My Ideal Jigmaster (501 leftie)

[jeff smith]

I thought I'd share with you my ideal Jigmaster. I sourced this reel from your side of the pond as they're rarely found over here in the U.K. The 'narrow' configuration of the 501 makes the reel feel perfectly balanced on the rod and this reel,it's alloy spool loaded with 30lb spectra,will probably be able to handle pretty much anything I'm likely to encounter over here with my general inshore boat fishing, apart from sharks.It'll mostly be used for tope, blonde rays , cod etc.
I love these old Penns for their sheer simplicity and ease of maintenance.The one screw take apart and plain bushings take care of that.
I have carried out a couple of simple mods,but basically it's stock.By simply epoxying a steel washer into the side plate I've added a very effective mag brake system which is easily adjusted because the magnets are each 1mm in thickness. This has slowed the reel down considerably and tamed it nicely for casting the heavy sinkers we use for bait fishing without any fear of 'birdnesting'.
The second involved some very easy dismantling and reassembly.
I'm right handed but,having started out in fishing using mostly left hand wind 'Mitchell' fixed spool(spinning) reels as a kid, right hand wind multipliers(conventionals) have always felt 'wrong to me'.IMHO, your strong arm should be the one holding the rod.You'll also notice that I cast with my right hand controlling the spool and have quite big hands. With normal RHW multipliers my hand tends to foul up with the handle and star drag (not so with a leftie)
I've already converted several Senators, which I use for shark fishing, to left hand wind so, with leftie parts from U.K Penn guru Mick Simons, including an oversize drag star(10-49) this Jigger was a breeze to do. I didn't even have to alter the sideplate with the Dremel as this reel was sculptured for both left and right configurations and everything fitted easily and she runs super smooth.

[Bryan Young]

Very nice.  I really should try to make some lefties for my son and wife...

[Dominick]

Very nice.  I really should try to make some lefties for my son and wife...

Real nice.  I'm putting together a lefty 113 for my granddaughter.  Dominick

[Bryan Young]

Very nice.  I really should try to make some lefties for my son and wife...

Real nice.  I'm putting together a lefty 113 for my granddaughter.  Dominick

You're not done yet?  I swear that I dropped off the 113HL bars and posts almost a year ago now.

[Ron Jones]

The second best thing about being left handed is that conventional reels are set up for you. The best thing is that most bolt action rifles work great off a sand bag.
Ron

[Jerseymic]

x2

[Dominick]

Very nice.  I really should try to make some lefties for my son and wife...

Real nice.  I'm putting together a lefty 113 for my granddaughter.  Dominick

You're not done yet?  I swear that I dropped off the 113HL bars and posts almost a year ago now.

I was patiently waiting for a couple of matching rods.  I only got them last week.  I have two granddaughters a lefty and a righty.  I have the 113 in pieces in a tray in my garage.  The garage is so full of old office furniture I cannot move right now.  I will be getting both done soon.  Dominick

[MFB]

I'm right handed, but all my spin reels are set up for left hand wind. Have learned to adapt to with conventional reels, but still feel more comfortable winding with my left hand.

Rgds

Mark

[DaBigOno]

Good looking reel you got there Jeff.   

[jeff smith]

I'm right handed, but all my spin reels are set up for left hand wind. Have learned to adapt to with conventional reels, but still feel more comfortable winding with my left hand.

Rgds

Mark

Mark,
I highly recommend converting your Penn conventionals if you prefer to wind left.You will find it so much more comfortable.
I can't figure out why most conventionals are manufactured RHW and most spinning LHW although to be fair, a good deal of spinning reels can be converted simply by turning the handle to the other side of the body. Because most conventionals are RHW, U.K sea anglers have just got used to fishing that way and accepted it as the norm. Some of my buddies look really awkward tucking the rod handle in their right armpit when winding , and changing hands to cast.
LH Penns are not very common and , as I said, I converted some of my Senators myself. Its not difficult and parts are readily available the only tricky bit is altering the side plates on some reels with a dremel to accept the A/R dog on the opposite side. Double doggers do this but some LHW side plates are available.

[Ron Jones]

Jeff,
The reason most conventionals are RHR is actually pretty simple. The original overhands were assembled with parts from other industries. All of those parts, like what eventually became the gear sleeve, had right hand threads and so that is where the handle went. By the time the manufacturers were having their own parts made the standard was set.

Spinners came along later and it was clear that your strong arm should hold the rod because that is where the fishi is caught, so they stuck the handle out the left side.

Left handed people have always had the advantage of conventionals being built for them.
Ron

[jeff smith]

Jeff,
The reason most conventionals are RHR is actually pretty simple. The original overhands were assembled with parts from other industries. All of those parts, like what eventually became the gear sleeve, had right hand threads and so that is where the handle went. By the time the manufacturers were having their own parts made the standard was set.

Spinners came along later and it was clear that your strong arm should hold the rod because that is where the fishi is caught, so they stuck the handle out the left side.

Left handed people have always had the advantage of conventionals being built for them.
Ron

That's very interesting. I didn't think of that.

[MFB]

Hi Jeff,

Don't have any conventional Penn's, just Daiwa & Shimano's. Think it would be too much of a mission to change the TLD's over & like I say have learned to adapt to them. I grew up with spinning reels, don't think I owned a conventional reel until I was in my early 20's.

Rgds

Mark

 

[jeff smith]

I took the Jigmaster fishing on Sunday and landed a 50lb Conger Eel on her. She cast beautifully with the mag brake and the rate of retrieve was perfect but, I felt that the standard handle could be improved upon so I've added this 24-56 power handle from Mick Simons here in the U.K . I've set it on the middle cut out and it feels just fine. I don't want to put too much leverage on the sleeve as I'm running a standard brass version. Drag measured at the reel is 7# which, as A.T recommends , should be fine for the stock sleeve.
The power handle also gives me better access to the oversize star wheel that I've fitted. This is slightly thicker than stock and the spacer sleeve underneath needed to be filed down a bit for it to fit.
The standard 24-66 handle has been put to good use on a squidder junior that I've just converted to a leftie.

That's as far as I'm going to go with the 501 at the moment. I'm gonna give her some hard use fishing and see how she fares but a stainless leftie sleeve might be a good idea in the not too distant future.

[alantani]

i actually do have a couple of left handed gear sleeves somewhere...