So It's time to get stuck into these projects I have mounting up, some I have started, some I have yet to start.
I'm needing to make a collective order, as freight to down under certainly stings !!!
I still have another 4/0 and a 4/0 wide with Tiburon frames and a 9/0 which will get the full works.
However, this is about the Squidder.......
So far she has the Tiburon frame and handle upgrade, but haven't touched inside.
I want to be using her for casting slugs, probably with 30-40lb braid with mono top shot, chasing our Aussie salmon and the occasional kingfish,
so at Best a 20lb fish, but the Kingfish especially, go real hard.
So I'd like to upgrade the drag to give her a bit more grunt, to go along with the Tiburon frame.
What upgrades are recommended here, I see there is a S/S gear sleeve and also a new star available, is this recommended when up grading the drag ???
What have others done or what would be recommended here........
As mentioned, just getting a rather large order ready to save on freight
Thanks in advance
Col
I think I'd start with Bryan Young's 5+1 drag stack, and then only add the ss gear sleeve. That's as far as I've gone in my 146's. You won't be generating a huge amount of drag in that little gear, so I don't think you really need to beef up any of the other components. A 20lb kingfish/yellowtail will put up quite a fight on a squidder. Should be fun!
Hi Scrinch,
Thanks for that, The drag update and ss gear sleeve was all I could find when I sifted thru the posts, but I wanted to make sure.
In all honesty, it will probably sit there until I see a boil up, usually Atlantic salmon ( kahawai as we called them back home) generally if there 5-6 lb you've done well, but there a hell of a fight on light gear. But I know that I won't be able to resist flicking a slug at some rat Kingy's which here can get upwards of 15lb at the heads in the bay I fish.
What sort of drag figures do you think your 146 would get out of interest ?
I see there is now a fine threaded ss gear sleeve available, which would give a finer adjustment with the drag, did you fit the corse threaded gear sleeve or the fine one ??
Col
I would go for the fine threaded sleeve. Bryan's 5 stack comes on pretty fast and a fine thread adjustment will give you an adjustment that is more precise and not as touchy. Rudy
Quote from: RowdyW on November 13, 2019, 02:32:39 PM
I would go for the fine threaded sleeve. Bryan's 5 stack comes on pretty fast and a fine thread adjustment will give you an adjustment that is more precise and not as touchy. Rudy
I agree...especially if the setting being touchy bothers you. Although the 5-stack's power does come on faster, it's a much smoother set up at higher drag settings. You can expect 15-20lbs. max...depending on how flat and true your metal washers are. I see you commented you haven't been inside the reel yet. If it doesn't have a steel main, you may want to find one. Let me know if you can't find the gear local. 8)
Hi Guys,
Thanks Rowdy, That sounds perfect for my set up and the type of fishing I'll do with it.
A fine threaded one it shall be, thanks.
Hi Mo, 15-20lb drag is great, again perfect for the fishing I'll be doing with it.
When all the frame parts from Randy arrived, I just assembled the reel, but didn't strip the insides down, so I'm about to do that now.
Thanks for the heads up on the steel main Mo, I'll check that out. I want to make this reel as tough as I possibly can.
Thanks guys
Col
The squidder is one of my favorite reel, I own all available colors from Cortez Conversions and a couple from accurate.
20lbs might be a bit much for a squidder, I wouldn't push it above 15lbs.and that would be with the available upgrades.
But of course not everyone fishes the same.
A stock squidder max drag is rated at 7-8lbs from Penn, we could double that number with the upgrades, but wouldn't overdo it.
Just my opinion of course.
Sal
Quote from: Alto Mare on November 13, 2019, 10:01:51 PM
20lbs might be a bit much for a squidder, I wouldn't push it above 15lbs.and that would be with the available upgrades.
But of course not everyone fishes the same.
I don't think I've ever had my Squidders with the 5-stack higher than 10-12lbs. There's always more power than what I use. The 5-stack can really shine in the #5-66 geared reels, they can take the 15+ better. Speaking of...I'm working on a 113 Grouper Special right now Sal. Using the 149 main/113H pinion set up. Good to see you back in these conversations! 8)
Quote from: mo65 on November 13, 2019, 11:09:53 PM
Good to see you back in these conversations! 8) [/color]
X2! :)
Thanks guys!
The advice from Rudy, Mo and others about the 5 stack is a good one.
It isn't always about gaining more drag, those are the best option you could do on these little guys.
My Surfmasters have the 5 stack as well, it makes a world of difference when fishing.
