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ok guys im gonna start getting all my gear together over the winter for my first season. im gonna be fishing for striper, blue fishing mayber some cod. i have some good ideas for spnning reels but i need to trolling reels. i was looking at the penn 113h and the 114 reels. what are some things i should looking at? should i be looking to run 30lbs line or 40 to 50? the amount of line it holds? what exactly is a level wind? im looking so spend 150 bucks on each reel. what about some other brands? what length in rods? thanks for all the help guys.
Penn 4/0 Senators is perfect for trolling bass, blues, etc- can use braid, mono, wire- just match up with the right rod for the type of fishing you'll be doing- if trolling for bass, get a rod that has some back to it but a light tip especially if you plan to troll bunker spoons- good luck!
I think you should look into a pair (or foursome) of Shimano TLD 20 reels. I have a pair of Shimano TLD 25's (a bit bigger in size than the TLD 20's), but I wish I went a bit smaller. You can look into TLD 15's too (smaller still). I matched my two TLD 25's with a pair of Shimano Talus 6'6" power-heavy action rods.
A "level-wind" reel is a conventional reel with a mechanism in front of the spool that the line runs through and moves left to right and back (over and over again) to "level" the line on your spool, so you don't have to use your thumb. There's nothing worse than line piled up on one side (or the middle) of a spool.
If you plan on buying a set-up or two for jigging, or chunking, I enjoy Avet SX reels. You won't want to use them for trolling, but with a lever drag (as opposed to star drag) and the ability to cast, they are great reels IMHO. They are a little more expensive at about $199 per reel.
Well, that's my 2cents, but I can only offer up advice on what I know about. I'm sure some other members can offer up some other options.
I just put my boat away for the Winter this past weekend, and I'm already going through withdrawals.
Have a great off season. -Goin' Deep
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2005 Albemarle 248XF w/ Volvo 5.0 Osi, XDP duoprop
I think you are on the right track. Agree with Delaware. 4/0 113His the perfect reel. 114's will be too big for blues and stripers.
Go down the docks at Montauk and every striper boat is armed with a full set of those 113H's, and they catch more stripers there than anyone.
They can be loaded with mono, wire or braid.
Levelwind is a device that some reels have that guides line evenly on the reel when you retrieve. I dont use them. Levelwind reels usually have less line capacity. I dont thing they do well with wire line.
thank you guys so much, i just found a used daiwa sealine 600h for 75.00 bucks on craigslist. there was a 900 as well, do you guys think that would be to much? thanks again guys.
If youre looking at using wire line with Senators you have to look at the models. Some of them have plastic spools now, but they still make wire specific models with metal spools still for use with wire line. I only fish stripers once a year off Solomons Island, Maryland so I just take my king rods up with me (Shimano TLD 15s with Star live bait trolling rods and TLD 25s with some cheap Shimano rods for pulling planers or the bigger rigs they use up there).
__________________ 1999 27' Sea Ray Sundancer Special Edition
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For trolling, we really like lever drag reels, which allow you to preset the drag at full strike (for us fishing 40 lb test, it is 10 lbs) and then back it off to just what is needed to keep the rig (whether it is an umbrella, spoon, tube or hard plastic) in place, then to instantly crank it up when a fish is on.
We have been using Shimano TLD-25's ($140) with 40 lb hi-vis mono (it is easier to use, see and more forgiving) on Penn Senator 3145ARS (6'6") all roller rods ($90 each) for the past 4 seasons with great success for Blues and Striped Bass. We usually troll 3 or 4 rods (depending in the number of people on the boat (1 rod per person) not more), as when the fish are there, you will usually get at least 3 and often all 4 rods with fish on them at the same time,and more than 4 fish creates a level of havoc that we just don't need.
You will also find that keeping a few of those small Braid Dolphin belts ($24) aboard will make landing the fish much more comfortable for the crew.
