Albacore Reel

[Rancanfish]

Hey you guys that have actually gone for Albacore,  what reels do you use?  It's too late to pare down my collection of reels as they are already packed, but want to know what specs are preferred, as in inches per turn, capacity, etc.  Model number and brand.

I will be in Oregon at my new place in a month and hear they actually get pretty close.  I might not get a chance until next season but I WILL get some.

I have reels that say Albacore special on them lol, but two different sizes there too.

I'm also going to try big sardine or anchovy flies if we get on a school of smaller footballs.  My biggest fly rod is a 9wt.

[Alan Matsuno]

I am in Northern CA, I fish 20, 25, and 30.  Saltwater duty reels.  If the boat does not supply troll gear, I bring 60#.

If you can land a 30# salmon on your 9wt, go for it.  If you are fishing a party boat, and take a long time to land your fish and the school moves, you prevent the boat from following the school.  A 15# albacore tied to a 30# tail to tail, the albacore will tow that salmon anywhere it wants.

Are you on a private boat or party?

Albacore Special, are they Pro Gear?

[Rancanfish]

Definitely on my own boat.  And yes, all ProGear.

[PacRat]

Back in the day when we had albacore in SoCal the Penn 99 aka 'Albacore Special' was THE reel...loaded with 30 lb mono. With that said...things have evolved but your ProGears should be good-to-go.

History of the Penn 99 Albacore Special

Here's a brief history of the 99 size reels which will either clarify it or completely confuse you:

Penn made a 99 model also known as a Silver Beach. Width wise it is between a 500 and a 501 also the spool diameter is the same. The left sideplate has an inner & outer ring on it and the reel also has a 1-screw take apart just like the Jigmasters. The other major difference is the main and pinion gears in a Penn 99 Silver Beach are the same as a Surfmaster with a 3:1 gear ratio. Most of the "99's" that you see today are converted 500's or 501's with either 4:1 or 5:1 gears in them, same basic reel as a Newell 332 size wise.

In southern California during the 60's and 70's, the Jigmaster 99 conversion was a favorite among the old Japanese guys that fished the day boats out of southern California.  They would pull a side plate off a Jigmaster and slap it on a 99 frame and spool.  It made a great 25 to 30 pound reel. Straight 30 pound mono was the line of choice in those days, and the 501 just didn't hold enough, while the 500 held more than was needed for albies. The 500's, drag was much better, and of course faster gears too.

The late, great Jerry Morris is credited with coining the term "Albacore Special" after mating Jigmaster 500 sideplates with a Penn 99 Silver Beach spool and frame circa 1966.

The first commercial use of the name 'Albacore Special' was a Newell kit. Carl Newell (a good friend of Jerry's) made bars, base and spool and called it a Model #99 Albacore Special.  This kit fit Penn Jigmasters to make the 99 size which is between the full 500 and the 501 sizes. On a Penn 99 Silver Beach sideplate the bar screw holes are set too wide apart (center to center) for Newell 300 Series or Jigmaster bars, but Newell 145 (Squidder) bars will fit them. Also, the base on Penn 99's have three screw holes, not two like all the other normal Penn reels of that size.

The 99 width is the size of a Newell 332 (2 1/8"), which is a very desirable size in the 300 series. Carl Also made the Newell 338 (2 7/16") which is the identical width of a Penn 500, and 322 (1 5/8") which is the same width as a Penn 501. A 99 Albacore Special is Penn 500 Jigmaster converted with Newell kit, or any of many other companies and machinist that have made frames for these fine reels.

These are amazing reels, especially when you look at the time-frame that Penn and Newell started making them. At the time these were considered the absolute best reels made.

[whalebreath]

Shimano TLD15 straight out of the box or tarted up- load with 60# Power Pro and a topshot of 30# mono.

[Rancanfish]

I have a built Tiburon framed Penn 99 too.  I have a bunch of fully capable reels as I'm sure a lot of us do, but the question is which reel do you actually take?

