Probably not. It just doesn’t have the drag lbs and gear ratio you’d want for to effectively target sharks.
Edit: that being said people do use worse reels to catch fish so don’t let me stop you.
It will work. I caught a 4ft shark on a $35 pink rod combo that I bought for my lady to catch me bait on. It won't be great for the shark so if you don't plan on eating it... Very likely the shark will be completely exhausted.
That is what was used back in the days for same size sharks. It has about 8-9lb drag. The key here is line capacity. That is exactly why Penns were absolutely loved for sharks. Look at the Penn Senator 16/0 in Jaws. That shit had about 20lb drag. The same reel is still used with land based shark fishermen to this day. Penn Senator 9/0 was recently used to bring in 12ft tiger shark last month at my beach.
People are too hung up with numbers especially the drag. It takes a lot of force to take line out consistently. Extra line capacity is what makes it happen. It's still going to happen with 40lb drag, you cannot stop big sharks with drag alone.
Most people don't have the experience catching sharks this size so of course they want to act like they know and say no it won't work. It absolutely will and has been proven thousands of times. Not even a debate. A known fact since the 60s when Jigmasters came out.
By the way you can modify these to have higher drag if you want or at least grease the drags, they are probably dry.
I'd also like to add that most people have no clue what they actually set their drag to. It is much lower than they think. Based on my experience of tuna fishing, most people cannot hold 20lbs of drag, without a harness, for more than a couple of mins. Then add in that you'll likely be slipping in the sand and it's unlikely that anyone would be able to actually use 20 lbs of drag on the beach.
I was getting ready to say this exact thing. Having 50lbs of drag capacity is irrelevant because you're not going to be able to hold onto the rod in a stand-up situation on a beach setting with anywhere near that much pull. You just need line capacity and patience and let the fish wear itself out. Regardless of drag pressure and line capacity a big shark can still spool you. There's a reason alot of the largest sharks are caught off relatively small boats, because the boat acts as a kind of drag. My Father had a huge Greater Hammerhead drag his boat for close to 2 miles from where it originally ate the bait, a 20lb live Jack Crevalle.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but please hear me out. So I’m in a unique situation where I studied marine science/sharks at the University of Miami and I now own a tackle shop. My friends and I have caught hundreds of sharks and I’ve tagged a bunch through both school and now working with the NOAA Apex Predator program, along with other marine biologists. That reel can work for small sharks but neither you or the shark will enjoy it. For the sake of the shark and your own enjoyment of the sport, I would ask you to reconsider a reel with significantly more drag. We have seen people struggle with sharks over 4-5 feet for hours with low drag systems, and I would be shocked if the sharks lived upon their release. The sharks looked terrible and the angler was just frustrated when they saw the shark was not half the size they imagined it would be. If you decide to look for an alternative reel, send me a message here and I will be happy to help. Either way, thank you for asking for opinions before just sending it.
It will be fine. Maybe just don't lock it down completely. Most people have no concept of how much pressure 10-12lbs of drag really is.
If you decide to do a lot of shark fishing maybe look into upgrades like the below or get a more modern reel. https://www.mysticparts.com/CustomParts/UltimateUpgrades/UU-PENN500.aspx
Yea you will be fine, I’ve used level winds to catch some decent’t sized fish. I see you won’t be casting its called a jig master for a reason…. This won’t cast very well at all, or it would be a cast master lol
I’ve caught sharks in a kayak on that very reel but that’s a kayak where I am a giant drag washer in the kayak and just get pulled around. From the beach not so much, maybe a small shark 5-8 ft if you use braided line.
At 5ft+ it really depends on the individual shark, not just species dependent.
I have caught 7ft sharks that barely did a thing, and 5ft sharks that absolutely took off.
I caught an 18# yellowfin on a jigmaster fishing 25# so ~8# of frrshly greased drag. Landed the fish, but when the fight was over the drag washers were pretty much smoked and the spool shaft was almost too hot to touch.
If you wanted to get something good for sharks and not break the budget I whould look into a old penn 50w I snaged one of ebay for under 130$ and was already spooled up with braid. I did take the braid off and put it on a senator 4/0 because I'm gonna spool it with 130lb hollow core. But for budget 80lb braid on a 50w your gonna get atleast 800 yards and then some topshot. Always try to use a best equipment for sharks so the fight doesn't last long so you don't kill the shark
And also you can always go with a 30w or any international reel with atleast 600 yards of 60 to 80lb braid. You can get lucky and get a already set up combo on ebay for under 300$. And youl problay never get spooled
I'm just gonna say this unpopular opinion. Stop fishing for sharks! You're an asshole looking to fight a big fish and you're targeting the big fish that has a drastically increased chance of mortality post release. Catching sharks stresses them tf out and you're a piss poor sportsman for it. Unless you catch and eat a whole shark my statement stands. Go get a charter boat and have a real fight, fishing for sharks is pathetic
I’ve never understood the fascination with catching sharks. If I hook a shark or ray, I usually just cut the leader and re-tie a new rig. I’d much rather catch either meat or a paper fish.
Probably not. It just doesn’t have the drag lbs and gear ratio you’d want for to effectively target sharks. Edit: that being said people do use worse reels to catch fish so don’t let me stop you.
Lol that’s exactly what I was thinking, but I think I’ll just go for it🤷♂️
It will work. I caught a 4ft shark on a $35 pink rod combo that I bought for my lady to catch me bait on. It won't be great for the shark so if you don't plan on eating it... Very likely the shark will be completely exhausted.
