Thread: Manual Pick up's on Penn Z's

Is the PUM mainly for plugging - or is it possible to use them for live bait fishing too?
I drift the live baits with an open bail, and flip it after the bite swims a bit. Is it possible to pick up the line after a fish bites and runs?

I am converting a 710Z to manual - and considering doing the same on my 704. Yea - or Nea

Welcome to 1974!
The original Penn 706 had a manual bail for surfcasters on the mid and upper Atlantic coast to 'feed line' while using live bait for stripers in the 1960s.
Florida panhandle pier fishers adapted that concept to 'snobble' dead cigar minnows and herring for mackerel as well.
And in the early 1970s GSPPier float and freeline fishers had adapted it with live LYs (scaled sardines).
The trick to getting the line back on the roller while a king is running with the bait is to hold the rod tip high, then as you quickly lower the rod tip flick the slack line onto the roller as you reel and the line comes tight.

I don't see the advantage of using a PUM reel for plugging.
When a fish hits a lure, it is either hooked or it isn't. He won't 'run' with it very far before dropping it.

There is an 'after market manual kit' available for the Penn 704.
IMHO it's not as good as using a Mitchell 302 manual bail ;-)

BTW the "best" angler I ever saw doing that was Cid Bakel.
He used a large Al Ceedo reel with a manual bail and live LYs under a round cork bobber.
Fishing most mornings and afternoons back in those days he would usually catch 100 kings by Labor Day.

Thanks #R! That was exactly what I was looking for. I am converting the 710 using a modified Mitchell 306 PUM, and the 704 kit is available from PENN threw Scott's in New Jersey. The advantage of the PUM for plugging is no worries about pre-mature bail closure during the cast.
I am converting everything back to old school. The new stuff is plastic crap and I am tired of stuff breaking every trip. I bought a 550SSM last year and was VERY impressed with the quality and feel of the reel. My wife liked it even more and promptly took ownership. The 550 was a bit lacking on line capacity so I decided to go back to the Spinfisher series. A man with patience can find some really good deals online. So far, 1 712Z, 2 710Z's and a 704Z for not much more than I spent for 1 Captiva 5 years ago. Between now and October, I'm going to get one more 704 and another 712. That way even if the wife favors one - I'll still have one left.

if you still need parts mike's got plenty The Fisher-Man | The Fisher-Man | DeLand, FL
go to his ebay site it has a better selection

Originally Posted by slanddeerhunter

if you still need parts mike's got plenty The Fisher-Man | The Fisher-Man | DeLand, FL
go to his ebay site it has a better selection

E-Mailed Mike this AM - that's who has the 710 PUM. The original manual kit from Penn is no longer available for the 710....but if someone has one, I would love to buy it....

PS - for those that are looking to go "old School" - most of the wear parts are still available, bail springs, new carbon fiber drag sets to replace the original Teflon, handles and almost everything inside the reel (there ain't much). Because most of the parts are interchangeable - customizing has become an art form all it's own. I snatched a NOS pancake handle for my 704, and the old 704 handle will go on one of the 710's. The ultimate is to drill or mill the rotors and spools for a more modern look. The innards are tough as nails - machined brass and stainless steel. Only one bearing to worry about - and it is available off the shelf from any MRO supply store.
The anti-reverse "click" has lost it's charm to most folks..but it brings back fond memories for me.

Originally Posted by scbasser

The ultimate mistake and travesty, is to drill or mill the rotors and spools for a more modern look.

Fixed it for you.

May I be stupid, I hate to interrupt, there seems to be serious dialog going on here. But what is 'manual' pickup vs 'whatever' pickup? Still learning.

Manual pickup means there is no bail on the reel, just the roller. You put the line over the roller by finger action after cast lands. A bail is the wire that takes the line over to the roller. Bails are either manual (must be flipped by hand) or automatic (flips when you start to reel). Automatic bails have a spring which can activate at the worst times.

The serious reason for the plug angler to use the bail-less reel is that casting plugs to striped bass or bluefish often involves a major heave that can cause a bail to flip and break off an expensive plug. A striper plug or tin may weigh 2 to 5 ounces and run $10-30 in today's dollars. Worse yet, retying wastes fishing time and the plug broken off is always (via Murphy's law) the only one the fish want that day.

No worries DRH, I'll leave the butchery to the young ones. I prefer the classics look as well.
Just popped another 712Z tonight. At just under 13oz., it one sweet little tank.
About time to shop for some rods....

Manual pickup means there is no bail on the reel, just the roller. You put the line over the roller by finger action after cast lands. A bail takes the line over manually to the roller. Bails are either manual (must be flipped by hand) or automatic (flips when you start to reel). Automatic bails have a spring which can activate at the worst times.

The serious reason for the plug angler to use the bail-less reel is that casting plugs to striped bass or bluefish often involves a major heave that can cause a bail to flip and break off an expensive plug. A striper plug or tin may weigh 2 to 5 ounces and run $10-30 in today's dollars. Worse yet, retying wastes fishing time and the plug broken off is always (via Murphy's law) the only one the fish want that day.