A few months back I booked a fishing trip to Juneau with some friends and started collecting some reels and tackle to take along. I ended up rebuilding a couple Penn Senators (113 & 113h), learning some new knots, and gathering tackle I figured I'd need for the trip.
The 113h was in great shape, and with a new CF drag stack and custom handle I picked up from Alan it was ready to go. In hind sight I should have taken the 113 on the trip with me as well, but as things turned out it really wasn't needed.
We stayed with friends that live in Juneau and launched daily out of Auke Bay marina. The weather was phenomenal! We had 4 days of 62-72F days with no rain and calm water. The king fishing wasn't as hot as we'd hoped but we pulled in a lot of rockfish and Halibut.
We ran into a few issues on our first day out, and thanks to this site everything worked out. When we hit our first stop the other guys noticed the drags on 3/5 boat reels had issues. With the drags cranked all the way down line was still easily being stripped from the spools making it a challenge just to pull in the 14 oz. jigs or coat=hanger rigs that were attached... I was really glad I had my own reel strung up at this point. I was pulling in my 2nd fish by the time other rigs started hitting bottom.
Everything in Juneau is somewhat expensive and the going rate for a lot of private labor seems to be around $90/hour. Our captain wasn't too happy about the broken reels and he was amazed that there were issues since everything was working fine the previous weekend. He was prepared to spend a few hundred on new reels when I spoke up and let him know I was pretty sure I could fix his reels. All the guys on the boat laughed and basically bet against this happening. ??? I'd never opened up a 320 or 340 series Penn before but the shape of the frame and assembly looked nearly identical to the Senators I'd rebuilt for myself. I expressed high confidence in my ability to repair the reels so they were set aside for later that night.
After collecting a short list of tools and some marine grease, I quickly ripped apart a 320 and 340 to find frozen drag stacks in each. We didn't have new drag kits to install but I was able to sand the steel washers down freeing them of rust. All other parts were cleaned & lubed prior to reassembly as well. They both came out fully functional and ready for use, my onlookers were amazed. The third reel was fine as it turned out but needed the 80# braid to be re-spooled with tension. With the drag cranked down the spool would spin under the line giving the appearance that the drag wasn't working. The next day we found a deep hole, let out all the line, applied a little tape to the spool and then cranked all the line back in. This was mechanically the easiest fix but took a little effort to crank in all that line with a large cannon-ball weight at the other end.
3/3 reels back up & running! I felt good and the Captain was extremely happy. :)
Overall this was a fantastic trip. All aboard caught fish, had fun, returned home safely. It was a huge bonus to have the knowledge and experience of working on reels as well. I got to show off a little, it saved the Captain money, and the newly serviced reels ended up performing beautifully.
As for the 113h, I had zero issues. The heaviest fish for the trip was only 40 pounds but the reel & drag functioned very well.
I can see how a double-dog would be nice on this model but it's certainly not needed. Thank you to all that suggested the 113h over the 113. The higher gear ratio was a blessing when fishing the 300-450 foot humps. ;D
Here are a few shots from earlier this week...
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/1%20boat.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/2%20Bridget%20Cove.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/3%20calm%20water.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/4%20glacier.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/5%20Auke%20Bay.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/6%20sunrise.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/7%20day1.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/9%20cooler.jpg)
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab154/fastback6nine/Juneau%20June%2015/10%20RedDog%20Saloon.jpg)
Nice scenery, great story too.
Regards
Mark
great report tab... knowledge put to work!
Great report and a reminder of my favorite fishing grounds. I love Alaska in the summer time.
Thanks for the good pics and report, Tab --
What I find so amazing is the fact that so few people -- even captains or professionals with a lot of outdoor experience -- will not break open a reel to try and fix it.
This is a testament to your willingness to learn, and also a reminder to all of us about the worth of Alan's Website for folks at any skill level -- or knowledge of reels.
Great job!
Best,
Fred
well done!!!!
Nice! Thanks for the great pics and report....nice boat!
Good story! I am going to be up in that neck of the woods in Septembet, hopefully I can get out on the water as well. It's a good thing you didn't get a bite on the reels before ypu had a chance to fix them up. Thanks for sharing!
way to go tab. very nice scenery, the pictures were great, as well as the fish. makes you feel good when you can perform a service and be successful fixing the reels for the capt., everyone was pleased. harryk
Great report and I really like how one person with a little knowledge can aid a whole group.
The pics are really nice, makes me remember my trip to Sitka.
Nice mess of fish, a little Halibut sashimi would be a must for dinner.
I had a Penn Spinner go down one day while surf fishing, my buddies were like yours when I pulled tools out of my tackle box, tore it down and fixed it right there on the beach.
Sounds like a fun trip with beautiful scenery. I lived in alaska for about 3 years in fairbanks while stationed in fort wainwright. Unfortunately I really didn't do much fishing. I was very young (still am i guess) and had others interests occupying my time during my stay. I've always fished my whole life, but it's only the past three years that I really got into it. I did have a question about the 320 you mentioned. did you mean the Penn 320gt2 series? The reason I ask is I have 3 of them that my dad bought a while back that were still made in america. I figure if the captain is using them, then it's good for me to bring along when I happen to visit alaska again.
Awesome, on my bucket list for sure..nice rig ya got going too
Cool, this year is a good one to be in SE.
Tim, too bad my niece sold my Tolley in Ketchikan, I'd meet you there and kick some butts.
tab,
You are the Man! You should have got in on that betting. ;)
Good work! ;D
Quote from: newport on June 28, 2015, 12:39:08 AM
Sounds like a fun trip with beautiful scenery. I lived in alaska for about 3 years in fairbanks while stationed in fort wainwright. Unfortunately I really didn't do much fishing. I was very young (still am i guess) and had others interests occupying my time during my stay. I've always fished my whole life, but it's only the past three years that I really got into it. I did have a question about the 320 you mentioned. did you mean the Penn 320gt2 series? The reason I ask is I have 3 of them that my dad bought a while back that were still made in america. I figure if the captain is using them, then it's good for me to bring along when I happen to visit alaska again.
Yes, one of the reels was a 320 GT2 - it performed great after the tune-up so I wouldn't hesitate at all to bring it with you when you head North.
All of the reels on the boat were spooled with braided line, aside from the salmon reels.
Kodiak Jigs were a hot item - I think they helped bring all but one fish across 4 days onto the boat.
Great pics and report Tab! I see tons of 320's and 340's on boats in AK. I went to Juneau in 2011... Looks like Mendenhall glacier has shrunk since then.
I fished out of Excursion Inlet in the Icy Straits area. Scenery is all jaw dropping pretty much Anywhere, Alaska.
All of my other trips have been to Prince of Wales island down south from Juneau a wee bit.
Glad to hear you helped with those reels. Good onya!
Steve
Thanks tab. It's good to know the 320s are commonly used out there. Also, as you know, using your own gear is more enjoyable and satisfying.