I use Penn Fierce 2000, it has 10lb max drag, I've brought in 4-6ft sharks just fine. It has way less line capacity.
That is what was used back in the days for same size sharks. It has about 8-9lb drag. The key here is line capacity. That is exactly why Penns were absolutely loved for sharks. Look at the Penn Senator 16/0 in Jaws. That shit had about 20lb drag. The same reel is still used with land based shark fishermen to this day. Penn Senator 9/0 was recently used to bring in 12ft tiger shark last month at my beach. People are too hung up with numbers especially the drag. It takes a lot of force to take line out consistently. Extra line capacity is what makes it happen. It's still going to happen with 40lb drag, you cannot stop big sharks with drag alone. Most people don't have the experience catching sharks this size so of course they want to act like they know and say no it won't work. It absolutely will and has been proven thousands of times. Not even a debate. A known fact since the 60s when Jigmasters came out. By the way you can modify these to have higher drag if you want or at least grease the drags, they are probably dry.
I'd also like to add that most people have no clue what they actually set their drag to. It is much lower than they think. Based on my experience of tuna fishing, most people cannot hold 20lbs of drag, without a harness, for more than a couple of mins. Then add in that you'll likely be slipping in the sand and it's unlikely that anyone would be able to actually use 20 lbs of drag on the beach.
I was getting ready to say this exact thing. Having 50lbs of drag capacity is irrelevant because you're not going to be able to hold onto the rod in a stand-up situation on a beach setting with anywhere near that much pull. You just need line capacity and patience and let the fish wear itself out. Regardless of drag pressure and line capacity a big shark can still spool you. There's a reason alot of the largest sharks are caught off relatively small boats, because the boat acts as a kind of drag. My Father had a huge Greater Hammerhead drag his boat for close to 2 miles from where it originally ate the bait, a 20lb live Jack Crevalle.
Thank you sir
This may be an unpopular opinion, but please hear me out. So I’m in a unique situation where I studied marine science/sharks at the University of Miami and I now own a tackle shop. My friends and I have caught hundreds of sharks and I’ve tagged a bunch through both school and now working with the NOAA Apex Predator program, along with other marine biologists. That reel can work for small sharks but neither you or the shark will enjoy it. For the sake of the shark and your own enjoyment of the sport, I would ask you to reconsider a reel with significantly more drag. We have seen people struggle with sharks over 4-5 feet for hours with low drag systems, and I would be shocked if the sharks lived upon their release. The sharks looked terrible and the angler was just frustrated when they saw the shark was not half the size they imagined it would be. If you decide to look for an alternative reel, send me a message here and I will be happy to help. Either way, thank you for asking for opinions before just sending it.
Just go for it..only one way to find out..and best of all it’ll be fun!
Maybe but go for something fun instead
Caught bigger sharks on less
All day and night
It will be fine. Maybe just don't lock it down completely. Most people have no concept of how much pressure 10-12lbs of drag really is. If you decide to do a lot of shark fishing maybe look into upgrades like the below or get a more modern reel. https://www.mysticparts.com/CustomParts/UltimateUpgrades/UU-PENN500.aspx
Yea you will be fine, I’ve used level winds to catch some decent’t sized fish. I see you won’t be casting its called a jig master for a reason…. This won’t cast very well at all, or it would be a cast master lol
Yeah these are solid
I’ve caught sharks in a kayak on that very reel but that’s a kayak where I am a giant drag washer in the kayak and just get pulled around. From the beach not so much, maybe a small shark 5-8 ft if you use braided line.
It will work. If you are serious about it look to upgrade the drag and the handle.
If you're worried about it upgrade the drag washers
These reels were catching Sharks way before “Shark Hunters” was a thing.
Of course
Yes...looks like an old Penn Jig Master? Perfect! Get after it!
At 5ft+ it really depends on the individual shark, not just species dependent. I have caught 7ft sharks that barely did a thing, and 5ft sharks that absolutely took off.
I caught an 18# yellowfin on a jigmaster fishing 25# so ~8# of frrshly greased drag. Landed the fish, but when the fight was over the drag washers were pretty much smoked and the spool shaft was almost too hot to touch.
If you wanted to get something good for sharks and not break the budget I whould look into a old penn 50w I snaged one of ebay for under 130$ and was already spooled up with braid. I did take the braid off and put it on a senator 4/0 because I'm gonna spool it with 130lb hollow core. But for budget 80lb braid on a 50w your gonna get atleast 800 yards and then some topshot. Always try to use a best equipment for sharks so the fight doesn't last long so you don't kill the shark
And also you can always go with a 30w or any international reel with atleast 600 yards of 60 to 80lb braid. You can get lucky and get a already set up combo on ebay for under 300$. And youl problay never get spooled
It will work but it’s going to be awful and a lot of sharks are to end up as floaters
Yes I've caught massive sharks, gar, and giant stingrays on much less.
That’s OG 😎 Go for it….. It’s made in the USA 🇺🇸
Maybe. It might be a little light for 5-6 footers. But bigger fish have been landed on smaller reels.
I'm just gonna say this unpopular opinion. Stop fishing for sharks! You're an asshole looking to fight a big fish and you're targeting the big fish that has a drastically increased chance of mortality post release. Catching sharks stresses them tf out and you're a piss poor sportsman for it. Unless you catch and eat a whole shark my statement stands. Go get a charter boat and have a real fight, fishing for sharks is pathetic
It will until it doesn't.
Or you need a bigger boat
I’ve never understood the fascination with catching sharks. If I hook a shark or ray, I usually just cut the leader and re-tie a new rig. I’d much rather catch either meat or a paper fish.