I have two each of;
Penn 990
Penn Baja w/ Cortez bridges
Newell 338j
Penn 4/0 narrows from Randy
Pro Gear 501's
PG Alby Specials
Penn 525 mag
Daiwa 40HSD
...well you get the idea.  But I have just never fished albacore.  What's Ted using?

[Maxed Out]

 Super high speed gears are not needed for albacore. Once hooked it's pump and reel. Short strokes keeps fish in death spiral. A stock 4/1 jigmaster 500 is all you need.

I fish albacore with a Cortez 99 jigmaster with mostly stock internals. It's a live bait setup, and Oregon has no live bait available, so you'd want to be more setup for irons or jigs

Ted

[RowdyW]

Does a Penn 112H fit in this category? It's similar in size & same gearing  as a 99 jigmaster. Just a little larger diameter. If not what's the purpose of a 112H? I've just got a soft spot for stock to fully tricked out 112H's.       Rudy

[Cor]

I guess it would also depend on the size of the fish, but I would generally use the same tackle I would use for Yellowtail of 15lb upwards.
Much of this is just personal preferences and what I am accustomed to and we tend to use the same class of reels for most purposes.    The main reason for this is that we cast at all our fish, sometimes over a distance, so a good casting reel that you are familiar with becomes more important.

Any Star drag, reel that can hold 350yds of 50 lb line, a drag that works (maybe 15 lb)   I have never seen a reel break on Albacore, but some are easier than others.

I have used or seen used by mates:
DAIWA SL-X40SHA   (Not advised)
SHIMANO  TRANX 500HG
SHIMANO TORIUM TN30 (with modified AR pawl)
SHIMANO TLD 20/40
SALTIGA 40 HK  (This is my preferred reel)
DAIWA SL50SH

Sometimes we find Yellowfin Tuna amongst the Albecore, that may become a problem. 

[thorhammer]

Does a Penn 112H fit in this category? It's similar in size & same gearing  as a 99 jigmaster. Just a little larger diameter. If not what's the purpose of a 112H? I've just got a soft spot for stock to fully tricked out 112H's.       Rudy

Agree, Rudy- two of my favorite reels are 112H with Tib frames and CC plates- Tom REALLY made a custom fit and shape on these and they are fantastic. Trying to figure out what to use them on. Probably snapper and cobia.

[RowdyW]

I would like to try the one I went all in on.  10 tooth fine thread ss sleeve & dog, Penn steel main gear, Bryan's 5+1 drags, Newell spool, BP's offset arm, and of course Tom's plates on a Tiburon frame. All done in RED! 60lb braid with a top shot of clear 50lb mono on a 6 or 6 1/2 ft  50# rod. I'd like to hook into a good sized Wahoo or King Mackerel. It's not a 30# reel anymore. It's not a winch but it is strong enough for pump & reel. If you think 112H's aren't desirable take a a look on ebay. Asking prices are generally higher then comparable 500's,113h's & even some 114H's. And they are mostly dumping the ones with chrome spools.

[El Pescador]

Penn Torque 100 Star Drag Reel!

I borrowed this reel from Dominick for a great Albacore fishing day,

It is a very solid & worthy reel, REELY!!!

Wayne

[RowdyW]

Wayneo I think it's more fun to build it yourself.    Of course there are over a hundred reels that will do the job. I bet "my" modified  112H weighs less & is a whole lot cheaper than any Torque.

[nelz]

Penn Torque 100 Star Drag Reel!
It is a very solid & worthy reel, REELY!!!

Right on Wayne, I love my Torque 100... um except your photo is of the 300 

[nelz]

We're having a run of large Bonita at the pier recently, averaging 20 pounders, some pushing 30. I imagine they're as tough or more so than Albacore (I've never caught an Albie). My Penn 501 handled them beautifully. Next time I took out the PG 545, also great, but lost several due to line problems.

These fish also like to turn and come straight at you, and I found myself wanting a faster reel then, but cranking super-fast did the trick. Bonita blitz!

Definitely gonna try my Torque 100 next time at 6 to 1.

PG 545
Penn 501
Torque 100