# Reel for Old School Hatteras Heaver



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

I was given a nice gift from my wife's uncle who was born in Salvo, NC and never left. He gave me an old school Hatteras Heaver in October when we were down on the island for 2 weeks. The rod is old school, one piece fiberglass blank (maybe a fenwick blank), maybe 10.5', beefy guides, eva foam grip above the reel seat, below the reel seat and at the butt end. Blank is yellow.

Anyway, I am going to clean the rod up, and put a reel on it an suprise him by using it on our next trip down there in the spring. I want to put an oldschool reel on the rod to match the period. I am guessing the rod is from the 70s or 80s, but I am not sure. 

I need some oldschool hatteras heaver reel suggestions from the guys that know. I could just ask my wife's uncle but I would rather suprise him. So, what say you? Penn Squidder? Old Abu? Something I have never heard of? What were guys using on the beach in the 70s & early 80s?

Thanks for the help, Jeremy


----------



## dawgfsh (Mar 1, 2005)

Most were using red Abu 9000's. Squidder will work, but has no cast control.


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

In order of preference for OBX

Red ABU 9000

ABU 8600 (Kenny will disagree on this but my 8600 is a casting machineopcorn

ABU Black 9000

ABU Black 7000 with level wind removed

ABU Red 7000 with level wind removed

Abu 10000 you only filled the spool half way otherwise it would be prone to backlash throwing bait


----------



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

Thanks guys. I will see what I can find at the Kent Island fising show Saturday.


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

More than likely not a fenwick.. Probably a lami 66,68,or 69 blank,they were the ones in the day.. Still have my 68 and 69,but my youngen has kidnapped them both.. 

As to reels.. 8600 will work,probably cheaper,but they suck,just like a squidder or jigmaster... Get ya a black or red 9000abu,your wife's uncle will be proud of ya....


----------



## bctom (May 25, 2007)

Penn 970 or 980 mag I still use them.................


----------



## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

....Angelo Depaola still throws a squidder on his "old school rod".....course he's 92!!!!.....I have 3-4 of the old school rods ....but I throw my 4-5 squidders on a "Rodwatcher Ocean Master".....I always read and see U YOUNG fellows "TUNING" their reels....point being: all that practice is how we learned to throw squidders....and in reality it didn't take as long to LEARN a squidder as it does one of thoes MAGGED ordeals..................


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Loner said:


> ....Angelo Depaola still throws a squidder on his "old school rod".....course he's 92!!!!.....I have 3-4 of the old school rods ....but I throw my 4-5 squidders on a "Rodwatcher Ocean Master".....I always read and see U YOUNG fellows "TUNING" their reels....point being: all that practice is how we learned to throw squidders....and in reality it didn't take as long to LEARN a squidder as it does one of thoes MAGGED ordeals..................


 Ole Depe has "modernized".. He's got a 7000 on a graphite rod now,for drumfeesh'n....


----------



## RocknReds (Jun 13, 2010)

Get a squidder and the blank is probably a 10'6'' lami


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Squidder! If i can throw my penn 9s and 209s, the good old school ones, then a squidder would work good for him. And older abu would look good to


----------



## George Gravier (Oct 28, 1999)

Loner,
Amen brother I learned on a squidder, used to love the sound it made on the cast...


----------



## Rockfish1 (Apr 8, 2005)

if you go with a squidder get one with the plastic spool, and load it with 27# Dacron line... less prone to back lash and has fins on one end of the spool to help control the speed... DO NOT use mono unless you know how to fish a squidder... the mono will stretch and when it's spooled under pressure it has tendencies to crack the plastic spools as it tries to relax... the metal spools aren't affected by mono but they are much heavier and do not cast near as well... you'll want the 140 model for the line capacity... you may want to replace the drag washers with the ht100 disks as they are a bit better then the originals... I still have my first heaver I bought and built in 1971 and the squidder that I bought at the same time, it's a blast to take out occasionally to fish...


