Hello to all,
Well, I have been searching for replacement gear to my over-used catfishing setup for a some time. I had 2 old Abu Garcia Ambassadeur "Big A" 7000's paired with 8' Zebco casting rods. 85 lb 8-strand Dyneema braided line. This setup served me well over the past 4 years catching big flatheads and blues here in East Tennessee. I have always been bias towards old Ambassadeurs and wasn't going to settle for anything else.
Last year, and out of curiosity, I snatched a Daiwa Sealine 900H from a flea market for 20 bucks! I know... The reel was solid, huge, in good mechanical order but very dirty and neglected (my favorite combo in yard finds! = Fun Project!!). I took that reel home and completely disassembled it, gave all the metal parts a nice acetone bath, got everything squeaky clean, polished what needed polishing and repacked with new drags and good quality synthetic grease. I wanted to used that robust reel badly but it felt like an overkill for my application since I mainly freshwater fish all year casting from the bank and only saltwater fish off of a pier for a week out of the whole year when I'm on vacation in Florida mid summer.
So, I started a thread back then here on AT.com asking for tips on how to cast this monster effectively. Bottom line, all my experiments casting with the 900H did not go well since distance casting simply wasn't the primary role of this reel. oh well.
So, I sold the 900H :'( on eBay and went back to my old Ambassadeur setups, until... few weeks ago, while casting one of my rods, I accidently grabbed the second rig that was just resting on the deck rails with my hook, and catapulted the damn thing into the middle of the lake.. >:( >:( I know, a really pro move.
I was very furious, but decided to keep on fishing, and caught me a 48lb flathead after a good 10 min of solid fighting. When the catch high wore off, I discovered that my cat had managed to brake the top portion of my rod. >:( I knew then that it was time to get a different gear.
3 weeks ago, I managed to score 2 reels off of ebay. Both old Daiwa Sealines, one was a 47H and the other was a 47SH. for about $20 each plus shipping!! First thing I noticed was that same familiar feel I got from my old 900H. Hard as nails construction. Single piece anodized and paraffin-ed Aluminum frame, side plates and spool. All metal guts. The reels were really filthy and neglected so I proceeded by taking everything apart, assessed everything for wear and damage and ordered a few parts from Tuna Tom's site and went to town with a toothbrush! I knew I needed to upgrade the drags to CF material so I went and got me a 1mm sheet of carbontex and fashioned the washers I needed with a sharp compass. Lubed and repacked to two reels and hung them up on new 9' Zebco Catfish Fighter Casting roods Rods, heavy Dyneema lines, Santee rigs and fluorocarbon leaders and electronic bite alarms!! Beautiful!
Well, Here are some pics of the process... enjoy!
Here's some more pics of the process of cleaning and restoring the reels. Note the previous owner's initial engraved on the 47SH, I had since filed them off to a uniform finish. Mr. R.S.D, you should've took a better care of there things. Just saying!
and more..
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Those little Daiwas are tanks. Looks like you've got your work cut out on them though, lol.
The 30H/47H balanced handle was too "short" for my liking. It is possible to modify a Jigmaster (Penn Type A) power handle to fit...have that on my 30H:
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m153/Amadeus_Surf/DSCF1188_zpsl4u64wam.jpg)
The only big challenge is to rework the handle nut cap and drill a new screw hole to match up to the handle lock screw hole in the Type A power handle.
Very interesting.. I have been debating getting some Daiwa power handles then upgrading the grips on them but this option seems a bit more appealing to me. Question: Do you "miss" having a counter weight on these when you reel in? i.e. Does the reel wobble or jerk up and down too much during retrieve? Thank you!
I carefully hand filed the rounded ends of the Type A handle shaft hole until it fit on to the 30H gear sleeve. I used the curved and round files out of this set:
http://www.harborfreight.com/needle-file-set-10-pc-69876.html
The flat sides of the hole DO NOT need rework.
My power handled 30H was fished on the Alan Tani 2015 Spirit of Adventure charter at Cedros Island; was landing Yellowtail 25-35lbs range. The thoughts "...gee, I wished this handle was counterbalanced..." or "...gosh, this setup really wobbles..." NEVER crossed my mind.
The same applied to my Penn 27 and 970 that I took on both the 2014 and 2015 charters; on the 27, the 24-155 was replaced with a 24-56; on the 970 balanced 24-970 was replaced with a power 24-349H.
All three were fished with 50lb braid main to 40lb mono/fluoro topshot.
I love your replies Porthos, very thorough. It seems we have the same Daiwa blood running thru our veins.
After servicing a 47H used as a loaner for salmon ball trolling, I think I may end up using it myself. It's just built so well. I will upgrade the handle beforehand.
(The 970 speaks for itself).
I bought six 47's a year ago and have yet to wet them but very impressed by the build at their size.