I recently bought a very heavy spinning rod, to use with a Penn Slammer. But the Slammer's reel foot is too "bulky" for the particular reel seat. I plan to grind the reel foot to a fit with my dremel. I must be careful not to remove too much aluminum, and need to protect the exposed metal from salt. Other than that, what could possibly go wrong? ;D
Anyone tried this? Good to hear your experience, before I potentially destroy a perfectly good reel :)
PS: it's chinese made. At least I think so... It doesn't say Made in USA like my other Penns...
If I were you I would buy a new rod for it, but if you want to do this make sure to sand all the surfaces you grind down smooth.Any rough or sharp edges or deep gouges could be stress risers and cause that part to fail.Good luck, let us know how it works.
Heavy spinning rods are hard to come by here in Norway. I had to order this one on the net, and there was no way to check if the reel fit. So here I am :) Thanks for the input, I didn't think of that, but it makes sense. I'm willing to take the chance, it's not the most expensive reel and I think there is reasonable chance of success. As long as the chinese didn't use bad aluminum in production...
Don't be afraid to trim it down to size using a file etc. Smooth the cut surfaces using a medium grit emery cloth. Coat the newly exposed aluminium with an aluminium primer and paint black. The reel foot should then be well protected against the elements. I have modified a Penn 650SS this way and it has not had corrosion issues. Do not leave it on the rod for long periods especially if fishing in salt water.
Aluminium primer sounds like a very good idea, Thanks! I need to fix some minor damage to my outboard as well, so the Slammer will act as a test for that job to come (too cold here to do any painting outside now :-).
Just make sure that you don't shave too much , I have seen my share of broken foot on Penn spinners. That part of the foot takes a lot of stress :-\. I did file down a few in the past, but only beause they had the tip of the foot snapped off.
I really appreciate that advice, it would be a nightmare to have the reel foot snap with a large halibut in the other end. I'll make sure I only remove metal where needed. And I just realized I have a 2 component primer suitable for aluminum. Corrosion at this weakened spot needs to be avoided, obviously. Thanks again! :)
I would change the reel seat to a bigger side before I filed the foot.
Reel seats are cheap compaired to the reel body.