Penn 113 Black Side Upgrade

[Bryan Young]

To be honest, the 113 is way to slow for surf fishing.  I grew up casting a Long Beach 259 and it has similar gearing and I used to hung up on the bottom often when retrieving my rig back.  I would go with a Penn Jigmaster with 4:1 gear set and support bars instead of the older ones with posts. The framework is plenty strong for 15-20# of drag.   The reel is also lighter and easier to cast than a 113.  The only 2 upgrades I would highly recommend to start is a 5-stack drag kit and a SS gear sleeve. The rest is optional and preference.  A very affordable and excellent set-up that is easy to build and maintain.

[mo65]

Also I intend to mainly surf fish it...

   Hmm...I didn't see this earlier. Bryan's right, she'd be pretty bulky and slow for surf fishing, but great for bottom fishing.

[Ron Jones]

There is sure fishing and then there is sure fishing. I have soaked a lot of. Wait In the sure with a Long Beach 66. The same reel as far as this conversation goes.

[otownjoe]

Bauer, if you are going to upgrade your 113 I can certainly understand why. It's yours and you want it to be the best it can be. There is a lot of that going on around here and that's what makes this site so great. I just took a look at my 18 year  old stock 113 and it has a one piece graphite frame. I don't know if this is available or interchangeable but maybe others can help with that. I would think a one piece frame,greased carbon fiber drags for smoothness and a new handle would be a good start. If it was me I would go with a round handle instead of the torpedo shape you see on so many upgrades. I like the round handles to crank faster if you need to compensate for lack of retrieval speed. Good luck and keep us posted with what you find out . Joe

[Alto Mare]

Also I intend to mainly surf fish it...

   Hmm...I didn't see this earlier. Bryan's right, she'd be pretty bulky and slow for surf fishing, but great for bottom fishing.

Well, this is why there are hundreds of models out there, some could do it all, while some are designed for one or two specific use.

My opinion is for you to have fun upgrading, but do it for your own pleasure.
Don't expect it to be an investment, you will never get your money back.

The good side of it, you will fish with a reel that has your special touch, that one means a lot to me when I do it.
Passing it on to your kid is also a plus and yes, it will last that long.

Sal