Penn 209

[jimmy965]

Does anyone own a penn 209 or know anything about them? Im looking for an extra reel for my boat and I love the vintage look of the 209 and they are on the auction sites for about $25-30 dollars. Is it worth it? Are they good for blues and stripers?

[Dave W.]

Jimmy,
The penn 209 is a decent reel for general purpose fishing.I own a vintage one with the red side plates and have used for blues and stripers and it held up fine.The 209 has taken a back seat to my 975 last season but is a good back up to have on the boat.The prices for one of these on e-bay is well worth it compared to new ones and they are easy to get parts for.If you find one that has good chrome and is in working order for $30 buy it.New chrome for this reel is about $22.I still own my red 9m from when I was a kid and have bought others for around $30.
As a side note don't expect to cast with 209 that's it's shot coming.

[jimmy965]

Great . Thanks for the info. I already went ahead and got it from the auction site for $32 dollars total with shipping and now Im looking for a rod to match it (any advice would be appreciated). Thanks again!!

[Dave W.]

jimmy'
Any 6'6" to 7' MH rod boat rod with 15-30 lb will do.This combo will handle 5-6 oz of lead.If your looking for somthing custom made I can help you with that also.

[jimmy965]

That could be an option. Whats the average price of a custom rod vs. a store bought?

[Dave W.]

jimmy,
A good rod off the rack should run between $80-$140.A custom made rod would probally run you between $125-$200 or more depending on type of blank,guides,grips,wraps ect.

[Dave W.]

Jimmy,
Here's my 9M with matched custom fiberglass rodhttp://picture 010

[Dave W.]

jimmy,
sorry the picture thing is giving me a hard time,I'll try again latter

[jimmy965]

Im not sure if I want to spend to much on a rod for an old $25 reel ,plus its only a spare rod. I did find an old rod that someone was throwing away with a real nice wood handle in great condition with an old Penn 77 atached to it so its probably old but it could make a good rod for my girlfriend or a spare rod. Im probably going to get a newer reel for it but the rod itself has no guides on it and I would like to get it done if your interested. heres a pic of it. let me know what you think. I bent the rod all the way and its in great shape . The rod is 5 feet long. I hope the pic isnt to big .

[Dave W.]

looks good how about red over black wraps with silver trim and a diamond butt wrap?

[jimmy965]

Ok when/where/and how much?

[jimmy965]

How about this scenario. Can you take the wood vintage handle and put a 6'6 MH rod on it? Than I can use it for my penn 209 and the rod can match the red side plates and green handle.

[Dave W.]

That is probally more work than it's worth.The wood handel is probally 14-16" at the butt so you would need a 6' blank cut to size.I would either rewrap what you have or start from scratch.

[jimmy965]

Ok . whats the estimate on just putting guides and wraps on the existing pole, Also can the wood handle be sanded and refinished. Where are you located?

[Dave W.]

Jimmy,
To put Fuji guides on should run $4-$5 per guide so figure about $20.Specialty wraps are extra.I'm located in westen Nassau.