What I mean is, which model will you buy even though you already have a bunch of them?
From a practical aspect, I buy 60's, 49's, 149's because they're prolific donors.
For unexplainable reasons, Sailfishers and 249's are stacking up followed by 9/0's.
Since I recently moved and had to "handle" my collection, I noticed this trend and wondered if it's just me or what.
716 Greenie or Z
I am with Tommy —
Spinfishers in green or the black Z's.
Particularly 716, 714, 712.
For conventionals — the Squidders in the various widths.
Best, Fred
WHICH ONE DO I NOT, is an easier question....the 249 (no interest) and the 350 (have four, unless it's cheap as dirt and they have good donor parts). Everything else is fair game, older than about 2012.
Edit: green Peers, Magpower, Sailfisher, Mag 10, Levelmatics. But then there are several dozen Jiggy's, Senators, Spinfishers, LB's. So crap....back to original answer. My brace of 49A's from Teddy is marquee, tho.
I like These ;D
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/WloAAOSwnRZgjgLb/s-l1600.jpg
Is that OC yours? Go back and look at the picture. You'll see something wrong. Dominick
349/349H
Quote from: Dominick on November 11, 2021, 11:41:43 PM
Is that OC yours? Go back and look at the picture. You'll see something wrong. Dominick
I have all mine rigged like that .
Place to put my used Chewing Gum .
I'm a sucker for an early Senator
9500ss with auxiliary underspool drag
The Long Beach reels. The internals seem to be in great shape in every one I've had/have.
My favorite "user" Penn is a USA made 113h, and jigmaster.
As far as shelfie Penns, the early 9/0, and long beach. Also those well chromed Penns from the Harley Earl era
The 4/0 and 9/0 and or any other senator
Kim
Oh Boy...
I have to admit, it's the 113h, in all it's glory.
It's the first Penn reel I owned, bought it with my brother. It's still stock and still goes out with me on the boat, not used to much, but it's there
Then, any Penn pre 1945...
Col
Quote from: Gfish on November 12, 2021, 12:40:39 AMThe Long Beach reels. The internals seem to be in great shape in every one I've had/have.
All you Long Beach lovers would go nuts at the swap meet in my area, they're all over the place at dirt cheap prices.
For me, I guess a 716 would be hard to pass up, if I ever find one at a bargain price that is.
Here is one from an orca old issue
Hard choice but the 349 is so strong, with the double posts side by side, I think the next set of double posts, are in the 14/0, cheers Don
I appreciate all this input. I hope to see more. I'm a bit relieved that it's not just me. I'm waiting on my 3rd, 1st gen Sailfisher to get here and I just got my 4th 249. Add in the younger Sailfishers and those two models are almost 10% of my collection and 130 comprises almost half of my spare parts.
Everybody has their favorite(s) aside from the scarce, rare, holy grail models and parts thereof, that we all look for.
During the previous year, my reels have multiplied beyond what I expected but my collection isn't "mature". Much of that has to do with the predominant market place we have to choose from...and some discipline issues I have when I see sparkly things. Being a decade late to the game doesn't help either.
It's a rewarding hobby none the less and this type of forum is a fantastic resource for information and input.
In order:
- Mag 970 - One of Sal's favorites, and he convinced me.
- Squidder, especially the 145, 146 - Such a cool, popular and customizable reel. Great for surf fishing.
- Senator 113H - Have seldom fished one, but love all of the customizations. "The Tank"
- Baymaster 180 - Have a bunch of these that I want to beef up. Picture plates especially.
My first Penn was the standard fare for a fisherman around local waters. The many variations of a Penn Jigmaster. What a versatile reel to start with eh?
Like Joe, I love the squidder too.
Mine are
2/0 Senator
Long Beach 66
Long Beach 60
180 Baymaster
It's the Peerless #9 for me. My favorite for inshore and bay fluke fishing.
Still on the lookout for a 1/0 Senator in fishable / fixable condition...anybody have one they'll part with?
Kal
I love the old Internationals. Ever since I was a kid. I have other penns : 210, 320, 330 , 113H EN, 113H YTS, 113H , 113H EW, 114EN, 114H etc but I still love those internationals the best.
Cheers:
Todd
I'm with Tommy and Fred. 716 greenie. Been looking for an affordable 955 for a few years but "affordable 955" seems to be an oxymoron.
