Penn 116L - Good information (**SOLD**Want To Buy Penn 116L Parts)

[Blue Collar Bob]

I have never seen this part separate from the spool.  If anyone knows, Sal will.

If you need the clicker, it may be easier to find a young person to go fishing with you and have him/her watch the reel and their sole job is to yell when line start peeling off.

I almost always have young persons with me when I go fishing. My experience has been that they pretty much yell all of the time. 

[Bryan Young]

Sounds like it's about time you teach them to sing a "Fish On" song.   

[Dominick]

Bob:  Penn Parts (Scott's) still has 116L parts.  Unfortunately a new spool is $157.00.  Write to Scott's and ask if they have a damaged spool they would be willing sell.  Also write to Penn in TransylvaniaYou might get lucky.  That's only the first step.  I'm sure someone on this site knows how to get the ratchet gear off and on.  Dominick

[Makule]

Holy moley Bob, your clicker gear is completely gone........ouch

Dang it. I was hoping that clicker gear was keyed to fit the shaft. Why isn't the shaft completely round? Arghh!!! 

The "clicker gear" is keyed to the shaft.  That's why the shaft isn't round.  It is held onto the shaft by a tiny flange that was originally part of the shaft.  Especially when people leave the ratchet on during the strike and while cranking the fish in, the constant vibration can cause the "gear" to gradually come loose.  Keep it up and it'll fall off as the flange gets torn off.  If that is what happened, then the original side plate of the reel would have probably not had the ratchet tongue left on it too (or very badly worn, to the point of being unusable).

Since that "gear" is very closely fitted with the shaft, reconnecting it would be a challenge.  It might be possible to TIG weld it back on, but I don't know if that would either anneal the shaft or cause it to distort (so that the spool would not spin truly concentric).

If you want to take a gamble and TIG weld it on, find a replacement from another reel, or from Penn directly.  It really should not be that difficult to find because a lot of the old, 3-piece, spools broke after being loaded with mono.  If you can't find one, then just go online and buy a small gear with as few teeth as you can find, and that has the same OD and ID that you need.  Don't worry about the shaft not being round, just find one that the gear will  snugly fit over.  There will be space where the shaft is not round, but since it's going to be welded, that won't be a problem.  The gears are fairly inexpensive.  The noise produced won't be as coarse, and definitely higher in tone since the number of teeth will likely exceed the original.

If you don't want to weld the gear, you might try gluing it on.  My guess is that it will fail over time since the vibration will cause the glue to fatigue and fracture.

The last alternative is to not re-attach that "gear".  If you need an alarm for when the fish bite, search online for fishing alarms (I saw some).  There are some that work on the movement of the rod (the most basic is to just hang a bell on the rod), and there are others that are based on the line going out of the reel.

[Alto Mare]

Bob, I believe that your best bet is to find a used beat up 116 or 116a. Check eBay every now and then, if you do find one, use the spool and you could sell me the inner parts, so you could get some money back. If you do have the ratchet, I'm sure that someone would be able to tack it on for you for a case of beer or so, but, you would still be taking a chance.
I do have parts, unfortunately my parts are new and obsolete. I have a brand new cast chromed spool for the 116A and a stand that would convert your reel into a narrow( 116 to 116A ), but these parts are not cheap. I wouldn't be able to sell the spool and stand for less than $170 + shipping, and that's for the members here. You could check the internet, but I'm sure that you won't find these parts anywhere. I still believe a used beat up reel is your best bet. Good luck to you. Sal

[Blue Collar Bob]

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice. This truly is a great group of people here. I think I'm going to exercise some patience and wait for another beater to come around. I appreciate all of the patience with helping a new guy. I'll be sure to return in kind, if I get the chance.

Thanks, Bob

[broadway]

Bob,

      If that's the piece you're missing then you're gonna need a new spool 
I am yet to hear a success story for this dilemma.
Good luck and I hope that's not the part you need, but that is one heck of a deal for those parts, Ted!
Dom

[Blue Collar Bob]

Bob, I believe that your best bet is to find a used beat up 116 or 116a. Check eBay every now and then, if you do find one, use the spool and you could sell me the inner parts, so you could get some money back. If you do have the ratchet, I'm sure that someone would be able to tack it on for you for a case of beer or so, but, you would still be taking a chance.
I do have parts, unfortunately my parts are new and obsolete. I have a brand new cast chromed spool for the 116A and a stand that would convert your reel into a narrow( 116 to 116A ), but these parts are not cheap. I wouldn't be able to sell the spool and stand for less than $170 + shipping, and that's for the members here. You could check the internet, but I'm sure that you won't find these parts anywhere. I still believe a used beat up reel is your best bet. Good luck to you. Sal

This definitely isn't the project for new and obsolete parts. As far as inner parts from a beater real, if it comes to that and there's anything useful to you they're yours for sharing your experience here.

I know this has grown beyond a WTB ad, but as far as durability, is the chromed spool or aluminum spool version considered the better choice? I sorta like the idea of fishing something old with character, but prefer it doesn't blow apart on the fish of a lifetime.

[Alto Mare]

Bob, don't give up with your project, put that reel on the shelf and be patient, I'm sure that the parts will come around sooner or later. The part that you need is hard to get, we usually get right on it and help out, but it's not easy this time to help you out. Your project came 2 months too late, that's when I sold an ugly but functional 116A spool for $40. I will keep my eyes open and let you know if I see something worth buying. As for the aluminum vs chromed spool, for some applications the aluminum spool is a better choice but I personally like the chromed brass one-piece spool. I always enjoy it when someone brings back an old penn reel to life. Don't give up. Sal

[Irish Jigger]

Old Penns never die,they only look that way.

[Alto Mare]

Old Penns never die,they only look that way.

You're right Tom, I stand corrected! 

[Blue Collar Bob]

Definitely not giving up. Just slowing down and changing the game plan. Even beat up and broken, I've grown attached to this old reel. Keeping eyes peeled for another parts reel.

Thanks guys, Bob

[Makule]

Definitely not giving up. Just slowing down and changing the game plan. Even beat up and broken, I've grown attached to this old reel. Keeping eyes peeled for another parts reel.

Thanks guys, Bob

So, what have you decided to do?  Seems like you can either repair the spool you have (if you can find the gear), or replace the spool.

[Blue Collar Bob]

Definitely not giving up. Just slowing down and changing the game plan. Even beat up and broken, I've grown attached to this old reel. Keeping eyes peeled for another parts reel.

Thanks guys, Bob

So, what have you decided to do?  Seems like you can either repair the spool you have (if you can find the gear), or replace the spool.

Since I still need to replace a side plate, inner ring, outer ring and handle, I'm leaning toward purchasing another parts reel. I may send some emails, as you suggested, inquiring about the click gear and see if I can make it work. I do have some welder buddies, but considering what I'm hearing about the difficulty in making a successful repair I hope to find another old reel with a good spool. Now that I've seen it isn't a quick fix, I'll just bide my time on this. I don't have a pressing need for this reel. I just want it. I will put it into use once its serviceable. I have some a couple of smaller reels(Daiwa 600h and Quantum 30w) to keep me in the game.

[Alto Mare]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220964200271?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
 

Maybe this will stay low