Penn 950ssm reel from factory

[brysky]

Hello,

I am sorry that this has to be my first post on this forum, but i recently purchased a Penn 950ssm and it arrived today.

I am concerned that it was damage and unsure of how it is supposed to look when it comes out of the package.

I wouldn't really say it was factory sealed since the only thing that kept the box closed was a small clear circle sticker.

now down to my problem, on the reel handle assembly it looks as if it is loose and not on correctly and that the handle is itself is not on right either. here are a few pictures of what i mean, in the first you can see the gap between the base and the handle assembly itself and the second, the handle.

Is this the way it is supposed to come or is it broken and I should contact the company I got it from, I am sorry for the question but I am new at the "bigger" fishing thing and used to smaller reels and such. Thank you in advance.

[Big Tom]

It does not look broken to me.

Most spinning reels allow the user to change what side the reel handle is on.  It looks to me like the handle is just loose and needs to be tightened up.

The handle goes all the way through the reel so apply pressure to the side opposite the handle and give the handle a few turns.  This should tighten everything up.

I hope this helps.

Maybe someone can explain this better than me.

[SirSnookalot]

Looks like the handle is not properly screwed in, it should straighten out as with any spinning reel.  Any bait and tackle shop should be able to show you how to do it correctly, I would do that before contacting Penn.

That's a hefty reel, what are you fishing for?

[cart7t]

Most spinning reels have a handle that will collapse like that when you crank it clockwise (when the handle is on the left) and hold onto the spool to keep it from turning.  Usually it allows you to unscrew the cap on the reverse side and switch the side the handle is on.  It also allows for the reel to be physically smaller for shipping.  Merely hold onto the spool and crank the handle counter clockwise, it will screw itself back in and tighten up.  

[brysky]

thank you guys for the quick replies, I was just worried since I bought it from a company on Ebay. Will bring it to a bait shop later today. I got it to match my medium heavy Ugly Stick, I live in Sarasota Florida which is on the gulf coast a bit south of Tampa Bay. So I have a small 6'6 Medium ugly stick with a penn 5000 captivia for smaller fish, caught this snook pictured below with it, but I want to go out in the gulf more and catch bigger stuff. I used 20 lb spider wire with a 40 lb berkly vanish leader at the time, but the spider wire kept leaving me with bird nests so i took it off completely.

[SirSnookalot]

Nice snook!!

May I give you a tip? I'm sure you have loaded up 20# or heavier only to see it " coil off " the spool. This is common. I always soak my line in med hot tap water for about 5-10 min. This will soften the line and help prevent your line jumping off the spool.(coiling).

The 950 is a very hefty reel, it will handle just about anything.

I'm excited for you.

I'm in Florida as well and I'm an experienced inshore and offshore fisherman, please do not hesitate to ask me a question.

[brysky]

thanks a bunch, I put that line on while out on the boat since I was having problems with it prior.

I have really become addicted to fishing more then ever these past months since my best buddy bought a boat and him and I have been going every weekend.

with the 950 I am thinking about using a 30lbs big game or trilene from berkeley with a 50 or 60 lbs leader of berkeley vanish...

I have been reading a bunch of forums and such but can't find anything to local around my area, would love to know some of the killer big"er" game spots since we can't go to far out for anything amazing like king fish in his 16 foot jon boat.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't know your area but I do know there are a lot of big tarpon and they can be caught quite near the shore, they are not a deep water fish.

From the sound of your rig and line selection it appears as you will be using it for bait and not casting. If you cast with that outfit I wouldn't go 30#. I would use something like P-line 20#, good knot strength and a strong line, I have many 50+ pounders on that line. That reel will hold a ton of line, you'll need it for tarpon.

Most important........don't set that drag too tight let them run.

[brysky]

Thanks again,

I went to a local fishing store to get line put on, and talked to the owner about stuff. he put 30lbs diamond line on the 950

he also suggested i get these "magnum stretch 30+" trolling lures for grouper and king fish. So I guess I will have to give those a try...

I am just unsure what to look for to find where those type of fish are, going to try around the artificial reefs and such i guess.

thanks again for the help

[SirSnookalot]

I assume that your reel handle was fine.

Grouper is more of a reef fish and I am not familiar trolling for them.

Kings are a open water fish, I fish for them all the time.

If drifting with bait(frozen sardine) a king rig is best. King rig is simply a hook with 2 or 3 trailer hooks attached, any tackle shop sells them made up already.

If trolling for king, a diamond jig is what the commercial fisherman use or a butterfly jig...you can employ both of this jigs drifting in lieu of trolling.

[brysky]

from what i have been reading on different sites is that you can troll at about 4-5 knots around the reefs and it should lure a grouper out...

what is the difference between trolling and drifting? for king fish don't you have to go out pretty far? we are in a 16 foot john boat with 2 12 gallon tanks, not sure how far out we can go.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't know the waters in your area, I'm sure your bait and tackle store will have the info.

On the Atlantic around Boynton Beach we generally drift 185' back into about 120', there are times when the kings are in 60' of water.

The depth is not how deep the fish are in the water column, it's the distance from the shore.

I'm sure your motor is small enough where fuel should not be a problem, especially drifting because it's shut off.  Your in a small boat that isn't the most stable so always keep an eye to the sky in case of weather change.

[brysky]

ok thanks a bunch,

we will have to try that out this weekend when we go.

will let you know how we do, also do you think the 950 with the MH ugly stick would be good for bridge fishing with maybe a 3 or 4 inch berkeley gulp shrimp "natural" on a 1/4 or 1/8 oz jig head be good or a bit over kill?

i have been using the M 6'6 ugly stick with a penn 5000 captivia for bridge and using a 1/8oz with the 3inch gulp shrimp and catching anything from small lady fish to ok size snook. i know that there should be grouper or something larger in the pilings of bridges and stuff so not sure if the smaller rod can handle it.

Also,

we were thinking about renting a bigger boat, one with a cabin and gully so we can stay out for a week or two and go down to the keys in april or may for mahi mahi, marlin and sailfish or drive down and rent a boat once there, we don't want to stay in a hotel, rather just go and stay on the water... any suggestions on a type of boat we should be looking for?

[SirSnookalot]

This thread is getting bit long winded so in the future shoot me a pm and I will be more than happy to respond.

I would rent a boat down there, you may want to start with Bud N Mary's, they have a handle on everything down there, not to mention the savings in in fuel.

I think the rod will be fine with 950, a bit large and heavy for my style of fishing, but will be fine.  1/4 oz min off a bridge, you need to get that bait down a bit and there will be current, buy some inexpensive 1/2 oz heads to experiment.  I prefer fishing sea walls to bridges as I don't carry a net and I like to walk and cast, my go to bait is a DOA cal jerk bait (pearl)and a DOA 1/4 oz jig head.  Reel it moderate speed with slight twitches.

I have never tried gulp shrimp, do you tail or head rig them?

[brysky]

i rig them through the head with the jig head coming out the back so it looks as if it is swimming in the water when i reel and i reel kind of slow with 2 small jerks every 3-5 spins of the reel handle... ok any future questions i will just pm, thanks again