# Penn Senator on a pier?



## rthensley (May 7, 2007)

I am in SW Virginia. I make one trip (when I am lucky) to the beach a year to fish. The last couple of times I have really enjoyed my time on a pier. Relaxing, stress relief for me. 

Anyway, I am thinking about putting together a rod/reel combo to use as one of my rods on the pier. I kind of like the idea of finding an old Senator (2/0 I guess) and using it. NO experience with conventional reels. This would primarily be a combo where I would just drop a live bait down and wait.....while I fish another rod or two. Really just thinking about doing it for the nostalgia factor. 

Like I said, NO experience with this type of reel. Is the reel even appropriate for how I would use it? Would 2/0 be the best size? Would a 3/0 also work (and then be able to be used if I ever kayak baits off a beach)? 

What lenght of rod?

Thanks,
Trevor


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

4/0 Senators are very common among the king fishermen. You may want to look into that. I don't know the line capacities of a 2/0 and 3/0, but you usually want a bigger reel than a 4/0 to yak baits off the beach, so you have enough line left to fight a big shark.


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## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

..Know several 3/0 still in use on the end...a jigmaster/500 is the same thing....ocassionaly one will be spooled....
Angelo Depaola landed about a zillion kings and a few of his Tarpon on a jigmaster....til a manster silver boy took it slam out of sight..he now uses a wide red 4/0.....


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## Catch This (Nov 19, 2005)

For one trip a year, you will be fine with a 2/0 if you can find one; they are kinda scarce. The 3/0 and 4/0 are more readily available.


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## rthensley (May 7, 2007)

Thanks for the info. 

I've read about King fishing. Never seen it done. 

Was really just wanting to see if the Senator would work for what I want to do. Sounds like it will. Also sounds like IF I ever do any King fising, the 3/0 would work.


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## ironman172 (Nov 2, 2013)

to me a 4/0 would be over kill....I use to fish with a Penn 6500ss spooled with 17lb line and never been spooled....came close ....have brought back to the pier 8ft spinner sharks once I made a 8ft leader so they wouldn't spin up the the mono and cut it off....now i have started using a Penn 706 greenie on my old conolon rod just for the old school look, that will handle most anything out there.....it always amazes me the big gear some use for king fishing .....and I have caught many over 30lbs....haven't hit the 40lb yet....maybe one day
almost all on the pan handle use spinning gear for all the big fish


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

rthensley said:


> I am in SW Virginia. I make one trip (when I am lucky) to the beach a year to fish. The last couple of times I have really enjoyed my time on a pier. Relaxing, stress relief for me.
> 
> Anyway, I am thinking about putting together a rod/reel combo to use as one of my rods on the pier. I kind of like the idea of finding an old Senator (2/0 I guess) and using it. NO experience with conventional reels. This would primarily be a combo where I would just drop a live bait down and wait.....while I fish another rod or two. Really just thinking about doing it for the nostalgia factor.
> 
> ...


I would look something along the lines of a Penn no. 9. Its a small levelwind reel near a 55/6500 abu. TONS of them out there and parts readily available.
Put it on a 7 foot mh rod casting rod and bam you got a flounder setup.
Put a live minnow on the hook and drop it down by or under the pier.
Put the clicker on and :beer: :beer: :beer:


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

ironman172 said:


> to me a 4/0 would be over kill....I use to fish with a Penn 6500ss spooled with 17lb line and never been spooled....came close ....have brought back to the pier 8ft spinner sharks once I made a 8ft leader so they wouldn't spin up the the mono and cut it off....now i have started using a Penn 706 greenie on my old conolon rod just for the old school look, that will handle most anything out there.....it always amazes me the big gear some use for king fishing .....and I have caught many over 30lbs....haven't hit the 40lb yet....maybe one day
> almost all on the pan handle use spinning gear for all the big fish


Some kid came on the pier I fish with the intention of gulf style kinging with a bigass penn slammer last year.
Walks straight out the end of the pier and slings a mullet out there without a weight, gust of wind and over my anchor line his mullet went.
Asked him what he was doing and he says "fishing for king mackerel", my reply was "Didn't see the need to ask if the local style lof kinging was different did you?". "Nope." 
He spent the rest of the day fighting bluefish and crossovers and tangles.

