Nightmare or Solution

[sharkman]

I love fishing old and unique fishing gear. I have been trying to find something to fill gap for high speed. For several years I have been looking at the reel deal and powerhouse transmission. Has anyone ever used these fishing and are they durable? Is one better than the other? I was thinking if durable would be great alternative to modern high speed reel.

[Brewcrafter]

I'm gonna shut this one down and answer the question right now.  NO..  No.  If you are in a situation that would benefit from two speeds there are countless modern, proven reels that will perform flawlessly.  If you NEED a good two speed, purchase a good two speed. 
Full disclosure - yes I have a Jiggy 500 and Reel Deal on the bench as I speak.  Alan may ban me from the SOA trip because of it.  I also have plenty of modern 2 Speeds.
If you fish modern two speeds and understand them; great.  Bang your head against the wall like I will.  But realize that those gear drive additions are NOT a substitute for a modern two-speed reel, only part of its evolution. - have Fun! - john 

[sharkman]

John, thank you for your honest opinion.

[Bill B]

Full disclosure,  I've never fished either device, but ha e handled a couple. So take my opinion for what it's worth. I 5hinm they're more of an oddity from years past.  They will give you warp speed in high gear, something like 3X your reels gear ratio. So a jigmaster with 4:1 will yield 12:1 in high gear. Great if you are slinging wahoo bombs, but not good when it comes time to skull drag that fish to the boat. Sure you can drop down to the jigmasters 4:1 but not sure if I would want to fight a wahoo with it.

I don't know about its durability but it would be fun to try and blow it up.  A couple members do have one or the other but I haven't read any reports about them.

If you do pull the trigger please let us know.  But if you are looking for a 2 speed reel I think your money is better spent buying one. Check Ebay three is a couple sellers from Australia that have killer deals on the Penn Fathom line.  Bill

[sharkman]

Thanks Bill for opinion. If I pull plug and buy will post pictures using.

[Ron Jones]

It seems to me that if practicality was a concern then you wouldn't be looking at what you are looking at. They clearly work, I read a lot of concerns about failure but I don't recall actually reading of a failure. Most of the time I've seen them used (and the only time I've used one) was for bottom fishing and they make bait checks easy.
The Man

[sharkman]

Thanks for comment Ron.

[sharkman]

Little background on question. First I love fishing older reels something about the quality. The reason looking at one of these is not for two but to obtain more inches per turn. I think high speed is sometimes overused. My grandson and I having been doing this specific charter boat fishing that I have dialed in best inches per turn to put most fish on the boat. I was thinking using something like the powerhouse on slower models would get me to that line per inch looking for. I am very good at maintaining Penn reels. I thought if this was a durable accessory maybe would make a good setup. I know this can't hold candle to new technology. Thought about this for a while but just couldn't find anyone who has ever fished one most have be retired to shelves for collections. My favorite snook reels are 5 drag stack Longbeach and rebuilt dam quick 270. Put many on deck with these two. Thanks again everyone for the comments.

[Brewcrafter]

Would perhaps an aftermarket gear set (if available) get you the increase you need?  I know they are available for many models (for example taking a 113H up to 4:1)? - john

[Bill B]

If you are looking for inches per crank take a look at the 49 series of reels. The 49 are fairly cheap and the 349 comes in a high speed and standard speed. The 349 can be hot rodded with a Tiburon frame and spool, the 49 has aluminum spools available. Bill

[sharkman]

Do you happen to know the inches per crank on 349 high speed. Would it be the same as 49.

[thorhammer]

NOte, they are the diameter of a 6/0; pretty large. I believe the 349H is faster, Lee or Mystic will know. If you want ole skool and fast, Jigmaster 505/506 fills the bill and won't break the bank, plus plenty of upgrades (Tom even has plates for them now) should you wish. Alternatively, get a 5:1 SS set for a 500/501, to be had all day every with the same bushings as your LB. Jiggys came out in the 50's and are still made, so 70 years is pretty vintage in my book, and they are fun to fish. Quick  change spools, lots of reasons to own one, or 30.

I have both gearboxs; they are clunky at best. I've never caught a snook but dunno why one would need a two speed modern LD to do it, especially after you've been whacking them with the good ole LB. The 506 is a third smaller but twice as fast with bigger gears.

John

[JasonGotaProblem]

It may be my regional bias but I think snook draw a larger variety of tackle to catch them than any other species I'm familiar with.

I target them with a BFS rig. Others may use a 349. Just my personal and easy to ignore opinion, but I think a jigmaster is overkill for a snook. Maybe 50 years ago when the average snook was way bigger, and drags much weaker, but not today.

[sharkman]

Thanks guys for comments.

[Ron Jones]

I'm almost certain that the fast 349 and the 49 are both 3.2 6/0s. That is fast enough for just about anything; it's called a Wahoo special for a reason.
The Man