[MASSfisher0311]

A couple of questions on this reel

First off I just "restored it" It was sort of broken and pretty dirty so I cleaned it up pretty good and got it back to working condition. If anybody knows any info on this reel that would be much appreciated. I just loaded it up with #50 test mono for cod fishing/trolling. I have no clue if that line is more than needed for the reel. There is no line capacity posted on it. Even though I just loaded it up, I might strip it again and put some #30 power pro backing on it. I don't know if you need backing for the reel, or what backing really is. The truth is I'm kinda tired of the #30 power pro I have on my pen 750ss, and wanna get rid of it but not waste it. It's hard to get rid of $30 worth of line but I've had too many break offs, the line seems to get warn down more than mono when I'm fishing around rocks. Also I only tie palomar knots(I'm only confident with that knot for that line...I've heard too many stories) with the stuff which sucks when tying a plug with 3 treble hooks. One more thing, I'm one of those guys really into the idea of stripers being line shy.....let me just say that translucent 20# mono is harder too see than opaque braided line.

What do you guys think, use it as backing or just toss the stuff. Also is that reel any good? It seems like a nice solid reel and was mounted on some type of nice strong penn rod. I'd love to use it for cod fishing and trolling.

 

[JoeSixpack]

Throw the old line away.

Stripers have never seemed line shy, nor leader shy to me. The water you typically fish is less than clear anyway. I use green Big Game. Takes a beating and the fish don't seem to mind it's being green.

If you are not confident about the "restoration", tell Rick you have a reel you would like Paul to check out. He is the go to guy in the area, and will treat you right.

 

[Sudsy]

A few years ago after another day of mystery breakoffs and lost plugs I came home stripped the line off the reel into the garbage, went to my gear locker, took out a brand new 300 yd spool of PP and tossed it right in the trash - never touched the stuff again.

Penn 309 is a simple old workhorse of a reel, clean it up and fish it.

 

[MASSfisher0311]

Thanks guys. First off I'm gonna bring that reel in to get worked on. I'm pretty confident in it but the drag was kinda messed up on it before. I did a little tinkering and I think I'll be good to go. I think the problem was in the fact that it hadn't been oiled or anything. One possible problem though......when cleaning it I used a good amount of WD-40 on the thing.....I just heard from a couple of sources that you shouldn't use WD-40 on reels. I just added some penn reel lube to it thoday though.

I'm gonna get rid of that line. I was at walmart earlier (I know there are better places to buy tackle but they got the basics + some). I bought the usual that I use for line: 20# berkley clear "Big Game". Joe, are you telling me that the green is stronger....or are they the same exact thing. If they're both the same thing just different colors I think I'll go with the clear just 'cause it's got that extra invisibility to it. What do you think?

Thanks

 

[JoeSixpack]

The clear is supposed to be the same as the green. I actually have 20# clear on a reel right now.

The Big Game will chafe, and peel, and get torn...before it breaks. I have landed fish and then seen the condition of my line and wondered how the heck it got the fish in, on many occasions. I do check my line frequently. But I also fish some hairy places. There are few things I would recommend by brand. This line is one of them.

 

[MASSfisher0311]

Wow, I switched back from power pro to the usual 20# mono set up. I can't believe I ever used the power pro......mono is clearly a hell of a lot better. IMOP it casts better too, which may sound crazy to those who prefer power pro becuase of it's casting ability. I get more power with the mono when casting cause the power pro likes to cut into my finger. After using mono for years and power pro for about a month here's what I've noticed:

-Power pro gets way too many windknots.
-Power pro chafes easier than mono when rubbed up against powerpro.
-You can tie better and easier knots with mono. Plus, with braid your limited to only a select few when it comes to knot selection.
-I've had more breakoffs this month alone, than I've had in my entire life of fishing. (which isn't much compared to others, but I'd have to say that 8 years of serious hardcore fishing is a descent amount).

The only benefit I'd have to say PP has is the fact that it has no stretch and you can fit a ton of it on your spool. I Think the only place I would use it is on a boat rod for deep sea fishing.