How to Use a Penn Senator Baitcast Reel

The Penn Senator is an open-face baitcasting reel designed for heavy-duty deep-sea fishing. It is corrosion resistant to withstand the rigors of saltwater. The largest reel in the Senator series is rated to hold up to 800 yards of 80-pound fishing line, enough to tussle with a real monster. Like most baitcasting reels, an angler's skill with the Senator takes a bit of practice to cast and retrieve smoothly with fewer line backlashes.

Things You'll Need

  • Penn Senator baitcasting reel
  • Heavy-duty saltwater rod
  • Bait and tackle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Bolt the front and rear clamps of the reel to the brackets on a heavy-duty saltwater fishing rod, then twist the lock nut at the back of the rod handle behind the rear bracket on the reel to tighten the Senator securely to the rod.

    • 2

      Thread the line from the reel up through each guide in the rod and out the tip, then tie the end of the line with hook and bait or a lure, using a clinch knot.

    • 3

      Hold the rod in the preferred hand, placing the thumb firmly on the open spool of line and pointing the rod tip at the target on the water.

    • 4

      Push the spool lock lever on the right side of the Senator forward toward the rod tip, continuing to place thumb pressure on the spool.

    • 5

      Raise the rod tip straight overhead or turn the rod tip to the side 90 degrees from the target if there are overhead obstacles such as low-hanging tree branches.

    • 6

      Snap the wrist to turn the rod forward rapidly, releasing thumb pressure on the spool when the rod tip points at the target. Continue holding the thumb over the spool, placing light pressure over the line during the cast.

    • 7

      Regulate gentle pressure on the spool with the thumb tip during the cast to control the speed of line coming off the spool. The objective is to cast the line so it shoots through the rod guides as fast as the spool unwinds the line. If the spool unwinds faster than the line casts from the rod, the line can become badly entangled on the top of the reel in big, looping coils and snarls. Adjusting thumb pressure while casting is called "feathering the line."

    • 8

      Increase thumb pressure as the practice weight approaches the target, pressing firmly on the spool to stop the cast at the desired spot. Pull the spool lock lever back to the locked position for retrieving the fishing line.

    • 9

      Turn the spool tension knob on the Senator reel body below the handle clockwise to tighten the spool for casting once you have a feel for the Senator. Turning the small corrugated knob clockwise gradually places resistance on the spool for greater control when casting. Loosening the tension knob lets the reel cast further with greater ease but requires more careful feathering with the thumb over the spool when casting.

    • 10

      Adjust the star drag between the handle and the reel body clockwise to tighten the drag mechanism and increase line resistance when battling a fish. Turn the star-shaped wheel counterclockwise to loosen the drag setting.