Next week he had a TLD 20 and we taught him how to pinrig.
When in Rome.............


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

Does that mean they will run me off at Gulf Shores if I show up with a couple of 500 Jigmasters and a big old ugly spinner for my anchor line.


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

DANtheJDMan said:


> Does that mean they will run me off at Gulf Shores if I show up with a couple of 500 Jigmasters and a big old ugly spinner for my anchor line.


From what ive seen on the YouTube and seen on the net a 11 year old will probably tell you are @@@@@@@ everything up.


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## BubbaHoTep (May 26, 2008)

DANtheJDMan said:


> Does that mean they will run me off at Gulf Shores if I show up with a couple of 500 Jigmasters and a big old ugly spinner for my anchor line.


HA. Yeah, they'd definitely run you off. You can't pin rig there.


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## ironman172 (Nov 2, 2013)

DANtheJDMan said:


> Does that mean they will run me off at Gulf Shores if I show up with a couple of 500 Jigmasters and a big old ugly spinner for my anchor line.


gulf shores does have a size reel limit of 4/0 ....I could care less myself, but a lot of times if you don't down size the treble hook and size steel leader or ,mono.... you won't catch when others are.....I have heard plenty of people asked.... why the same guys are catching and the rest aren't....the rail full not catching and the few same guys walk up cast a live bait out and hook up....I watch and learn and yes I was one of the ones catching

I learned trolly fishing on gulf shores(the old pier) and did fish that way a couple days this past trip(windier then heck and no one on that side of the pier) but it isn't allowed now.....still a few do it, but not on the end....just north of it....there is talk bringing it back but not on the octagon


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

ironman172 said:


> gulf shores does have a size reel limit of 4/0 ....I could care less myself, but a lot of times if you don't down size the treble hook and size steel leader or ,mono.... you won't catch when others are.....I have heard plenty of people asked.... why the same guys are catching and the rest aren't....the rail full not catching and the few same guys walk up cast a live bait out and hook up....I watch and learn and yes I was one of the ones catching
> 
> I learned trolly fishing on gulf shores(the old pier) and did fish that way a couple days this past trip(windier then heck and no one on that side of the pier) but it isn't allowed now.....still a few do it, but not on the end....just north of it....there is talk bringing it back but not on the octagon


I sort of baited you into this. I go to the Gulf Shores fishing pier forum and I have heard them talk about "Trolly Fishing". 

I assumed it was the same as pin rigging, but then I have lived in the south for 20 years and when this Yankee boy moved to TN I was 30 years old and had two kids and did not know what "Cracking" was. 

These southern boys have a different name for everything. I still don't get the "cut off the hose pipe". When I hear that I still think about taking a knife and cutting the end off the garden hose.

I miss it though, its -10F here this morning with -40F windchill.


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## rthensley (May 7, 2007)

RjTheMetalhead said:


> I would look something along the lines of a Penn no. 9. Its a small levelwind reel near a 55/6500 abu. TONS of them out there and parts readily available.
> Put it on a 7 foot mh rod casting rod and bam you got a flounder setup.
> Put a live minnow on the hook and drop it down by or under the pier.
> Put the clicker on and :beer: :beer: :beer:



This is exactly what I had in mind.

I found some Penn #9 on eBay that look like they are in great shape and would work. Not as "fancy" looking as the Senators, but don't guess that matters. I also found a Penn #109 that is in great shape. Now going to try to use google to figure out the difference.

Thanks for the info.


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

rthensley said:


> This is exactly what I had in mind.
> 
> I found some Penn #9 on eBay that look like they are in great shape and would work. Not as "fancy" looking as the Senators, but don't guess that matters. I also found a Penn #109 that is in great shape. Now going to try to use google to figure out the difference.
> 
> Thanks for the info.


