Converting to Bail-less
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Although the picture is not the best the reel on the left is an old Penn 704z with a bail, the black reel to the right is a Van Staal 300b bail less. The 704 can convert easily to bail less with a cheap $7.00 kit. The key advantage of going bail less there is no chance of the bail closing during a cast prematurely and snapping your line and losing your lure or rig. Once you go bail less you'll never go back.
Just a reminder not all reels can be converted to bail less. The Penn 706z comes bail less as well as the Van Staal.
Just a reminder not all reels can be converted to bail less. The Penn 706z comes bail less as well as the Van Staal.
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Thanks Tiderunner!
But are there any disadvantages to having it bail less? Maybe the line might come off the roller during a fight with a fish if somehow a slack forms in the line...? I mean if it's such a better, foolproof method, why don't reel mfg's just build 'em that way? or do they?
But are there any disadvantages to having it bail less? Maybe the line might come off the roller during a fight with a fish if somehow a slack forms in the line...? I mean if it's such a better, foolproof method, why don't reel mfg's just build 'em that way? or do they?
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you never go back
rosco,no bail offers several advantages in a surf application:no bail to snap closed,or get water and sand in mechanism.no bail to break on rocks or if you should drop your rig.no wind knots.to name a few.and no the line does not come off the roller,with a little use it becomes second nature to use.two of the best surf reels made are the van staals and the penn 706z,all manufactured without a bail.
rosco,no bail offers several advantages in a surf application:no bail to snap closed,or get water and sand in mechanism.no bail to break on rocks or if you should drop your rig.no wind knots.to name a few.and no the line does not come off the roller,with a little use it becomes second nature to use.two of the best surf reels made are the van staals and the penn 706z,all manufactured without a bail.
Bail-less rails are great for lures but suck for bait. Any slack in the line could cause the line to come off the roller.
I love the bail-less thing. I've got one for my penn 6500SS.
It takes a little getting used to but not soon after, you will be able to cast on the darkest nights. No problems.
I love the bail-less thing. I've got one for my penn 6500SS.
It takes a little getting used to but not soon after, you will be able to cast on the darkest nights. No problems.
One time awile back, the bail wire broke on my Penn 710, and I took the bail off, ground it down to within 3/8" of the roller, and made it bail-less. Worked just fine.
I don't see why the same technique wouldn't work for any Penn Spinfisher - maybe just about any spinning reel.
One way to reduce the amount of bail snap-backs during a hard surfcast is to rear back - and before you cast, rotate the handle of the reel to the stop - then cast.
I don't see why the same technique wouldn't work for any Penn Spinfisher - maybe just about any spinning reel.
One way to reduce the amount of bail snap-backs during a hard surfcast is to rear back - and before you cast, rotate the handle of the reel to the stop - then cast.
This is very interesting. Come to think of it I don't think I need the bail after all!!
The Van Staal's are too xpensive for me... but is there a Right handed reeling application for the 706Z that comes w/o the bail? Maybe 705Z or 707Z? Or maybe I should just break off the bail on my 711Z!#$%
Thanks. Since much of the fishing I've done in the past few months have been all in my mind...this is kind of exciting just thinking about using a bail-less Penn!
I wonder if the fish will ever come in this year....
The Van Staal's are too xpensive for me... but is there a Right handed reeling application for the 706Z that comes w/o the bail? Maybe 705Z or 707Z? Or maybe I should just break off the bail on my 711Z!#$%
Thanks. Since much of the fishing I've done in the past few months have been all in my mind...this is kind of exciting just thinking about using a bail-less Penn!
I wonder if the fish will ever come in this year....
Lefty, eh?
Got to go bail-less. Converted my first spinner to bail-less in third grade. Had an Ocean City reel and clipped the bail as described above. Never looked back! I'm a lefty as well and here's my solution: I own an original Penn 707 - lefty version of 706 from the 70's. This reel has caught plenty of fish including a few large and has since been retired (sentimental reasons). I replaced it with a 705Z that I "customized". I obtained the rotor cup, locking nut, spool and roller assembly from a 706Z and swapped 'em out. Voila! instant "707" (the gears and housing for the 704 and 706 are the same). I have been doing this now and loving it. Anybody out there selling 706's? let me know! I need more bits for another conversion! Advantage of the Van Staal new lefty reels is that the rotor rotation direction is correct to pick the line up off your finger. The Penn Spinfishers keep the rotation the same for righty's and lefty's. This tends to push the line back on the pickup finger when you attempt to retrieve. Living with this is second nature to me now, but the Van Staal is the sweet way to go if you can shell out the dough. I'll stick with Penn...and never, ever had the line jump off the roller. Bait fishing, plugging, underwater, in storms, live eeling, etc.
Good luck!
Got to go bail-less. Converted my first spinner to bail-less in third grade. Had an Ocean City reel and clipped the bail as described above. Never looked back! I'm a lefty as well and here's my solution: I own an original Penn 707 - lefty version of 706 from the 70's. This reel has caught plenty of fish including a few large and has since been retired (sentimental reasons). I replaced it with a 705Z that I "customized". I obtained the rotor cup, locking nut, spool and roller assembly from a 706Z and swapped 'em out. Voila! instant "707" (the gears and housing for the 704 and 706 are the same). I have been doing this now and loving it. Anybody out there selling 706's? let me know! I need more bits for another conversion! Advantage of the Van Staal new lefty reels is that the rotor rotation direction is correct to pick the line up off your finger. The Penn Spinfishers keep the rotation the same for righty's and lefty's. This tends to push the line back on the pickup finger when you attempt to retrieve. Living with this is second nature to me now, but the Van Staal is the sweet way to go if you can shell out the dough. I'll stick with Penn...and never, ever had the line jump off the roller. Bait fishing, plugging, underwater, in storms, live eeling, etc.
Good luck!
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WEll...............ya'll got me thinking on this one as I've lost to many good lures by having the bail snap shut at the wrong time.
I must admit that the lure has travelled very far at these times...................but the silence after the loud snap............the time inbetween the snap and lure splashdown...............is just enough to utter a few expletives,cussing type things
I have a brand new in the box 704.
I may just convert it before I ever use it and be done with it.
I've gotten to the point where I am thinking "lost plug?" with each cast and I really don't like those thoughts
I must admit that the lure has travelled very far at these times...................but the silence after the loud snap............the time inbetween the snap and lure splashdown...............is just enough to utter a few expletives,cussing type things
I have a brand new in the box 704.
I may just convert it before I ever use it and be done with it.
I've gotten to the point where I am thinking "lost plug?" with each cast and I really don't like those thoughts
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PaddleOn
Do it ! The cost of the kit is about $7.00. The cost of a new plug as you know can be from a couple of bucks to $ 15.00 and up. Not to mention the hassle of retying another leader and replacing another lure. You can get it from most good tackle shops that carry Penn spinfishers. Sea Isle in Freeport, Causeway in Wantagh or the Surfcaster mail order has them.
(This post edited by Tiderunner on 03/29/2003)
Do it ! The cost of the kit is about $7.00. The cost of a new plug as you know can be from a couple of bucks to $ 15.00 and up. Not to mention the hassle of retying another leader and replacing another lure. You can get it from most good tackle shops that carry Penn spinfishers. Sea Isle in Freeport, Causeway in Wantagh or the Surfcaster mail order has them.
(This post edited by Tiderunner on 03/29/2003)
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