Sal
I typically use 20lb or 25lb mono on my squidders and surfmaster, so I've never tried to go above about 8-10 lbs of drag. If I need more drag than that, I'll use a 501 with 30-40lb topshot...or a 113hn with 50lb topshot.
Quote from: scrinch on November 14, 2019, 12:19:08 AM
I typically use 20lb or 25lb mono on my squidders and surfmaster, so I've never tried to go above about 8-10 lbs of drag. If I need more drag than that, I'll use a 501 with 30-40lb topshot...or a 113hn with 50lb topshot.
Yup! Same here!
Mo, can't wait to hear what you think about the new combination with the 5-149 and 113H pinion.
Sal
Quote from: scrinch on November 14, 2019, 12:19:08 AM
I typically use 20lb or 25lb mono on my squidders and surfmaster, so I've never tried to go above about 8-10 lbs of drag. If I need more drag than that, I'll use a 501 with 30-40lb topshot...or a 113hn with 50lb topshot.
This. I only use a Squidder for it's original intentions and that is light Surf fishing, which, unfortunately, I rarely do anymore. It is fine for Pompano, Bluefish, Snook and Spanish Mackerels and most other smaller species common to S. Florida. I have no interest with catching Tarpon or Sharks as I consider them trash fish.
Thanks guys, appreciate every ones input.
I probably over exagerated my expectations on up to a 20lb kingy, as mentioned, a good salmon averages 5-7 lb on a good day, but are awesome fighters all the same. The kingy population here in Melbourne were completely fished out with netting and cages back in the 50's, but over the last year or two, they have kind of made a come back at the heads to the bay, but they are really only rat kingy's, which are great fun on light gear, which I know I won't be able to resist the temptation with this modded Squidder ;D. 10-12 lb of drag is all I will need in all honesty.
When chasing kingy's further north or out wide, I always go up in gear, I did a lot of king fish fishing back home on some absolute horses in NZ, which fair tested any gear, but here in Aussie, they don't seem to be that big.
I fish pretty well all my reels with mono, I was being "pursuaded" to give braid a go reluctantly, mainly because this is a narrow Tiburon frame set up, but I may re think this !.
So the Squidder will be there as an all round reel set up for smaller target species, maybe I might have to look at another mod option for something with a wee bit more capabilties. I normally go for my Saragosa set up when popping on the surface, which is a great reel, but as previously mentioned, I am trying to replace a lot of my modern gear with older Penn modded reels and with 4 on the table at the minute to finish off, that option can wait for a while.
Great to hear from you Sal !!!!!!!!!!
Mo, Just quickly looked at the main gear and it appears to be steel, so I will give it the good check over and check it's condition first, as this Squidder
was originally a very well used one..
Col
Hi Col,
What would help would be to specify a bit about how you planned to fish the reel. The squidder has a 3.3:1 gear ratio, which means this is not a good reel for speed winding, which is something that I find important for working just about any lure for kingies.
The narrow squidders with the metal frames were the hot reel back in the day for tossing small live baits to (true) albacore tuna with 20 lb mono. It is a great reel for soft tossing and working small to medium live baits in freespool. Unlike modern levelwinds and those mini "jigging" reels, the squidder yoke/engagement system has all metal parts and is fairly robust. It is less likely to go kablooey if you flip the lever from freespool on a hot kingie with the drag buttoned down.
The lower gear ratio actually comes in handy when fighting kingies, as it makes it much easier to wind under load. Even with the stock drag, you will find that the gear sleeve to handle junction will be the weakest link when you wind under load to keep the kingfish off of structure. But this will only get to be a problem if you are getting into a lot of 10-15 pounders. I would do a stainless gear sleeve and a stainless handle arm as a first upgrade. You might need to get a stainless dog if you find that the stock dog is getting chewed up by the upgraded gear sleeve. A stainless star will not provide a performance benefit. I will defer to the other folks with more experience on the drag kit, but make sure that whatever you run has carbon fiber washers that are coated with drag grease. You need to avoid any sticking in the drag if you are going to crank it down past the original intent.
A stock squidder is more than enough reel for kahawai. Rat kingies will be fine. As a live bait reel, it is better option than some of the more modern choices in that size/class. If you need to wind lures fast, you will probably find a modern levelwind more effective, or you can go back to your eggbeater Shimano :)
-J
Thanks Jurelometer,
Yeah, it will be only rat kingy's and kahawai I will be chasing with it, so it sounds like with the Tiburon frame and spool and gear sleeve
as others have mentioned, along with the 5 stack drag update, she will be a weapon. The handle arm has been upgraded, so all good to go
there. I'm really looking forward to getting this reel done and tested, it won't be on the boat as yet ( still under rebuild) but there are some great land base places to give it a good going over on Kahawai, which , smoked, is one of my favourite to eat. Can't understand people when they say they only use it for pet food and strip baits ! They haven't lived !!
