hey charkbait

do you guys stock the new version of the penn baja special or do you still only stock the original. i heard that the new version has some updated features and i am interested in getting it. also is the baja special a good yo yo iron reel. thanks

dont mind me jumping in kelpbass, what new version of the baja special ?

great for jigs, yes they are.

There was a minor change in the reel about 2 years ago. That inventory is long gone here, especially since we are "direct" with Penn, not relying on a second party distributor to supply us. Our stock is fresher. Having said all that, Penn has not made a production run in about 3 months time. We've given them a large order, trying to get another bunch made. But, as of this date it's uncertain if we'll see more. We may have two or three in inventory, that's all. It's a terrific reel, sales on the West Coast strong, but nationally it's been slower. So, I am not clear of whether Penn will keep the piece in the line or not. Perhaps we can get more info from Steve Carson on this one.

GS<
MS

thanks chark. do you have any of the baja special as of now. i am thinking about getting one

louie

i heard that they have a better star drag nob and some other stuff, i am not positive though.

That was the change made a couple years ago. And, yes we do have a very few left in inventory. We're hopeful that Penn does produce more, very hopeful. It's a nice reel, proven, capable.

GS<
MS

Are the drag parts interchangeable with any other Penn reels, possibly the 113? I have a few discontinued Penn reels that parts have been unavailable for years. Penn isn't as bad as "brand X" when it comes to support on discontinued products but the parts supply has dried up for several of their popular but discontinued reels. The 349 was one of my favorite reels for halibut fishing in Alaska.

BTW, does anyone have a source for Penn 349 parts? Spools, gears, side plates and drag parts? I'd like to fix and use the 349's I have.

chark

i just placed an order for the reel. thanks for the help

The future of the 113HN is very uncertain right now, it just has not gone over anywhere except California.
When major retailers like Charkbait step up and commit to future orders it does help.
We are hoping to convince the production people to make a small "run" once a year in the spring, probably just enough to last until August, so get 'em when you can.
The proposal also includes making the spool and drag star a different color [red, green, blue, etc] each year.
Only the very first production run in 2004 had the 5 ball bearings, after that, they all had 6 ball bearings, but the box was never changed.
Check your owners manual/parts list to be sure.
The ones with nylon star wheels can be interchanged with the metal one from the TRQ300.
Another thing I sometimes do when using 50-pound mono topshots on cork-tape rods [w/large surface iron] is substitute the stock nylon clamp with the metal rod clamp off the 16VSX.

quote:

Originally posted by Keta:
Are the drag parts interchangeable with any other Penn reels, possibly the 113?

The 113HN and GS (525-555) series has interchangeable drag parts. If you check the drag part #s on your 113HN, you'll see they end in -525. Even so, the keyed discs of the 113HN seem to be unique though they may interchange with the new Torques.

quote:

BTW, does anyone have a source for Penn 349 parts? Spools, gears, side plates and drag parts? I'd like to fix and use the 349's I have.

Contact Buff at B & F Rod and Reel (909) 988-9229 he has quite a selection of 349 and 349H parts and reels.

no worries, new ones maybe not but they will never die they just get new parts, kind of like dads chevy truck !!!

Keta et al...

Scottsbt/PennParts still carries some parts for the 349s, but many are no longer available.

http://store.scottsbt.com/Penn-Reel-Specifications-W32C1.aspx#conv

Also...
It appears that the GS series drag washers are now interchangeable with the 113HN washers.

http://store.scottsbt.com/Design-Change-for-545GS-GearD...stem-P13819C263.aspx

OK, so I'm a month or so behind on the Charkboards.

Sorry,

Budd