49l, 9m, 710z, 704z, 706z. i don't have any shelf reels yet, maybe next year :)
I have always liked the early 130 Internationals !! JT
Love the senators, jig masters and squidders because they are just so much fun to play with. I have at least a dozen of each of them and kits and parts to hot rod more.
But when I see Gold I lose my mind. Truly I get gold fever. And I have fewer of these than anything else I cant help myself I just love them internationals.
A 9/0 Senator with a red or a green handle - goes back to my earliest days sharking in the UK
Any 349 - just such a solid reel
Older Internationals but especially the 130, though too rich for my pockets :D
I love the 180, a 100L spool that doesn't explode. Right now, I'm dreaming of having Cal Sheet's do a Super 12 2 speed on a International 6, probably the right strength, capacity for the braid it can be fished at. Would be an amazing bait reel and I think I could get it done for less that a new wiz bang.
The Man
I love the 113N (with the Cortez bridge assembly and Alan's 5/0 grip!) Then there is the Gold Penn VSX series, yep, definite weak spot.
Ron, take a look at the 12 vsx! Might fit your operation. Of course finding them at a reasonable price lately reminds me of trying to find the old needle in the haystack...
Mike
Quote from: oc1 on January 21, 2022, 07:16:51 AM
I'm with Tommy and Fred. 716 greenie. Been looking for an affordable 955 for a few years but "affordable 955" seems to be an oxymoron.
Years ago I lucked into a sweet deal from a friend of the owner of Tiburon, who was selling some reels for him. I got a mint 965 and three mint 955's for $130 and $140 each respectively. The 955 has become my go to for shallow water rockfish.
I asked on this forum once which reels should I keep Shimano Calcutta or Penn 965's? Everybody said keep the Penns. I listened. Parts are still available mostly.
Quote from: kjdunne on January 20, 2022, 09:59:28 PM
It's the Peerless #9 for me. My favorite for inshore and bay fluke fishing.
Still on the lookout for a 1/0 Senator in fishable / fixable condition...anybody have one they'll part with?
Kal
I use a #9 for sheepshead and light surf casting when my surf rigs are quietly holding. It's a fun reel. It casts beautifully for me up to around 2 oz. Try a 109, now that's an interesting thing to spin! I'm looking for a 1/0 myself. A scarce reel in decent condition or comfortable price for me. I put together a parts list to build one and got hijacked into building a 99 instead! The 99 parts kind of fell into my lap so I have one now. I didn't realize the 99 was/is the platform for so many variations still used today.
I mostly freshwater fish, the peerless 9 does it for me, and can handle most anything I go after. I have 3 vintage and one new one. The USA made ones seem to be better even with their age.
For me it's the Jigmaster ! Simple, strong and versatile. 2 standard sizes and 3 custom variants. Tons of upgrade parts and simple enough that even I can work on them. Oh yea, quick change spools also !
Cool
I pretty much look for the ones that have PENN on them .
Quote from: Midway Tommy on November 11, 2021, 05:55:02 PM716 Greenie or Z
Hard choice, Greenie probably because it looks more vintage than the Z
For modern reels I own multiple Fathoms and Slammers.
For vintage Penn reels I have a hard time passing up any reasonably priced 525 MAG or Baja Special, even if I don't need them.
I probably own enough NOS parts to completely build a new 720 (Blue), so that was once a soft spot as well.
I forgot about the International's, somehow. The Gen II, 30STW with 50lb mono is about as good all-around troller in my neck of the woods as there was- will kill about anything stand-up unless one was targeting blue marlin or BFT specifically...
Quote from: Shellbelly on January 31, 2022, 02:45:43 AMQuote from: kjdunne on January 20, 2022, 09:59:28 PMIt's the Peerless #9 for me. My favorite for inshore and bay fluke fishing.
Still on the lookout for a 1/0 Senator in fishable / fixable condition...anybody have one they'll part with?
Kal
I use a #9 for sheepshead and light surf casting when my surf rigs are quietly holding. It's a fun reel. It casts beautifully for me up to around 2 oz. Try a 109, now that's an interesting thing to spin! I'm looking for a 1/0 myself. A scarce reel in decent condition or comfortable price for me. I put together a parts list to build one and got hijacked into building a 99 instead! The 99 parts kind of fell into my lap so I have one now. I didn't realize the 99 was/is the platform for so many variations still used today.