I guess though, this has me thinking in regards to Modding up another reel, with a slightly better drag and faster on the wind in, that can step up in fish size,,,, Hmmm, It never ends ::)
Col
yes never ends Col, know way I would take a squidder drag over 12Lbs, even with all the upgrades, cheers Don,
My Monofil 27 with a Newell 146 100 spool:
(https://alantani.com/gallery/25/9140_20_09_18_6_30_58.jpeg)
with a THREE-stack of 6-155's got this on just 8lbs of drag from top-of-spool (the most via hand tightening the star is 12lb):
(https://alantani.com/gallery/29/9140_23_10_19_3_47_37.jpeg)
I'd expect the Bryan's 146 5-stack to be capable of pulling in bigger units...
Wai, what gearing did you use to get the monofil to accept Squidder spool shaft?
John
Oh, my bad, it was a Newell Surfmaster 100 spool. Making correction now...
The Surfmaster 100 spool shaft has a smaller dia than the 146's...I'd definitely expect the 146's to handle much bigger fish.
Nice fish Wai!
12lb drag can bring in even larger, I've caught some nice size stripers on reel using the same gears as your monofil 27 , those are smaller than the Squidder main gear.
You probably are using a Newell 100 spool, it's easy to get it mixed up to the 146.
Sal
Sorry... we were typing at the same time🙂
I was my intention to catch something worthy on the 27 on this year's SOA Charter to cheer you up! Hope that YFT did the trick!
Quote from: Porthos on November 14, 2019, 02:33:40 PM
I was my intention to catch something worthy on the 27 on this year's SOA Charter to cheer you up! Hope that YFT did the trick!
Sure dud Buddy, you said you were going to do it and you delivered👍
Always nice to see what these little reel can do.
Thanks Wai!
Sal
The 970 was also on duty this year as well. ;)
It's interesting that after all the mods done to the Mag Power 970, Monofil 27, and Squidder 146, the reels' limitation shifts to the spool capacity...somewhere in the range of 325-350 yards of 50 lb solid braid for 40-50 lb topshots.
I will be spooling up the 27 with 50 lb hollow for next season to hopefully bump up the capacity just a little more...
Col, if you use braid, you will get a lot more line on the spool, and just a short mono top shot, make sure the top shot is, lighter braking strain than the braid, then the mono should brake before the braid, that way you dont loose to much line, cheers Don.
Quote from: Donnyboat on November 14, 2019, 10:25:49 PM
Col, if you use braid, you will get a lot more line on the spool, and just a short mono top shot, make sure the top shot is, lighter braking strain than the braid, then the mono should brake before the braid, that way you dont loose to much line, cheers Don.
A gamble that may be considered is to fill with solid braid and then use a hollow core connection to the mono/fluoro top shot. Say, 50 braid -> 50 hollow -> 50 top shot. The gamble is the knot to the hook will be the weakest point--it will be the first to break.
Quote from: milne on November 13, 2019, 09:03:23 PM
Thanks Rowdy, That sounds perfect for my set up and the type of fishing I'll do with it.
A fine threaded one it shall be, thanks.
Col
NOTE : The "Fine Threads" will also require a matching Star Drag knob replacement, since the threads are NOT the same.
Tight Lines !
SQUIDDERS are my favorite reel, of all time !
Tight Lines !
Nice reel Dave...........
Yep, noticed the fine threaded star to be used.
I've been so busy over the last few weeks, I think I've missed the boat with getting an order in for my upgrade parts.
I shall wait till after Xmas, when I'll have more time to sit down and get an order compiled, the post ex state side to Aussie will be maxed out this
time of the year. I'm trying to make postage cost effective by getting as much as I can, so I have to go over my other projects as well.
I think with what I am doing to the Squidder, it will be more than capable of handling anything I can throw at it,,,,,.
I'm excited !!!!
Col
Nice reel Dave! I always wanted to build a 145 Squidder Magnum.
Quote from: thorhammer on December 03, 2019, 11:24:11 AM
Nice reel Dave! I always wanted to build a 145 Squidder Magnum.
Thanks !
I had a beautiful Red 140 Squidder Magnum that I stupidly sold, almost 10 years ago . . . When the man said, "I'll give you $400 for it, I temporarily went insane" . . . That reel is somewhere in Hawaii now, I think !
