# Beachmaster 155 Pier Fishing?



## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

Looking for thoughts and suggestions... I have a Penn Beachmaster 155 Reel that is paired up with a Vintage Olympic Fishing Tackle 7 Ft rod. I bought this 33 years ago and fished with it once. It had been sitting with all my other fishing gear ever since. Back then, when my Dad passed away I had not fished salt water since. Now I am retiring and moving back to the shore, and from other threads, plan to get back into salt water fishing as my primary fishing hobby. 

Well, I cleaned it up a bit, stripped the old 20LB Mono off of it. And what I am thinking is I'd like to use it for Pier Fishing. For Pier fishing what all around LB Test should I put on it ? I know that's a loaded question considering anything from Summer Flounder to larger, But hoping to put the best average LB mono weight on it that would support a majority of fish, that would normally be caught and sought after from a pier. 

Thanks in advance.


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

Go with a good quality 15# mono.and Iffn you tire of the BM send me a PM and I'll take it off yer hands


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## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

SBS... thanks for the advice!!!


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## Seahawk (Oct 3, 2013)

SteveMcD: 

I 've had mine for over 25 years now. It's loaded with 15lb Trilene Big Game and seems to do well as a general purpose.
Specs for the Beachmaster 155 series reel call for 250 yds of 30lb Mono. 
Specs, Schematics & Manual are a free download from _Scott's Bait & Tackle._ 
Scott's also posted a really useful _YouTube Video_ of the sideplate rebuild.


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## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

Seahawk.. Thank you!


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Does that reel have a metal spool or the black, plastic one ?

If it's plastic, be careful with using Mono. The "stretch" will put very high loads on the spool and I have seen plastic spools break from it.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

If its plastic load it about half full or more of 30lb dacron.......you be set then


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## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

Thanks, Gents.. no worries.. it's a metal spool.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

If its the 3 piece that ihas the two little humps on the side of the spool some braid or dacron backing would still not be a bad idea


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## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

NC KF... yes it is. So I will remember to add some dacron backing first.


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## glenn3564 (Nov 12, 2013)

Steve, Listen to these guys as they know a lot more and are more up to date than I am on this type stuff. I will be 62 next month and I haven't pier fished or surf fished since I was 20
or 21. I am fishing with open face Daiwa reels and I have lined 4 of mine with the "relatively new" SpiderWire Ultra Cast 17# and also the SpiderWire Clear Blue EZ Mono 17#. I didn't know Spider Wire even made mono but did this on recommendation of the guys at Bass Pro. I pulled a dogfish up on the Garden City Pier (not legal) with it that was as long as my fishing caddy which is a little over 4' long. The fish wasn't that heavy but he was just flopping all around and the guys beside me couldn't believe I got him up there. I just wanted my rig back. I have hung it on rocks before and I just could not believe how strong it was for just 17 lbs. What Bass Pro guys were saying was that it was the most limp line on the market today in the mono that could maintain it's strength after having been stressed from a very hard pull. BUT AGAIN, LISTEN TO THE GUYS ABOVE. THEY WERE ADVISING ME BASED ON
THE FACT THAT I WAS USING LARGE SPINNING REELS AND NOT CASTING.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

SteveMcD said:


> NC KF... yes it is. So I will remember to add some dacron backing first.


Good luck with it, scotts bait and tackle also sells an aluminum replacement, the metal should be fine


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