Which Old School Penn Reel Would You Modify?

[Crab Pot]

So I'm board and looking at all these Tiburon "turbo kits" to modify Ole School Peen reels.

I'm looking at the Squidder or Jigmaster but I'm not limited to those.

If you were to turbo an old Penn for 20-40 class fish, fly lining/yo-yo/surface iron, which would you choose?

[Wompus Cat]

Do Both !
And add Cortez Side plates . Aluminum Spool,All Stainless Guts .Power Handle  .

[Crab Pot]

Was just reading the Albacore Penn 99 reel thread.

No I have to go research that.

God I Love this Hobby!

[PacRat]

Jigmaster is a good place to start. Pure simplicity and plenty of strength with loads of aftermarket support. Jigmasters have bigger gears and drags than the Squidders. That's my two cents wort of advice.

-Mike

[Wompus Cat]

Was just reading the Albacore Penn 99 reel thread.

No I have to go research that.

God I Love this Hobby!

And He Is Off

[Swami805]

I like the 501 with a 99 A very close 2nd.  So many parts available

[handi2]

The Penn 113h I highly recommend

[Shellbelly]

There are sooooo many good choices nowadays.  What it boils down to is how it looks to you and how long that look will last. The insides are the easy part.

My.02 is: stay narrow, my friend.

[MarkT]

20-40# fish? A 501 or 99 will get it done all day long!

Forget a Squidder for yo-yo or surface iron... way to,slow. Actually, I'd prefer to consign them to the dustbin of history!

[Gfish]

Agree, the Penn Jigmaster 501. You maybe can get 5:1 gears for one and there are alota diffrent mods avalible for the Jiggy's.

[Maxed Out]

20-40# fish? A 501 or 99 will get it done all day long!

Forget a Squidder for yo-yo or surface iron... way to,slow. Actually, I'd prefer to consign them to the dustbin of history!

 Cheers !! 

[Ron Jones]

The Jigmaster is called a Jigmaster for a reason. If you could find a narrow 3/0 kit (not likely,) I might recommend that as it will be even faster than the Jigmaster, but you certainly can get it done with the smaller reel, and it is easier to cast.

The Man

[Squidder Bidder]

As you might have guessed, I'm a Squidder fanboy. I've "chopped" two 140 Squidders down into 146 size with the aftermarket parts we have via members here which are all top notch. For aesthetic reasons I went with the Pro Challenger spacer bars in lieu of a Tiburon frame. Tom at Cortez just put out custom machined reel stands/bases and I swapped out a narrow stand for the stock 30-49. I figure that in the narrow configuration and with the beefed up spacer bars replacing stock I shouldn't have any problems at the top end of the reel's drag if something big bites.

I found some new old stock stainless steel main gears so I'm comfortable that it'll hold up to Bryan's 5+1 drag upgrade and a stainless sleeve.

All of this is to say that sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone.    I probably could have saved a few bucks and bought Avets but there's a part of me that still wants to fish these old Penns that my grandfather fished with.


 

[Crab Pot]

All of this is to say that sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone.    I probably could have saved a few bucks and bought Avets but there's a part of me that still wants to fish these old Penns that my grandfather fished with.

That was my motivation as well. Except for me it was the reels my Dad and I used.

On my last San Diego trip my friend Joe had a hot rodded Squidder that was handling the Yellowtail just fine. However after the suggestions above I think I'll be looking for a 505HS.

Anyone have one for sale? 
 

[Squidder Bidder]

All of this is to say that sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone.    I probably could have saved a few bucks and bought Avets but there's a part of me that still wants to fish these old Penns that my grandfather fished with.

That was my motivation as well. Except for me it was the reels my Dad and I used.

On my last San Diego trip my friend Joe had a hot rodded Squidder that was handling the Yellowtail just fine. However after the suggestions above I think I'll be looking for a 505HS.

Anyone have one for sale? 
 

That's what describe as the "Ship of Theseus" problem with hot rodding these older reels - is it still a Penn reel with aftermarket frame, side plates, bridge, gear set, etc?