I have shied away from any Long Beach reels due to ready availability of senators, but I find my self with one due to it having a "turquoise" 24-66 handle I was obligated to collect for my wife. Now I have this reel that is in pretty good shape, but im haunted by long-standing reports that its drag is too inferior for it to be viable for the height of its spool. If I upgrade the stack to HT-100, what kind of workable drag range could I expect out of this thing?
Thanks to whomever has the answer.
not much, really. it's a massive reel. i googled it and found that it will hold 275 yards of 50#mono. for that line weight, you would normally look for a 30% drag setting, so 15 pounds of drag. you would be lucky to get half of that..... :-\
A LB 66 has the same drags as a 113 4/0. To get a little more drag out of a 66, 67, 68, or 113 4/0 use LB 60 or 65 drag washers as they are thinner and you can make a 5 stack set up. You will also need one more eared and one more keyed washer. Spool diameter is the same on the LB 66-67-68 and 113 4/0, just different widths. Rudy
If you have the old thick washers, it is a 3-stack. However, if you replace those with carbontex washers, I believe you can easily fit 5 washers, using additional stock metal washers. I don't know how much force that gives you. There are others that know more about this on the site. Rudy, for example ;D
These old Long Beach reels were designed around linen line...hence the huge spools. Then along came the thinner mono...so now the thing will hold a ton of line rated higher strength than it's stock drag set up. The bottom line is, even with upgrades, you're still just squeeking into the proper drag range for 50lb. mono...BUT...for many years these things have been fished successfully anyway. Personally, I find the slow gear speed to be a bigger obstacle than the drag power. Although I don't fish old LBs...I still love 'em. 8)
If comparing spool diameter and having the line at full, the 66 might be just as fast as a Squidder, as for line retrieve per crank... I wouldn't call it really slow.
I will disagree with the drag numbers and this is only my opinion.
The 66 is a little tank.
The teeth in the main gear are really beefy and the 13-49 is also a strong pinion.
When equipped with the ultimate drag kit, I wouldn't be too worried pushing it to #20.
I believe it could handle it.
Sal
I put 5 stacks in several of the 66s for the party boat when I was doing their work. They work great for bottom fishing.
Dwight
Yeah, just because they are all labeled "LongBeach" doesn't mean they are the same.
The LB 60 - 65 are the lighter LB's. But still extremely capable and tough reels -- make no mistake.
The 66-67-68 are in a different class. They are like Senators with 2 rings instead of 4.
These Long Beach reels have more than proved themselves for 80 or 90 years now.
Upgrades are available on all of these, if desired.
Best,
Fred
Quote from: mo65 on April 29, 2020, 04:55:01 PM
Although I don't fish old LBs...I still love 'em. 8)
I just realized...I
do fish with one Long Beach! The LB267 pictured below has all steel gears, a 5-stack drag, and double dogs. I used it for bottom fishing Sea Bass and limited out with no problems...it was a joy to use. With the 5-stack I set the drag at about 12lbs. and used 40lb. Trilene Big Game.
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 29, 2020, 05:26:01 PM
If comparing spool diameter and having the line at full, the 66 might be just as fast as a Squidder, as for line retrieve per crank... I wouldn't call it really slow.
You are spot on Sal, and I for one should know this, I've commented many times how a large spool helps with the small gears concerning speed. Although the Long Beach wasn't quite as fast as the Senator 113Hs the boat provided, I had no trouble keeping up with the other guys.
That's a nice reel Mo.
You know what's funny?
One day I tested many reels fully loaded with line.
I did this By dragging a led weight On the tile floor.
No matter what ratio, most penn reels retrieved the same amount of line Per crank, if I remember correctly I think it was 3.1/4 tiles, making it 40" per crank.
Maybe That's how Penn wanted it.
Sal
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 29, 2020, 06:59:36 PM
That's a nice reel Mo.
Thanks Sal. I wish I had a few more...but they don't seem to pop up on eBay often...and out here in Ohio you
never see any at fleamarkets. Although the frame is graphite, it is still a frame, and with the top post it is a very solid reel.