I gave Fred a mint Penn 1/0 to fill his collection
I had the opportunity to buy a 1/0 for like $30. It stayed on CL for like a month and a half. But it was a 2+ hours drive and I still wish I'd jumped on it.
I love the Penn Jigmaster, Surfmaster, and Squidder series because they have the one screw take a part and the endless mods. The Penn Surfmaster hits my weak spot especially the 200. ::) I grew up wanting a Squidder but I couldn't afford it at the time so I bought a Surfmaster. I fell in love with the Surfmaster! I have caught many larger snappers and all kinds of fish on it. I recently built a Penn Surfmaster 250 to narrow it down to a Jigmaster 501 size. I am still looking for a 49 reel stand for it or get someone to drill the holes on the 180 stand because my hands are not young anymore. :o Shaky when you get old...
Quote from: Surfrat on February 19, 2023, 12:28:34 PMI love the Penn Jigmaster, Surfmaster, and Squidder series because they have the one screw take a part and the endless mods. The Penn Surfmaster hits my weak spot especially the 200. ::) I grew up wanting a Squidder but I couldn't afford it at the time so I bought a Surfmaster. I fell in love with the Surfmaster! I have caught many larger snappers and all kinds of fish on it. I recently built a Penn Surfmaster 250 to narrow it down to a Jigmaster 501 size. I am still looking for a 49 reel stand for it or get someone to drill the holes on the 180 stand because my hands are not young anymore. :o Shaky when you get old...
I totally agree about the Surfmaster! I wanted a Squidder really bad back in around 1970, but with my after school job, it would have been about a weeks pay. Even the 200 Surfmaster was a stretch, but I bit the bullet, meanwhile I still have it, retired now after catching a lot of fish that were really way too big for it!
Best, John
Quote from: Surfrat on February 19, 2023, 12:28:34 PMI love the Penn Jigmaster, Surfmaster, and Squidder series because they have the one screw take a part and the endless mods. The Penn Surfmaster hits my weak spot especially the 200. ::) I grew up wanting a Squidder but I couldn't afford it at the time so I bought a Surfmaster. I fell in love with the Surfmaster! I have caught many larger snappers and all kinds of fish on it. I recently built a Penn Surfmaster 250 to narrow it down to a Jigmaster 501 size. I am still looking for a 49 reel stand for it or get someone to drill the holes on the 180 stand because my hands are not young anymore. :o Shaky when you get old...
Are you talking a narrow stand for the surfy 100 or 501 jigmaster stand? LMK if you need one. (30-49).
I have to say any of the H series Senators, something about the red plates and chrome rings. Of the H series the 112H is my Achilles' tendon, it was the first Penn I bought. Funny though, I never really cared for the Jigmasters but now have too many to count. Oh can't forget any of the reels in the 49 series too. Bill
Penn 4200SS.
The Bluish color 722. Was my favorite pier reel. Still have it with a manual roller on it. The green 714 is a close second.
I just got a 722 with the 2 fish symbols on it I am looking for a 714.I also just acquired a 712z.My favorite though is my 716 greenie.
Jigmaster
Senators 1/0-6/0
Surfmaster
And all the others ;D
I never owned a surfmaster 150 with an aluminum spool and I saw one missing a bushing but cheap so I went for it. I lost at the last minute... :-[ :P
Quote from: Surfrat on October 24, 2023, 09:59:08 AMsurfmaster 150
One of the many good things about Surfmasters is they share parts that are still plentiful. They are one of those lines that are still somewhat economical to build as new vs buy used and repair. Then, there's all the tempting custom stuff that really sets them apart in looks and performance.
Be careful, you'll soon be knocking on Jigmaster's door. Many fishermen have never returned from there!
I have been looking for a Penn Surfmaster 150 with an aluminum spool or just a plain 150 and have not own one yet. :P I love the Surfmasters and Jigmasters but I can count all of them with one hand. I have a black Jigmaster 500 (USA) with a chipped handle plate but I still use it for casting lures. :fish
I always have a jolly spot for the Surfmasters. ;D ::)
If you have a Beachmaster 160 and a Surfmaster 200 you can swap stands, posts and spools and build a Beachmaster 155 and a Surfmazter 150.
My weaknesses:
Any generation Penn Spinfisher
Penn 349
Penn 49
Penn Senators