----------



## big brother (May 15, 2002)

Going with Tom on this Penn 980
charlie


----------



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

I've cast a squidder some. Maybe 100 casts over a couple weeks. I am not confident enough to cast as far with the squidder as my saltists but I can manage. Thanks again for the histroy lesson guys. I'll see what I can find Saturday morning on Kent Island.


----------



## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

Drumdum said:


> Ole Depe has "modernized".. He's got a 7000 on a graphite rod now,for drumfeesh'n....


....but DD he ONLY uses that on Hatt when its drum season....AD throws that squidder 7 days a week from May to November.....
I own just about everything....BUT I love to shut the young dudes up by OUT-THROWING EM with their sloshs and 525's....
Truth..WHEN they learn to throw their junk..they can and do smoke me.....


----------



## joemullet (Dec 20, 2005)

dont think dd ever used a squidder, think anthony sold him a abu. anyway try to find a graphite spool for a squidder, didnt make many in the early 70s, cast great and didnt bend like the metal spool and didnt explode like the plastic, then a abu 9000 red, 9000 black, abu 7000 diamond sideplate, abu 8600, newell. if your hands are big a abu 10,000 is great. your rod is probly a lami like dd said, 1367, 1368, or the beast 1369, magnaflex had a yellow heaver, called hatteras heaver back then, even a few had a cane pole, still have most of mine , like the lami still and new the blank was $29.00 and a cane was $2.99 just dont fight a shark with the cane


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Used a squidder fo a while in my first year,Joe... Metal spool casted like crap,but I did learn what a thumb was for when using it...

Only bad thing about the cane is it developes a bend from fighting a decent fish.. Never casted one,so don't know how they cast..? Will stick with my fusions...


----------



## don brinson (Apr 8, 2011)

I also agree with all the old fella's on here. abu 9000 or 10000's. once you get use to throwing one the 10000 is not bad.


----------



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

Not much surf stuff at the Kent island show yesterday. Couple guys had a bunch of old Penns but most were 209, #9, long beach, 309 etc. I'll keep looking for a squider with a graphite spool.


----------



## roostertail (Jul 7, 2012)

There is a host of Penn Squidders on ebay....


----------



## ole-crabby (Aug 18, 2009)

i am with them 970 980 mag fellers!:fishing:


----------



## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Assuming your rod is of average heaver power I would go with a black ABU 9000C. If you think the rod was built in the mid to later 80’s then the Penn 980 Magpower would also be acceptable. The Magpowers didn’t go into production until the early to mid 80’s. Both are good reels. The ABU was more expensive and a very good caster, but a little weaker structurally and drag wise (the trade-off for good cast ability). The Penn Magpowers are built like a tank with strong drags but generally not quite as fast at the ABUs. 

So, if you think the rod was built in the 70s and of average heaver power then I would definitely go with the ABU 9,000C. If your rod is super heavy power then you might want to step up to a 10,000C loaded with 30 lb, or more, mono. 

If you think the rod was built between 83 and 89 then the ABU or the Magpower would be acceptable.


----------



## Oyster (Jun 28, 2000)

Those guides are most likely the Fugi low profile boat guide (no longer made) with a carbide tip. Most heavers back then had four guides and a tip, all size 20.


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

I had a Penn Mag 990 and it was mounted on a 10' 6" Lamiglas with DHG Fuji guides and used it for Float rigging and as an anchor rod off Nags Head Pier in 1985

Penn 990 was okay for casting a bare sinker or nail sinker, mostly the reason I bought it was large Abu's were scarce on the OBX and it was pretty and on the cover of John Holden's book long distance casting was a Penn Mag 980.