You reminded me of another thing by mentioning pulling a sinker across the floor. I have a fishing buddy who uses Ambassadeurs, and he was always poking at me about my "big slow Penns". I tried to explain how his tiny spools made his faster gears no faster than my Penns. We dragged some sinkers across the floor and his face froze...HA! :D
Quote from: williewiskers on April 29, 2020, 03:09:44 PM
I have shied away from any Long Beach reels due to ready availability of senators, but I find my self with one due to it having a "turquoise" 24-66 handle I was obligated to collect for my wife.
williewhiskers,
Can you post a pic of that turquoise handle knob? I don't think I've ever seen that color on a LB...lots of green ones...but no turquoise.
I like the picture-plate bigger LBs. I've stuck one on a solid 113H narrow frame just for show. Looks awesome, but would require redrilling the screw holes.
Something else I just though of...when putting a 5-stack into these big LBs...file and lap the metal washers flat and smooth. It will pick up a few pounds on the top end, and pull smoother too. Also I remembered something else last night when Sal mentioned the gearing being able to handle up to 20lbs. of drag. Some of the guys have modded Bryan's 5-stack kit into a 7-stack kit, which could put you into the 20lb. range if that is what you really needed. With that mod this thing could easily fish 50lb. mono.
Remember, whatever drag mods work in the larger LB's also works in the black plated 113 4/0. They use the same main gear.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/32/18717_30_04_20_6_44_46.jpeg)
This Long Beach talk brought back some memories - the first reel that I ever actually tore down and modified when I first discovered this site about 2 years ago. My Dad picked this up in the 1980's for bottom fishing out of Morro Bay: the fish were getting smaller, he was getting older, and we were going more on friends private boats than on the regular "party boats" so the traditional 6/0 with big crank and rail plate was really overkill. The 68 mounted on an old Sabre rod was the way to go.
I got a lot of advice from The Boss on this first build - stainless 5 stack (I think I cobbled it together from 2 x 3 stack sets based on the leftover parts in the box) a SS Gear Sleeve from Alan (he specifically suggested that in upgrading this reel that rounding off the stock brass part was a weak point) and a sweet handle from Alan as well (I think he also uses them on Jigmasters?).
My goal with this was to use for bottom fishing/bounce balling for halibut here off of SoCal, something that rarely gets to 200' of depth, usually more in the 100-150' range where we go. Spooled it up with 50" Izorline Greenspot (probably overkill, but I am old school). Works great and has never let me down. Looking back at my notes in the box (and I verified it just now by pulling out the drag sale) I can pretty much max it out at 14# drag - which admittedly is pushing it but way more than adequate for what I built it for.
Fun side note, on a trip on my buddies boat right after the reconditioning we decided to run offshore just to see what was going on before heading in at the end of the day - and lo and behold found a lone kelp paddie holding a school of Dorado! Being totally surprised we all grabbed whatever we could get our hands on quickly, and instead of grabbing an outfit that I could actually cast with in the interest of getting into the water quickly grabbed this outfit and put on short topshot of 30# flouro, a 1/0 ringed hook, and flylined a sardine. We were cleaning fish late into the night on that trip...
I have my Dad's old 65 and 66 as well, just haven't gotten around to giving them attention since I really don't have a need to use them currently, but may be a fun project to pass the time right now. - John
That's an awesome combo and heirloom John!
Great story too! Love it!
Someone asked about pictures of the "turquoise" handle. Others may call it "sea foam" or "mint". The LB doesn't get to keep it. I have secured 3 of these and they go on levelwind or leveline reels for the wife.
Thanks about the drag upgrade info. Does anyone sell the 5 stack as a kit or do I have to part it together myself?
I would like to get 15# of drag out of it at full spool without damage to the gear sleeve. I really don't see and reason to spool this with 50# under any circumstance, but can't justify the amount of line it would take at a lesser test. Now that I know I can get the drag out of it the question becomes, "what can I use it for that I don't already have a better reel specifically for".
The search for knowledge and insights continue.
Quote from: williewiskers on May 25, 2020, 02:49:38 PM
Someone asked about pictures of the "turquoise" handle. Others may call it "sea foam" or "mint". The LB doesn't get to keep it. I have secured 3 of these and they go on levelwind or leveline reels for the wife.
Thanks about the drag upgrade info. Does anyone sell the 5 stack as a kit or do I have to part it together myself?
