Hey everybody! I was encouraged to come on over where there are some Penn Heads who might appreciate reels on a larger scale and who would help me learn all the quirks and twists and turns that Penn made.
I'm a surf fisherman. I use bait on a hook, lots of lead, get slime all over my knife and I get wet, sandy, cold and tired. I throw top dogs under birds and get mad at sharks that eat my trout off the stringer. I cruise the East Matagorda Peninsula which is my home turf and I collect Penn reels...build them if I have to and use the X09 level wind models all the time. I'll post plenty of reels and questions here as long as y'all can put up with it. Some may have seen my participation elsewhere on the web, but I believe this is where I can focus on the goals I have chosen.
It was Mr. Tani's post about the Sailfisher that started my adventure with Penn. I'm now running out of house to put shelves in. Nobody warned me about that.
Welcome. We love our Penns and we also love to service and upgrade. You found the right place
-Ted
Welcome Shellbelly from central Texas. You will like it here .
There are a Few Penn Heads here ....lol
Welcome!
Welcome Shellbelly!
Matgorda is a magical place. You're a lucky guy.
Welcome from the SoCal Inland Empire! Glad you are into Penns, but in my time here I have been exposed to reels and brands that I never knew existed. - john
Welcome !!
Welcome, and better start looking for another house with more shelving :)
John, NC
Nice to have you with us, welcome from sunny Western Australia, cheers Don.
Welcome Shellbelly. You are in the right place. ;D
Welcome to the best site in the world for reel heads..!
Keith
Greetings, Shellbelly, from Minnesota.
Frank
Welcome aboard!
I invited Shellbelly to join after seeing his Penn related posts getting ghosted over on Orca. Not a lot of Penn guys over there.
Welcome Shellbelly from south Australia
Kim
Great introduction.....welcome. Bill, SoCal mountains
Welcome! I am on the east coast in North Florida and I too am a surf fisherman. That's just about all I do anymore and I build surf rods when I am not fishing, that is what I am doing to support my habit of, well, fishing. I only own one Penn, a Fathom II casting special. Although I am a retro kind of guy, most all of my reels are form the 70's, Daiwa baitcasters and a few Abu's. I do however love the Fathom, even though it was not made here in the USA. Let us know what you are catching and where you are catching! Good to have you onboard. You will find that this is the most friendly forum you will ever be a part of, I cannot say enough about how good these folks are!
Breadfan! Got sand between your toes? Are your gills wet? Fishing is slow right now but the weather is changing. Although I did land a 42" red early this month at night. Had stout north winds for 2 days now. That blows our surf flat here at the mid gulf in TX. It also blows all the loose sand to the tideline. I like it! Keeps the traffic down to serious fishermen. Reds will pick up soon and larger sheepshead will be working the jetties and intracoastal. Flounder should be moving about now as well. Everything will settle into the winter pattern and slot reds will be hit and miss in the surf and passes. When they hit, you'll limit out in an hour.
I LOVE the winter beach. I don't care how cold it gets or which way the wind blows. I'll fish in just about anything except lightning and flying monkeys.
QuoteFlounder should be moving about now as well.
Yep but it is Closed Nov. 1-14.
Yep. A lot of science went into the reasoning and explanation for this. I can sum up a PART of the cause...gigging of little flounder by inexperienced folks and a FEW guides not controlling the client....none of which was part of the discussion. I can tell you with confidence that when the explosion of modified-for-flounder boats hit the scene, the populations went down. As soon as the client found out that one can lay down, stay dry and stick fish, it was on. A boat can cover MILES of shallows whereas the old fashioned walker with his lantern and a #3 washtub wrapped with a tire tube covers much less ground.
We floundered a lot. The rules were simple: Only stick a fish that feeds two and five fish per tub is plenty. We ate plenty of flounder and saw beds that were massive. I gave up when most of the fish were 10" and we stopped seeing evidence of much larger fish. My gigs are part of my display now. I'll jig for them or throw mud minnows, but probably won't ever stick another one. I figure i've had my share of fun with my gigs...and the dog gone stingrays....(which do not seem to have a population issue).
Back over 30 years I use to go to Port O'Connor and actually Gigged with a State Game Employee and we watched those HUGE Commercial Flounder Boats just clobbering the Flounder all night long . TONS and Tons of fish every night and at Seadrift they caught all they wanted as well .
They put a larger size limit for a while then started closing the Gigging (for us fisher people NOT THE COMMERCIAL ONES ) Season at the end of October until Spring . We could catch 1 over 15 inches on Rod and Reel per day.
Commercial Fisheries have ruined the Red Snapper for us too and not American Companies !
I LOVE DEM FLOUNDER!!!!! Dey is Ocean CRAPPIE MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
AMEN. A beautiful fish and fantastic table fare! It takes a skilled hand to target these with rod and reel...even though kids seem to always catch one and the Dads holler, "GET THE NET" over and over.
I just hope the same doesn't happen to sheepshead. Much maligned, called "trash fish", but some of the best tasting stuff Ive ever eaten in my life...period. So much fun on light tackle and a face only a mother could love. The local seafood store in Matagorda quit selling these. Now it's only the "Big 3" and snapper. That just might save the sheepshead. Few know what to do with it. A 15" sheepy is more than I should eat.
Same way with those Croakers . I have fried many a Croaker up . Good Flavor
Oh yes. As kids, we liked the crunchy tails!
Welcome from Salem va,,,,,,,,, ;D
welcome!!!!!
Welcome from San Mateo, CA Dominick