I want to say all a 109 does is have double handle, same as 9 guts wise. You could get yourself a 209 which is the middle size peer model.

Look up alan tanis websute for excellent photo tutorial s on rebuilding peen reels.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

ironman172 said:


> gulf shores does have a size reel limit of 4/0 ....


That is where the PENN 113HLW or DAIWA SEALINE 450H really shine, since they are w-i-d-e "4/0's" with the line capacity of a 6/0 . . . 

If you have to choose one or the other, go with the DAIWA 450H. It's a much stronger reel and comes with a full aluminum frame . . . 

You can pick them up fairly cheap on eBay and they are EASY to work on ! ! !


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

RjTheMetalhead said:


> I want to say all a 109 does is have double handle, same as 9 guts wise. You could get yourself a 209 which is the middle size peer model.
> 
> Look up alan tanis websute for excellent photo tutorial s on rebuilding peen reels.


Crept the handle turns in freespool, knuckle buster with an in gear option


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## ironman172 (Nov 2, 2013)

just get a good spinning reel and be done with it....I love learning to use the Mitchell 306 with a manual bail(no bail) this past trip and the 706 greenie....I still prefer a bailed reel though.... one I can close by hand with out the turn of the handle like a 704 0r 700 penn


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## ironman172 (Nov 2, 2013)

DANtheJDMan said:


> I sort of baited you into this. I go to the Gulf Shores fishing pier forum and I have heard them talk about "Trolly Fishing".
> 
> I assumed it was the same as pin rigging,


It would be a mess if trolly fishing ever got like the piers on the east coast I have been too....Gulf shores and others on the pan handle catch fish....many fish on some days, with all the anchor rods left out when the multiple fish are brought to the pier it could become a mess....it sometimes is with out them anyway 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7QGjc-BxE#t=53

.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

ironman172 said:


> just get a good spinning reel and be done with it....I love learning to use the Mitchell 306 with a manual bail(no bail) this past trip and the 706 greenie....I still prefer a bailed reel though.... one I can close by hand with out the turn of the handle like a 704 0r 700 penn


A PENN SENATOR or a DAIWA SEALINE is a lot more durable and a lot cheaper than a "good" spinning reel, not to mention the superior drag and "cranking ability" .


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## rthensley (May 7, 2007)

ironman172 said:


> just get a good spinning reel and be done with it....I love learning to use the Mitchell 306 with a manual bail(no bail) this past trip and the 706 greenie....I still prefer a bailed reel though.... one I can close by hand with out the turn of the handle like a 704 0r 700 penn


I have a Battle and a Symetre. Love them both. Just wanted to try and put a "classic" combo together.


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

Here is a 706z, 9, 209, and black 4/0 senator side by side















The newer Peer series penns(9,109,209,308) have aluminium spool, my 209 has one and its a decent caster but my 9 has the heavy chrome spool and needs more thumb.

They are tough simple reels. No bearings or anything fancy at all in mine. They are are still made by penn today.(In China)


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## rthensley (May 7, 2007)

^^^^ Nice.


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## rthensley (May 7, 2007)

Been searching eBay and Craigslist for old Penn reels. Impressed with all the models. 

Sure would like to find a few of the old green sided reels.


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

rthensley said:


> Been searching eBay and Craigslist for old Penn reels. Impressed with all the models.
> 
> Sure would like to find a few of the old green sided reels.


The more impressive thing some penn reels designed in the 40s, 50s and 60s are still made today.







Pawn shops are great. This is dicks pawn in Myrtle Beach.

They had a 85 seaboy, 3/0 senator, 6/0 senator, 309, long beach 65 and many others in their today. I run by the pawn shops pretty often to check their out what they got. Always people getting out of the game in MB.

Took my 9 out on the pier today with fresh 14 lb mono on a 10 ft rod and with 4 ounces made that reel SCREAM. Much better caster than I remember. 








I like new fancy reels too but something about buying your own little workhorse and rebuilding it yourself and using it yourself that feels better than buying something your scared to crack the sideplates....


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