Tight Lines !
that's a lot of cash tho....but then you have to figure could you ever replace it.
Quote from: thorhammer on December 17, 2019, 04:04:38 PM
that's a lot of cash tho....but then you have to figure could you ever replace it.
Doubtful . . . It was flawless !
So what's everyone's opinion on slow pitch jigging with with a squidder? Could it handle a grouper when upgraded?
Whoa, step back from the edge,lol. My gut instinct after upgrading dozens of Penns is 'Not the groupers I've seen on videos'. Fish to maybe 20lbs I think you may pull it off. Note: I have zero experience with grouper fishing, so more or less subscribing as they say. I would like to know for sure.
If you're fishing deep water for grouper that small spool and 3:1 gears will make an awfully slow ascent. Probably has the power but it's painfully slow
Hey Homer,
While you can catch pretty good size fish on a Squidder, it would not be my first choice for groupering, because it has small gears that will not like getting a full lock-down to keep from getting rocked, and may shred if you try to winch him out. Same slow ratio will make it difficult to winch quickly to begin with. At the least I'd make sure I had steel main gear and SS sleeve upgrade. An upgraded jiggy will work pretty tho. However, science is magic until it's science, as they say, so give it a shot and let us know.
John
Well I'm currently using a Ocea Jigger for grouper, tuna, snapper, etc. It's got a slow gear ratio too but the decrease in line take up is traded for more torque, which I really appreciate when trying to turn big fish. I haven't caught a big grouper on that set up but I have caught big snapper, blackfin, cobia, kings, and big AJ's.
Well I will have to try that squidder with braid and upgraded guts and report back. Worst that could happen is I spend more money at mystic parts, haha
I'm all for pushing the limit to see how big of a fish you can catch on small tackle but....
Just kidding there's no but. Go for it! I for one vote for before/after pics.
Quote from: Rancanfish on March 14, 2023, 04:45:56 AMWhoa, step back from the edge,lol.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on March 14, 2023, 09:48:13 PMI for one vote for before/after pics.
I've never hauled a pallet of bricks off the bottom either. I have landed some rather large fish that out-classed my gear. Each time, I wished I would have had "a bigger boat" so to speak.
I agree with these two guys....caution and anticipation. 8)
When I lived in Tampa I used to take out my Extra Narrow 113H and it was always more than enough for good size grouper and ARS. I think an upgraded jiggy would be no problem. I have a squidder magnum and an upgraded XN squidder. I used that for mangrove snapper. I never hooked up with a grouper on the squidders though. I think the magnum might have been fine.
A Squidder has a 3.3:1 gear ratio. I thought that the "low gear" Ocea Jiggers were more toward a 5:1.
If you want to use a Squidder, the 146 has reasonable basic dimensions for slow pitch. The most important upgrade for this type of fishing is improving the strength of winding under load, which means an aftermarket stainless gear sleeve, plus upgrade the drag stack to carbon fiber. Anything else is getting into diminishing returns.
Grouper don't pull hard for long once you get them away from the rocks. If the size is small enough to stop with 8 lbs of drag, an upgraded Squidder will work, but wouldn't be my first choice because of the gear ratio. A common SPJ retrieve requires a bit of a rapid wind on the lift.
Other than that, SPJ isn't very demanding on a reel (just dropping and winding, no casting- generally not targeting jumbo fish), so any reel that is light enough to jig all day and easy enough to pack line evenly (narrow spool or levelwind) will get the job done.
If you want to go old school, I think that a Newell 220 makes for a very nice SPJ reel around the size of a 146 squidder.
-J
Yes, a Newell 220 is the size of a 146... by design it's a magnum squidder! If you want a magnum 145 just get a Newell 229 or if you want it all blinged out get a Pro Gear 251! My old GS 525 from back in '89 is way better than any Squidder ever made! You used to be able to get extra GS gears in 4.25:1 and 5.3:1 too. I had the 4.25:1 in a 555 and the 5.3:1 in a 545 and 535. I kept the 6:1 in the 525 and 525 mag.
Quote from: Homer Hiers on March 14, 2023, 12:20:15 AMSo what's everyone's opinion on slow pitch jigging with with a squidder? Could it handle a grouper when upgraded?
THe gear ratio is too slow and with that tiny spool will hardly pick up any line! THe dime size drags wouldn't help either! I use an Accurate BV-300 for SPJ but that's a whole different class.
Mark - I'm guessing the reels you put the 6:1 sets in came out whenever wahoo were in the mix? - john