Hello,
New member here. Recently received a new Senator 14/0 that I'll be using lightly for LBSF (have lever drag 2 speeds for my more serious encounters). I have a few questions I was hoping some of the reel Gods on here could help with! Is there an upgraded handle that fits this reel? I've seen a few nice machined ones on eBay but they only seem to fit the smaller versions. Anyone know of anything else besides the black plastic one that would work? Also, is there anything I should do for the drag? Being these reels aren't known for their strong drags, I was hoping to beef it up with a drag washer kit. Is there one recommended more than the other? Is there anything else that's a good idea? I've read about and seen posts about double dogs, SS gears. etc. I'm assuming these are all good options to help get some more drag to help get the fish in as quick as possible.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Upgrade the drags, replace the gear sleeve with a stainless steel one,and a stainless dog would be a good start. Not a bunch of $ to start off and see how much more you think you'll need.
Lets see this bad boy
Welcome aboard. Be careful, its addicting. I think you'll find everything you need here.
Welcome!
The Sharkhunter should be along soon. He is our Big Senator guru. Welcome. Rudy
Welcome Specialblend07! You're in the right place...
Attached the two pictures I could find on my phone roll. The reel is actually being spooled right now with 2000yds of 150lb braid and 300 yards of 150mono
You got a beer next to a 14/0....that's practically chumming Daron to log in. (Sharkhunter)
As far as grips go, ask Alan (The Boss) when he returns from his ten day if he has any 6/0 grips for this. His 4/0 is actually pretty large too. If not, check Mystic parts- they have a menu that tells you what handles fit what, and I put new International VISX grips on my larger Senators. I think the handle assembly from 70/80 VISX fits the 14/0 but check to be sure. It's large and grippy. With braid and the longer crank, you'll be wanted the SS sleeve as mentioned. As far as "weak" drag.....well, it may have enough stock for you to go swimming if you fish standup from the hill and button it down, but if not there are upgrades. Yours is new so should already have HT-100 carbon drags. Grease them and see if you can hang on.
Thorhammer
Welcome Specialblend from South Australia you must be after some big fish the 14/0 is a very capable reel there are some good upgrades .here's a picture and some info what a stock reel can do.
Kim
Sorry I should have explained better by what I meant on the weak drag...
On several LBSF groups where nearly everyone is fishing with 2 speed reels with 40-100lb drag setups (yes I understand 100lbs unless in a chair would be impossible to hang onto), you get massacred saying you're planning on using a Senator for LBSF. I'm being told a Senator doesn't have enough drag/speed to bring a shark in quick enough to ensure a safe release where they won't die from exhaustion. In the words of some of the more known LBSF fishers, and outfitting shops, they're fully capable of bringing any type of shark in, but it'll be a long fight due to the standard drag which in turn will exhaust the shark to the point of death either once on shore, or when released.
These aren't my words, this is just what I'm being told. Which is also wondering what I can do to this reel to increase drag to try and get the fish in as quick as possible. I got this reel cheap, and I think it'd be fun to use and also a great "wow" piece due to the size and look of it.
You will never need that half-mile of line you are investing in. The 14/0 was designed and built for 100+ lb. thick mono, braided dacron or braided nylon. It is a dinosaur in the age of thin braided spectra. If you want to lug that thing down to the beach just to look cool, that's fine. The beach goers will love it. Been there and done that.
As noted, the stock drag is not a limiting factor. The speed is unlikely to be a limiting factor either because the huge spool will also give you a lot of inches-per-turn. Buy a wagon to carry it in and have fun.
-steve
I've been spooled on rigs with 50#'s of drag at full lock. A reel with 20-30 will surely get spooled if hooked into something big enough. If I have the space, why not use it? You said it yourself, with the added line it adds more length per crank on the retriever. So therefore, the more line the better, correct?
Greetings, 07, from Minnesota.
Frank
Oops. I misspoke. Your 2600 yards is more like 1.5 miles, not half-mile.
In 1966 Walter Maxwell caught his world record 14 ft tiger shark with a stock Penn 16/0. Don't the 14/0 and 16/0 have the same drag, gear train and spool diameter? Donno. Anyway, Maxwell had 1400 yards of 130# braided dacron and almost used all of it. So, I guess you're planning to top that. We'll be right here when you have the photos. :)
Walter Maxwell's photo was in the Penn catalog for years so he sort of became a folk hero in the shark fishing community that began in the late 1950's and, by 1966, had spread from Texas to Massachusetts. The photo of his catch along the Grand Strand, SC went out on the AP wire and was widely distributed. It, along with similar stories, is what first alerted the general public that big nasty sharks are not only in the deep blue seas, but are at the beach as well. Maxwell's catch and others were thought to have a dampening effect on coastal tourism and helped spark the move to ban shark fishing form many piers and beaches. It's a conflict that continues to today. All this was the necessary precursor to the whole Jaws phenomenon that started nine years later. That also continues to this day in the form of Shark Week and such.
