Penn Slammer 760 I Should Have Known Better

[Dominick]

A Couple of years ago I purchased a new Penn Slammer.  It was smooth operating and I was too lazy to do a pre use maintenance.  I used the reel for Rooster fishing in Mexico.  After each use I rinsed the reel down and wiped it dry.  I recently returned from Los Cabos and lost a rooster fish of a life time because I did not do a pre maintenance breakdown.  We were fishing north east of Playita near a rocky beach.  We were fishing with live caballito on a slow troll.  I did not have the bait in the water more than 5 minutes when the bait disappeared in a swirl.  As is necessary when fishing for rooster fish you let the fish take the bait on loose drag.  After about 10 or 15 seconds you set the hook.  With adrenaline pumping through my body I waited.  Bang, I set the hook.  As soon as I set the hook the biggest rooster fish I ever saw came out of the water in a big splash.  The rod bent in half and I had a solid hook up.  I tightened the drag and the fish was still taking line.  I started to work the fish when the reel started to act funny.  With each crank of the handle the reel would jam.  I kept pushing through the jam and then the reel locked up for good.  Before I could let off some drag the line broke because the reel would not turn anymore.  I saw the braid dig in to the spool and I was reaching for the drag knob when the line broke.  Upon examining the line it looked like the line broke at the knot tying the flourocarbon leader on the main line.  When I got back to my hotel I took the reel apart and found that two screws holding the drag in place had come loose and was tumbling around under the spool and that is what finally jammed the spool (see photo below).  So I did not follow the recommendations of most of the  members and perform a pre maintenance on a new reel and it cost me.  the moral of the story is by all means do a pre maintenance on a reel before trusting in on the water.  Sadder but wiser.  Dominick

[thorhammer]

Thanks, Dommie- I use Slammer 560's, 560LL and 460LL regularly, and the 360 is my "take one reel anywhere in the world reel", and I have. I havent checked those screws in the service...but will now.

[Dominick]

I put thread lock on them now.  I believe the fish I lost was bigger than the one below.  Dominick

[Gfish]

Whoa! Good cautionary tale and advice. I've done the same, except with only corrosion issues as a result. Losin the big'un is worse.
I skipped a couple a times, cause I's afraid'a wrecking the new reel during the reassembly. Imagine ~$200 down the drain, or having to send it out for reassembly without ever getting a chance to fish it?...
Still have a 2016 Daiwa BG 5000 that I'm afraid-of completely disassembling.

[thorhammer]

by crickey thats a hoss!

[oc1]

An experience of a life time, nonetheless.

[foakes]

I put thread lock on them now.  I believe the fish I lost was bigger than the one below.  Dominick

Uh-Huh, right...and it will get much bigger in the coming days and weeks...

Best, Fred

😄😄😄

[Dominick]

I put thread lock on them now.  I believe the fish I lost was bigger than the one below.  Dominick

Uh-Huh, right...and it will get much bigger in the coming days and weeks...

Best, Fred

😄😄😄

Correcto Fredo.     Dominick