Yes...that's the one most people call "mint green"...great looking knob. The 5-stack that comes as a kit is for the LB60 gear, and uses special thin washers. You can assemble a 5-stack for your LB66 from stock Penn washers...oddly enough...stock LB60 drag washers. 8)
So I just order 5 LB60 HT-100 drag washers and a few LB66 metals and they work on my LB 66 sleeve? Or the whole LB60 stack fits on my LB66 sleeve? Or do I need the LB60 sleeve?
I have to put a order into mystic and id like to get this into it.
Ty
You know, with the 3 frame posts/side and relative narrowness to the 67 and 68, the 66 IS probably pretty sturdy. A nice upgrade would be the 5 stack yer talkin bout and a ss 98-505 gear sleeve/10-505 drag star. Pro Challenger has the gear sleeves($31)and I have an extra star you could have, n/c.
I used a 30's era 65 on 2 bottom fishing trips and indeed the gear sleeve started to collapse a bit. Probably I banged the handle or dropped it to cause this. Let us know as you start to hot rod it...
Quote from: williewiskers on May 25, 2020, 05:01:54 PM
So I just order 5 LB60 HT-100 drag washers and a few LB66 metals and they work on my LB 66 sleeve? Or the whole LB60 stack fits on my LB66 sleeve? Or do I need the LB60 sleeve?
Both the LB60 and the LB66 take the same gear sleeve. All you need to do is order 5 #6-60 HT100s and 2 sets of metal washers #7C-60. That will give you everything you'll need to assemble a 5-stack. You'll have one extra keyed metal washer left over. 8)
Thank you Mo. Gfish I use Cortez and I have to place a order for 16/0, 14/0, 12/0 and 9/0 stainless sleeves and dogs. I'll definitely see if he has the sleeve you mention. The larger LB's are turning out to be not such the dogs they are rumored to be.
Yeah, they're lighter in weight it seems(haven't comparison weighed them) than similar sized Senators. The 65 I mentioned was the "deluxe" model with 4 total rings & a total 6 screw stand, some thicker metal parts and is slightly heavier than my 66.
I just priced out the parts from Mystic - $15.
-5x 6-60 HT-100 drag washers
-2x 7C-60 drag metals kits
-1x 4-60 hard fiber washer (under gear)
-1x 6-113 (alternate under gear washer, if fits)
Doable for an experiment. The Cortez sleeve and star comes as a combo for $31. I think ill wait on that a little more and see how much I like it after I do the drag and fish with it. If I like it then ill get the sleeve / star. I have a JM I narrowed that I didnt even do the sleeve on, and its the same part; although with height of the spool acting as a fulcrum the LB likely needs it more - Im just concerned that the 4 screws that attach the reel to the stand are too weak to fully utilize more than a statutory amount of drag without deflection and failure anyhow.
So ill order the drag parts and see how it reacts under tension. If I find the stand screws are the limiting factor then there's no need to waste money on the sleeve.
The brass sleeves do round off sometimes --
However, of you attach the crank nut (1) notch past tight -- then install the locking screw -- it should be OK for now.
Main thing is to not give it any chance to wiggle or round off -- under normal fishing conditions. A large fish may round it off anyway -- but you can address it at that time.a
I would try it as is with the drag upgrade and Cal's drag grease.
These are tough reels.
Best,
Fred
I agree...do the drag mod and fish it...then if you like it add the more expensive upgrades. I know guys who have fished these 66s with drag upgrades for years without any problems, so don't be too quick to dismiss the ol' 66. Did you see the upgrade stands that Ted made for these reels?
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=30389.0
Foakes,
I always install my handles this way - the next even notch past tight.
Mo,
For the height of the spool and the relitive weakness of the stand attachment I think a stand upgrade would be more useful than a sleeve upgrade right now. Do you have details for them? How much does this "Ted" charge?
Mo,
I followed that link to the other thread. I had previously thought about a way of achieving the same net effect cheaper by cutting down a pair of spare posts to fit "just between" the opposing reel stand screw holes and using longer stainless screws on both ends to completely prevent deflection of the short length of screw and thread that comprises the screw bung in the stand. None of the similar shorter spool reels I have upgraded (500, 140L, 200) have yet to exceed the mechanical limit of the standard HT-100 drag sets for them. THIS reel might definitely do it