Walter Maxwell was a stone mason, like our brother Sal. He was also a devoted fish junkie. An interesting guy who deserves to be remembered. There are a half-dozen articles about him reprinted on the internet. Check it out.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on October 10, 2020, 04:31:15 AM
Oops. I misspoke. Your 2600 yards is more like 1.5 miles, not half-mile.
In 1966 Walter Maxwell caught his world record 14 ft tiger shark with a stock Penn 16/0. Don't the 14/0 and 16/0 have the same drag, gear train and spool diameter? Donno. Anyway, Maxwell had 1400 yards of 130# braided dacron and almost used all of it. So, I guess you're planning to top that. We'll be right here when you have the photos. :)
Walter Maxwell's photo was in the Penn catalog for years so he sort of became a folk hero in the shark fishing community that began in the late 1950's and, by 1966, had spread from Texas to Massachusetts. The photo of his catch along the Grand Strand, SC went out on the AP wire and was widely distributed. It, along with similar stories, is what first alerted the general public that big nasty sharks are not only in the deep blue seas, but are at the beach as well. Maxwell's catch and others were thought to have a dampening effect on coastal tourism and helped spark the move to ban shark fishing form many piers and beaches. It's a conflict that continues to today. All this was the necessary precursor to the whole Jaws phenomenon that started nine years later. That also continues to this day in the form of Shark Week and such.
Walter Maxwell was a stone mason, like our brother Sal. He was also a devoted fish junkie. An interesting guy who deserves to be remembered. There are a half-dozen articles about him reprinted on the internet. Check it out.
-steve
Steve, you must not have read my post.
As I stated, it's not the issue of getting the fish in. It's the issue of getting the fish in QUICK enough to ensure it doesn't die during release or after release from exhaustion.... I also said 2300, not 2600.
You ever notice how all these old time shark records have the person posing with a dead shark?! Go on Land Based Shark Fishing FB group or Worldwide Shark Fishing FB group. Sharks larger than these are being caught daily from beaches, measured, then set free due to the advancement of reel technology. Posting a photo of a dead shark and claiming a senator caught it, is proving my point...... I'm here to keep the fish alive.
You could land a shark on a 2/0 if you fought it for 5 hours until it's death. LBSF is about getting them in quick, and back out quick. It's no different than why we use 100# test for musky fishing on freshwater lakes. You get them in as quick as possible to ensure they don't die from the fight.
Thank you for the information and help though.
Quote from: specialblend07 on October 10, 2020, 12:12:38 PM
Go on Land Based Shark Fishing FB group or Worldwide Shark Fishing FB group. Sharks larger than these are being caught daily from beaches, measured, then set free due to the advancement of reel technology. Posting a photo of a dead shark and claiming a senator caught it, is proving my point...... I'm here to keep the fish alive.
I don't do Facebook but doubt they are catching world record tigers daily. It sounds like you should have taken the advice of your Facebook buddies initially and not pursued the old 14/0.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on October 10, 2020, 02:00:12 PM
Quote from: specialblend07 on October 10, 2020, 12:12:38 PM
Go on Land Based Shark Fishing FB group or Worldwide Shark Fishing FB group. Sharks larger than these are being caught daily from beaches, measured, then set free due to the advancement of reel technology. Posting a photo of a dead shark and claiming a senator caught it, is proving my point...... I'm here to keep the fish alive.
I don't do Facebook but doubt they are catching world record tigers daily. It sounds like you should have taken the advice of your Facebook buddies initially and not pursued the old 14/0.
-steve
Thank you again for the advice, I'll take it into consideration
Quote from: happyhooker on October 10, 2020, 01:24:43 AM
Greetings, 07, from Minnesota.
Frank
Shark fishing in Minnesota?
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on October 10, 2020, 02:31:35 PM
Quote from: happyhooker on October 10, 2020, 01:24:43 AM
Greetings, 07, from Minnesota.
Frank
Shark fishing in Minnesota?
Us northern folk are hoping someday soon they invent a mode of transportation to get us into waters that have sharks!