishing wherever I can go, but that might be because I don't have access to a boat right now.