how much money should you spend?

[johndtuttle]

Re: How Much Money Should You Spend?

Perhaps my take is a little different on this subject --

It seems like we sometimes forget our motives -- and it is too easy to get carried away -- these are fishing reels.

Just take a typically inexpensive, common, yet impressive Penn Jigmaster 500, as an example.

Seems to me, we can condense it down to (2) choices -- 2 doors to go through...

Behind door number 1, we upgrade a Jigmaster using a Tiburon half frame, aluminum spool, CF Cal's greased drag stack, Delrin under gear washer, a power crank handle.  Check the bushings or bearings -- Make sure the handle is tight on the gear sleeve to prevent rounding -- then fish the heck out of it.  If the reel already has an aluminum spool and new CFs -- the total investment is $60 frame, $30 crank, $8 CFs and UG Delrin.  So $98, plus the reel you already have.

Behind door number 2, we realize that anything is possible -- and money is no object. 

New sideplates, SS components, 5 stacks -- until we reach a point where the only original parts on this old Jigmaster are the clutch springs and eccentric spring -- this is around $500 total investment.

Comes down to personal choice, like most things.

I guess I am kind of cheap -- and I prefer the first option as my choice for actual fishing.

Gets the job done well without having to worry about boat rash.

Nothing wrong with either approach -- and I have and continue to do both types of upgrades.

But when a client asks what can be done to improve their Jigmaster -- I try to keep the parts under $100.

A properly upgraded Jigmaster like this will be a great 30# setup -- you could even go to 40# -- but any more, and you should look at a different reel model such as a US Senator, larger reel, etc..

Just my opinions...

Best,

Fred

^^^This

If you want to fish #40 then you want a 2-speed reel anyways. You may not know it, but you do. A good day on the Tuna grounds will make this clear.

Fish the basic modded jigmaster to death and spend the rest on even rock fish trips and you are the richer man, imo.

The $500 jigmaster is a display case queen, imo. But nothing wrong with that, if that is what you want going in.