Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Does the Penn Senators 9/0 and above still have a place in fishing today? If you feel they do in what capacity?

if you are going to fish with straight mono, then yes.

In my opinion nowadays they are completely superseded by modern gamefishing reels. The only use I can think of for them is maybe land-based shark fishing on a budget. If you can afford to go game fishing, you can afford to buy a set of used Internationals or Tiagras. The smaller ones (4/0 and the such) still have a place for things like party boat operators where you need a bulletproof, simple workhorse that you won't be too cut up about if it goes in the drink.
Can you hot-rod a Senator to get the performance closer to a modern reel? Sure. Will you spend more than you would have to just buy a modern reel, and end up with something less capable? Probably.

As much as I hate to admit it (looking at shelf of modified Penn's) Boon is pretty accurate.  But I will say I've seen them motorized and used as kite reels for flying/retreiving the kite. - john

Ok,,,my favorite modified senator is the 9/0 with the aluminum frame it's light wieght,,, It holds 1000yrs of 100lb braid and 100yrs of 80lb mono top shot the bigger spool makes it easier for fish to take drag smooth and palm,,,,you can change the leader for the type of fish you're going for,,,,,,

Fish haven't changed much in the last few million years.

Large Senators have held up well, lasted lifetimes, and secured many of the record catches.

I don't leave an old friend for a new one...

But for anyone who doesn't need their old large Senators anymore —- just send them to me.  I'll give them a good home!

Best, Fred

There is one good thing about the big Senators; ease of maintenance. I looked at the schematic for a Penn International; about 200 parts for a modern VISX model.

 In ten years, I'll still be fishing my Penn reels. Cost will be minimal. If you buy new reels, in that same 10 year span, you will probably have to buy new at least once due to designed obsolescence of parts. Cost?

It's like the classic cars vs. a new plastic import. In ten years, that classic will still be turning heads, and an old Penn will still be filling freezers.

Like Tom said so well, my 30 year old Penn Senators are still catching big grouper and amberjack at minimal cost to me. One fishing buddy has already replaced a fancy reel after 3.5 years, and now the new replacement is in the shop. My other fishing buddy has had his 5 year old fancy reel repaired at least twice: close to $100 each time. The Senators are slower and heavier, but just keep going and catching.

Quote from: foakes on July 18, 2025, 07:23:10 PMFish haven't changed much in the last few million years.

Large Senators have held up well, lasted lifetimes, and secured many of the record catches.

I don't leave an old friend for a new one...

But for anyone who doesn't need their old large Senators anymore —- just send them to me.  I'll give them a good home!

Best, Fred

Thats a lotta Dam reels Fred 

Quote from: 1badf350 on July 19, 2025, 11:11:07 PM

Quote from: foakes on July 18, 2025, 07:23:10 PMFish haven't changed much in the last few million years.

Large Senators have held up well, lasted lifetimes, and secured many of the record catches.

I don't leave an old friend for a new one...

But for anyone who doesn't need their old large Senators anymore —- just send them to me.  I'll give them a good home!

Best, Fred

That a lotta Dam reels Fred 

I see what you're doing there!

The 9/0 was once the reel of choice for the UK shark fleet captains, but was gradually replaced by the 6/0 or the Tatler V as they were less expensive and still adequate for holiday anglers with little experience; lighter and easier for them to handle too.

I've got and use the modern Tiagras and Internationals but still love the sound of the clicker on a 9/0 Senator when a shark takes off with your bait. Music to the ears, nothing else like it.

I fill 2/3 80lb dacron and top with 80lb nylon mono - way overkill for blue shark of course, but there is always a slim chance of a porbeagle, mako or thresher. Fishing from a drifting boat - no chasing unless you see the spool hub!

The only trade off that is of any new reel compared to older reels is two speeds. The star drag is just as good as the lever drag in most situations. Other than that penn reels are easier to work on. Parts are cheap. With the right upgrades you can't find a better reel.

They are tanks... that's what my father started out with when he got into marlin/wahoo fishing and therefore what I used as a kid as well.
They will get insanely hot on a big fish and the drag does get a bit sticky - I would recommend you replace the felt washers in the drag stack with carbon fiber ones.
You can just order some carbon sheets from smoothdrag and cut the washers out the sheets with a pair of scissors. Plenty of youtube service videos online
Just try to get the same material strength carbon sheets as the felt washers are, from memory it should be 1mm.
This will give you a much smoother drag, especially when the reel starts to get hot.

The Senator reels were the gold standard before the lever drags started coming out and can still whip a big fish to the boat... use it!!

One of our great moderators,  Shark Hunter did hot rodding on a Penn 9/0!  I added the link so you can view it and pick up some tips. Enjoy!



https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,17029.0.html

Here's a link for new members.  Dominick https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,15832.0.html