Penn mag power reels

[ScrodBalls]

The 900 series from the 80's. Tell me about these reels. I was a little tyke fishing a zebco when these were on the store shelfs.

 

How do they fish? cast? repair? hold up? tear down? reassemble? take a beating?

 

I just scooped a 525 mag and discovered these awesome lookin reels. I want more line capacity than the 525, a bruiser of a reel that can hold its weight in 25-30# mono.

 

Anything you know about the mag power, write it here!

[Ditch Jigger]

They're built like a brick "you-know-what". Very good reels that never caught on, for some reason.

 

For 25# or 30# mono, I'd suggest the 980. Same size as a 140 Squidder but with gears and drag the size of a 4/0 Senator.

[BassNuts]

The 900 series from the 80's. Tell me about these reels. I was a little tyke fishing a zebco when these were on the store shelfs.

 

How do they fish? cast? repair? hold up? tear down? reassemble? take a beating?

 

I just scooped a 525 mag and discovered these awesome lookin reels. I want more line capacity than the 525, a bruiser of a reel that can hold its weight in 25-30# mono.

 

Anything you know about the mag power, write it here!

 

 

I had a 990 Mag listed for sale on this site last week...drew no interest at all. Sorry to say, but I sold it somewhere else. The reel itself is just about bullet proof. It never gave me a problem in all they years I owned. Easy to clean (excpet for that annoying Penn anti-reverse dig spring ) I put the HT-100 drag washers in it and it could stop a truck. Good luck finding one. You realize that is a pretty good sized reel...I'd say around Jigmaster size, but wider. You might be better off with a squidder or a 980 Mag....unless you can handle a big reel like that. Take a look at the link below.

 

http://www.stripersonline.com/surfta...d.php?t=519203

[Jce]

How about a 535 mag? Holds something like 400yds of 15lb mono.

[ScrodBalls]

Bassnuts, your post is what got me interested.

 

The graphite housing on the 525 feels like a playmobile toy to me.

[DE Beachguy]

I got a 980 brand new in 1989. It was my first conventional surf reel, and I learned conventional casting with it on a new Penn Slammer 10'6" conventional rod (graphite composite). The reel is definitely tough as nails and has a very strong drag. I was advised to never take it apart unless I really knew what I was doing, so I've always had it serviced at my local shop. It probably isn't that bad. I take apart Squidders, 535GSs and Daiwa SHV 30s without any problems.

 

The 980 is no longer my front-line reel, but it still gets use on heavy drum heavers. It wasn't too hard to get the reel "dialed in" with the adjustable magnet. I can get decent distance with that reel, and it holds a lot of line...300+ yards of 20# mono, I believe. These days, I load the 980 with 25# AN40 Silver Thread copolymer, which is similar to mono but a bit thinner for the same pound-test. The 980 probably holds 325 yards of that.

 

The only repairs I recall needing on my 980 all these years is having the clicker spring replaced (or adjusted?) once and the free spool lever spring replaced twice.

 

Just like the Senators, the 980 is definitely a solid, lifetime reel.

 

I might have gone for that 990 that was for sale on here myself....if it were a 970 instead. The Penn Mag reels really hold their value, and they have become collector's items, it seems.

 

Jay

[Tagger]

980 is the size you want surf casting as stated above ,,, roughly penn 140 squidder size,,7000 abu,, Only things I'll add to above is The freespool lever spring is the exact same part no. as 140 squidder so readily available .. and the drag washer are same as penn senator so they are readily available .. Thats the only 2 pieces you'll ever replace .. If you ever broke a squidder down its the same thing far as doing your own repairs goes . The bearings are far superior to a squidder ,, Spool has no shoulders on it ,. so you have to thumb the line . The reason this real never caught on it cost me $120.00 for my first one . At the time,the 140 squidder your father and grandfather fished was $40.00.. no brainer .. old reliable or try something new thats going to cost you 3 times more . Too bad ,, great reels ..