Frankensquidder

[WestCoast Transplant]

$20 eBay special rolled in. Definitely been abused but is soooo smooth.
Had some spare parts and I grabbed a 146 AL spool for$10.
Less than $40 total into a 140/180/146 mash up.
Spooled with 25# Envy Green mono
Hitting the surf at 5:30 Saturday before work to try it out.

[Dominick]

Amazing.  Penn should have had the slogan "takes a licking and keeps on fishing."  Dominick

[David Hall]

That's the spirit.

[xjchad]

A 146 aluminum spool for $10 !?!?
Love it! 

[WestCoast Transplant]

It was a Buy It Now deal. 

[Alto Mare]

Nice! Always great to see these abused reels brought back to life.
Good job!

[gstours]

Wow!  You got courage and a plan.  Great to see your post.   It's all here,  we are your friends.
     Send us more pictures as time permits.👍.   Thanks.

[grekim]

The worse shape it is in, then all the more satisfying when you bring it back to life!

[WestCoast Transplant]

Took it out this Saturday. Got to say it casts pretty smooth but had quite a few bird nests. Tossing a 2 oz high low rig with a 9'
GX2. I'm happier with the 180 on the same rod.

[festus]

Took it out this Saturday. Got to say it casts pretty smooth but had quite a few bird nests. Tossing a 2 oz high low rig with a 9'
GX2. I'm happier with the 180 on the same rod.

I hear ya.  IMHO a 180 Baymaster, 160 Beachmaster or 200 Surfmaster is easier casting than a Squidder without a birdsnest. 

[Swami805]

Just takes your thumb a little while to get used to it. It'll come to you with a little more practice. Try hanging your lure or whatever at the tip of the rod with the bearing tight with no line coming off, then loosen the bearing to right where line comes off the reel. Do that every time you change the amount of weight. Sometimes that helps. Nothing wrong with using your 180 though.

[festus]

Just takes your thumb a little while to get used to it. It'll come to you with a little more practice. Try hanging your lure or whatever at the tip of the rod with the bearing tight with no line coming off, then loosen the bearing to right where line comes off the reel. Do that every time you change the amount of weight. Sometimes that helps. Nothing wrong with using your 180 though.

So it doesn't hurt the bearings on a Squidder to tighten the spool tension before casting as you would on an Abu 6500?  I know it wasn't recommended on the non-ball bearing reels such as the Beachmaster or Surfmaster.

[Swami805]

A light touch. Don't crank it down hard. Just to the point that line won't come off. Then loosen until line comes off the spool from gravity. Should help a little. Also start with short casts and work your way up. Watch the spool while the lure is in flight, no need to watch the water. Check your casting motion too, nice smooth montion. Practice to develop muscle memory. You'll get it

[Gfish]

Good question Festus. I tested my Squidder 146 out this Sat. with 1.5, then 3 oz. Casts great, quickly develops some high spool speed. Couple backlashes and a burning thumb latter, I torqued down on the adjuster bearing and got better control, but was wondering bout that.
It talk about not doin that in the 89B manual "caution: do not use the left bearing cap adjustment as an anti-backlash device. An overly tight left side bearing cap can damage both the left and right side bearings".
Put some magnets in it, but I don't know..., it's not got alotta effect on the aluminium spool...
Ain't gonna give up though, I'mina try a bandaid next time.

Any references on the 180 size aluminium spool? Got the plastic on my Baymaster and it'ed be such a good lightweight Penn caster, but the plastic's gotta go.

[thorhammer]

Black Pearl is making the narrow spool for 180 / 100 and the 146 here soon. The 100 has aluminum spool and will fit 180 but they are hard to come by at the moment.