A friend of mine who cast against John Holden at all the US Sportcast Tournaments in those days remarked that he had never seen John Holden with a Penn 980, it was a marketing product placement ploy by Penn evidently

I traded the Penn 990 for an Abu 10000 in 1987 and as far as casting the Abu 10000 is vastly superior and smoother I still have that 10000 and it caught dozens and dozens of Kings and Cobes when they were thick come late May on the OBX in the late 1980's

I rebuilt that 10000 out of my ABU spare parts box last year, I had cannibalized it in the 1990's for parts for my and the Red Headed Fellas 9000's which were better for Drum fishing and less prone to backlash

Zero of the really bad ass OBX Drum fishermen in the mid to late 1980's fished anything but a ABU because they were so superior for long distance with bait, most of the really serious fellas all transitioned from the one piece Fenwick Surf rods to Graphite Butt/ E Glass fast tip Fenwick Big Surf Sticks by 1987, The Fenwick Surf Sticks were actually built by Lamiglas. I still have four of them and they still work....

I gave my one piece Lamiglas to a Hatteras Midgette, CE's nephew in 1992, after that it had an unfortunate accident on the end of Rodanthe Pier and two feet of the tip was broke off when it slipped during a cast and hit the rail.....


----------



## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

OldBay said:


> Thanks guys. I will see what I can find at the Kent Island fising show Saturday.


So, what reel did you put on this rod ?

Have you fished it ?

Results ?


----------



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

Squidder. I spooled it with 17# tri+, but haven't fished it yet. I will. Possibly in the next couple of weeks, either at AI or back on HI.


----------



## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

OldBay said:


> Squidder. I spooled it with 17# tri+, but haven't fished it yet. I will. Possibly in the next couple of weeks, either at AI or back on HI.


I love my Squidders, "old school", but then so am I . . . LOL !

How much 17# did your 140L hold ? I've been fishing 20# & 25#, but have been thinking about 17# a lot, recently.

Thanks !


----------



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

ez2cdave said:


> I love my Squidders, "old school", but then so am I . . . LOL !
> 
> How much 17# did your 140L hold ? I've been fishing 20# & 25#, but have been thinking about 17# a lot, recently.
> 
> Thanks !


I have no idea how much 17# line the squidder held. I'm sure it's more than I'll need for a cast though .


----------



## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

OldBay said:


> I have no idea how much 17# line the squidder held. I'm sure it's more than I'll need for a cast though .


Got me a Stump Heaver too.. Ain't fished it but it was a freebee.. JAM 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...71049198880.2109386.1333755725&type=3&theater


----------



## shootera3 (Sep 5, 2004)

*Squidder*

I have a Squidder, it is the baby Squidder,has a narrow spool, beautiful condition. $50.00


----------



## joemullet (Dec 20, 2005)

you can push your yak with it too. hahahahahah


JAM said:


> Got me a Stump Heaver too.. Ain't fished it but it was a freebee.. JAM
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...71049198880.2109386.1333755725&type=3&theater


----------



## BLACK ADDER (Nov 15, 2006)

I always short cast one rod in the trough and one long rod out past the breakers. Old heaver is just fine as an inclose rod. Also, respooled a magged Squidder and have it attached. Casts great!
Now, all you Squidder owners: I could never (well, in the last 50 years,anyway) consistently cast a Squidder, Long Beach,Surfmaster or 500 without occasional backlash. I fixed that two ways: 1)*Static mags * 2) *Add a VERY thin washer in the spool control and tighten up* In my humble experience, the Squidder will not tighten enough to get any speed control. I actually am using TWO thin washers now. That old spool has enough control to cast great with no blowups. 
Just a thought.

BA


----------



## 4th Cliff (Nov 13, 2014)

OldBay said:


> Squidder. I spooled it with 17# tri+, but haven't fished it yet. I will. Possibly in the next couple of weeks, either at AI or back on HI.


You might want to glue a couple of magnets on the side plate and swap out the handle with one from an old 4/0 Senator. At least that is what I would do if I happened to have an old squidder. 😉


----------



## hunter1 (Jul 31, 2009)

Kwaj-tom said:


> Penn 970 or 980 mag I still use them.................


X2 My Mag 990 is still going strong, Drum, Sharks, big stripers. Great reels.


----------

