Is a 4/0 reel too small to pull AJs away from a oil rig? What about a 6/0? would a 6/0 be too big for Blackfin? I can only afford one, and those are the only leftys penn makes in my budget. I know this is getting old... so this should be my last left handed question. thanks

Don't see why you couldn't use a 4/0 reel for typical amberjacks, although the big bruisers might win. Depends mostly on the rod & line you use with it along with how tight you crank the drag down. Learned on a Baja trip that a Penn Senator 4/0 can take an awful lot of drag being cranked down on it when you're trying to horse yellowtail away from rocks ...

Might suggest you get the 4/0 now & save up for the 6/0 (whether it be this year or next), as you'll still have alot more versatility with two outfits.

If you can only afford one for now I'd suggest the 114HLW (6/0) and spool it with 85 lb. braid with a top shot of mono. When dropping deep for AJ you want to reduce the stretch of mono. Get an equally heavy rod that can handle the pressures. I've had some bruiser AJ break me off with 100 lb mono and 85 lb braid.

Of course I've also caught a lot of AJ with 4/0 and 50 lb mono.

YES, 4/0 will be just fine for AJ. You can grease the drags and get 20+ lbs. of drag out of them. Plenty.

Might be pushing the limits of a 113 (4/0) with a 20 pound drag setting and a nice AJ. Check this out and decide:

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=299.0

FM

I am aware of the gear sleeve damage that can occur on the penn reels but it is usaually the smaller (112H, 309,etc.) sleeves that you see damaged from too much drag. However, it can happen to any of them but I wouldn't feel too bad about 20#s on the 113H. I have ordered many parts from Alan and followed most all of his tutorials on reel repair. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think you should be able to handle most of the AJ that you will encounter with a 113H and greased HT100s. Very large AJ can cause lots of trouble with even the heaviest of reels, so yes, you are correct in that a 113H might not be the best choice if targeting beasts in the 100 lb. range. I've seen many a charter captain use 113's exclusively for bottom fishing and land many AJ without any problems. My personal choice for AJ is my 113HN Baja Special with 80lb braid. That little reel is a workhorse but they can be hard to find and expensive compared to a regular senator.

Get this one and you're set for anything.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016035E6

Basically the metal version of the 113HN Baja Special. One heck of a reel.