54bullwinkle ill be fishing out of marshfield ma. yea, theres a guide to all the different models on the penn reels. like the 113 is the basic model. the 113h has a higher retrieval rate. so all the lettering after the models stand for different things. i found that on tackledirect.com. thanks for the help guys.
Find outif the locals fish wire line or not. If they dont, it will expand your options considerably.
Local tackle or bait shops and marina buddies are great for that kind of info. Post a thread to see who fishes stripers in your area, you will get lots of responses. Google your area for local fishing clubs. Lots of good people out there who like to help out a beginner.......GOOD LUCK
Penn 113's are the "standard" for a reel around these parts. The product line is broken down like this:
113 - black side plates. Hard to find. Low gear speed. Not what you want.
113H - Red side plates. High speed retreive. This is what you want if you are not using wireline.
113 HSP - High speed retreive designed for wire line. The spool material is different so as not to cause corossion with the wire touch the spool.
For stripers I fish wireline. I have 4 Penn 113 HSP's. I've used these reels my whole life. They are bullet proof. Personally if I was not using wire line, I would go with the Shimano TLD 20 or 25... They are lighter than the 113's and I like the lever drag. I own 2 TLD 25's for small offshore use like little yellowfin or mahi. Great reels.
There are a million ways to skin this cat. These are my 2 cents worth...
Penn 330GT2's work great for bait drfiting , plug trolling or wire jig and tube trolling. I've used the 330 GTi's for monel wire many many years and ,due to the level wind, found them to be much better for bird's nest control than 113's I used to use( especially for novice guest crew) and also found them to be very reliable except for the clicker. Everyone told me don't use the level wind for wire but it works great ( with monel). The GTi vulnerable clicker design was completely changed and fixed on the newer GT2's I am gradually switching all my GTi's over to . Only drawback is the slower retrieve than w/ Parappapam's HSP's, but that's not bad when reeling in big fish.
Everyone has their personal preferences for their own good reasons.
The 113h is the way to go in my book. Faster speed means faster lines cleared when your fighting the big one, Just get the 113 if your using wire. Also the levelwind is nice but if it breaks while your realing in a lot of line it wont go on even and can bind up bad. Save the levelwind for jigging and not trolling heavy bunker spoons or shad rigs.
Daiwa Saltisit are unstoppable in 4/0 with 50lb. power pro. Holds plenty of line and are very tough reels. Fished many Rock Fish seasons with these reels. Caught many over 40 lbs. with no failures.
ok guys, i picked up a 330gt2 and a pair of shimano tld 20's. if i have issues with the level wind ill get something else. im not really a big fan of the star drag but. i think thats why i will enjoy the tld a bit more. thanks for the help guys.
thanks guys. now, i have to choose my spinning reels. parapapam i see your in falmouth. other then stripers, blue fish and cod what else is in our area. hopefully next season ill be able to get out and fish tuna. but this upcoming season i want to see what else is out there other then stripers, blues and cod. i wouldnt mind going out the stellwagon to find other fish that i would be able to fish with my gear. falmouth is a nice area i love the cape. my company is wiring the falmouth high school. i was down there for 4 months or so.
If you use the GT2's with trolling wire , suggest softer monel as opposed to stiffer SS for best results.
"What else is out there"
Besides stripers & blues , locally (in SW) there are fluke , some winter flounder, black sea bass , tautog, bonito, false albacore, scup, mackerel, river herring (presently prohibited),shad, squid, various inshore sharks including the beloved dogfish, & very, very rarely these days weakfish. Farther away cod, haddock, pollock, wolfish, BFT , YFT, LFAT, BET, skillies , blue marlin, swordfish, mahi-mahi, skipjack, and various offshore sharks including blue, shortfin mako, thresher, & porbeagle sharks amongst many others . Not to mention lobster, blue crabs, quohogs, steamers, mussels, scallops. I'm sure I've left out a lot of fishable sea life.
It's tough to go hungry around here if you have a boat or even just waders ....and "the sickness" !
striper reels. 
1975 Mako 20 (Sea Whore) 2008 Suzuki DF140
