Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Conventional and Bait Casting Reel Rebuild Tutorials and Questions => Penn Tutorials and Questions => Topic started by: festus on March 11, 2019, 02:45:20 PM

Title: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: festus on March 11, 2019, 02:45:20 PM
I have a few Peerless 9, 209, and 309.  Just wondering what are the strong points of the direct drive as in the 109? I see they're still selling pretty well on the big auction for decent prices.  Only reason I don't have one already is because they don't have a freespool and wouldn't cast very well.  I have enough problems casting the No. 9.  I see lots of decent looking Pflueger, Shakespeare, and other old classics from the 1940s and 50s going for peanuts but haven't been interested because they don't freespool either.

Title: Re: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: thorhammer on March 11, 2019, 04:11:15 PM
Direct drive is of use primarily if one is a rod-in-hand drift fisherman, as you have direct contact to back spool line and maintain bottom contact directly. Effective for flounder fishing, and maybe drifting a bass worm across a point. Squidders have it as an optional feature, one i find more often that not gets the lever hit in transport and I end up with a line mess.

I'm a big fan of the Peer series, and still use them often for freshwater stripers and cats. The 9 and 209 are good, solid live bait reels, the 209 is tailored to downrigging, amd the 309 pulls more leadcore line on my lake than all other reels combined. You can find 9 and 209 all day for under $30 and not unusual to come across them at yard sales for 5-10 bucks....probably the most reel for the money you can find consistently. If you want to cast, suggest the Mag 10 and 210: ball bearing upgrades with larger gears and mag control. I just bought a big box of "parts" for $50 because I detected enough of a Mag 10 in the picture and it was worth price of admission. I considered the rest of the stuff freebie.
Title: Re: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: festus on March 11, 2019, 05:57:16 PM
That makes sense. I have a Squidder also and really didn't see the point for the anti-reverse lever unless fighting a fish by backreeling instead of using the drags. I like the Peer series also.  Lucked out and found two Peerless 9 in good condition for 8 bucks apiece a couple years ago.  Of course then I got the fever and couldn't resist a couple 209 and 309. 
Title: Re: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: thorhammer on March 11, 2019, 07:31:10 PM
ha- that's how it starts, isn't? I will never use all I have but any Penn is worth 8 bucks in parts!
Title: Re: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: sundancer on March 13, 2019, 04:58:56 PM
I also have an army of 9's and 209's..  Both fit my needs exactly...

I have a couple of 9's and 209's with leather thumb pads to add more drag.  I haven't had the opportunity to stress the Frames to twisting from a large catch..  if i ever do, the Reel will be thoroughly cleaned, polished, and mounted with pride..............   ;)

for my type of fishing, the 9's and 109's are interchangeable. 

Steve
Title: Re: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: sharkman on March 13, 2019, 07:19:51 PM
I use the 9 and 109's for sheepshead and mangrove snapper dock reels.
Title: Re: Comparing the direct drive no. 109 to the no. 9
Post by: thorhammer on March 13, 2019, 07:26:57 PM
An old salt once told me if he was sheephead fishing he used a Squidder Jr because of the direct drive. I'm more likely to be dozing off and get my knuckles burned on a hit lol