Penn 309 question

Started by The Great Maudu, September 03, 2017, 11:35:30 PM

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The Great Maudu

What size fish would the 309 be able to handle with an upgrade to the drag?

foakes

I think mostly, it would depend on the strain put on the LW mechanisms -- particularly the nylon idler gear.

However, there was a thread of a fisherman on here who caught a large shark with a 209 -- I believe it was prepared by Pompano Joe -- a true craftsman and gentleman in our area of expertise.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

Keta

I have seen halibut in the 100-150 range caught with 309 reels, I would not recomend them for this but they worked.

I would not trust the 309 LW on a fast fish like tuna, even our "tiny" albacore.
Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

The Great Maudu

So would the 209 be a better option?

Keta

Quote from: The Great Maudu on September 04, 2017, 02:18:42 AM
So would the 209 be a better option?

The 209 has the same weak LW and smaller drag washers.  The 210 has larger drag washers in the same size reel.
Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

alantani

the 309 has jigmaster gears and drags, so figure 30 pound test and 9 pounds of drag at the most.  the problem specific to the 309 (and not the jigmaster) is the weakness of the levelwind assembly.  it's not very sturdy. 
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

The Great Maudu

Ok thank you. What I'm looking for is a good reel for Julia to use when fishing for 30 - 80 pound sharks in the surf. I want the LW because sometimes her hands and wrist hurt because she has celiac disease.

RowdyW

You might want to look into a 330GT2 or 340GT2 that are larger levelwinds. As with all levelwinds you can't use them for a winch but they will work with a pump & wind style.                            Rudy

alantani

i've got an old 340 gti if you want it. 
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

oc1

#9
Wrecking the levelwind is not the worst thing in the world and they are easy enough to replace.  The 309 has a plastic idler gear on the levelwind.  It's like a safety shear pin.  You could blow out the idler gear or blow out the LW pawl and still land the fish.  
-steve

The Great Maudu

Quote from: alantani on September 04, 2017, 05:08:42 AM
i've got an old 340 gti if you want it. 

Alan, I'm sending you an email

Keta

They are not Penn but Shimano Takota's are a tough LW reel.  I have a friend that has several that get well used on Pacific halibut that I keep maintained.  These reels are all over 10 years old and are starting to have issues like bad AR bearings,  LW pauls and one frame but with proper maintenance they will be still fishing in 10 years, well if Shimano still has the parts.
Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

foakes

The Penn 310, 320, 330, 340 in the GT series -- are tough & durable reels with a decent LW system.

Good frame, eady to maintain and keep ready.

And parts are readily available.

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

Keta

Quote from: foakes on September 04, 2017, 03:28:13 PM
The Penn 310, 320, 330, 340 in the GT series -- are tough & durable reels with a decent LW system.

Good frame, eady to maintain and keep ready

For some reason I get a lot of these reels with fused drag stacks, something geased CF washers cures.
Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

mo65

   The thing that seems to cause problems with the levelwind are fast, long running fish. I've seen probably hundreds of medium to large fish landed on stock 209s and 309s and never witnessed a levelwind destroyed. I'm not sure how a shark runs...but what's it gonna hurt to try? Maybe bust a $30 reel? As a user of these reels my whole life, I can tell you the levelwind is not as bad a weak link as the frame. There aren't enough frame posts to handle twisting well. On the 309, the drags can be upgraded to the point of frame failure. For a realistic look at modding the 309 look here: 8)

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