line on 14/0

Where do you plan on fishing the reel? Beaches, bridges, piers - around structure - this info will allow people to give you a better info.

I plan on fishing the beaches and keys bridges with it.

Very few people will fish straight braid due to cost and abrasion resistance. I tried it and had no success. I can't comment on bridge fishing but most people will use straight mono on large reels such as a 14/0 and 16/0 from the beach. I prefer a top shot of mono and the braid never touches the water unless a fish is pulling drag. I find this method to be less expensive, easy to change out the top shot with no big bulky mono splices and greatest capacity. Good luck!!!

Oh, and you will want to practice your knots if your going to use a top shot.

get the best of BOTH worlds - your overall goal is somewhere around 900-1000yds of line to allow for deep drops if necessary and line to fight with. Get a 600yd spool of 200lb hollow core Jerry Brown line and pack it on as tight as you possibly can - cut off about 50' of the braid and set it to the side - at the end of the line you just put on the reel create a large loop of about 24" (you can learn how to do this on www.bhptackle.com). now take a 5' section of the braid you cut off and create a loop the same way you did on the end of the line on the reel but make this loop only about 6" - on the other end insert the start of the mono from the spool and serve it off according to the directions on that website. you can then join the two with a simple loop to loop connection (100% strength on the connection - thats why you made the first loop so big so that you could slip it over the 5lb spool of mono). pack on mono topshot like you would normally. when your done go ahead and make another wind on loop and serve it onto the end of the mono on the spool - this way when its time to change out the topshot its just a matter of another loop to loop connection and your ready to spool up again either because of line wear and abrasion or from a cut off. using this method you get to keep and/or extend the maximum capacity of the reel and actually fish a much larger topshot to help fight the abrasion and sharp objects and still have the overall line capacity (including your emergency back up of braid) in case of a freight train run. there are other tricks you can do as well to make the most out of those senator reels as far as drag upgrades that will not only extend the life of the drags but also the life of their performance at 100%.

Go with straight mono. Best bet for fishing Florida beaches and bridges

Go with straight mono. Best bet for fishing Florida beaches and bridges

My buddy runs strAight mono and has to splice his line offten when he gets cut off. This leads to splices that don't pass, splices that slip, no capacify if he dosn't replace the line, more work if he replaces the entire spool and icrease cost in waste and time.

Very few people will fish straight braid due to cost and abrasion resistance. I tried it and had no success. I can't comment on bridge fishing but most people will use straight mono on large reels such as a 14/0 and 16/0 from the beach. I prefer a top shot of mono and the braid never touches the water unless a fish is pulling drag. I find this method to be less expensive, easy to change out the top shot with no big bulky mono splices and greatest capacity. Good luck!!!

Oh, and you will want to practice your knots if your going to use a top shot.

What knot do you prefer to attach the braid backing to the mono topshot?

depends on what kind of braid backing that you use - if you use hollow core braid you can splice the mono straight into the braid for an inline splice or chineese fingertrap type of splice - if using solid braid then a PR knot or an FG knot are the strongest and lowest profile knots to join braid to mono. snook hunter is correct i would put the heaviest braid you can affor on the bottom (at least 500yds) and then topshot the reel with a much larger diameter mono from 150lb on up to 200lb - this is the line thats going to take the beating from abrasion and the larger diameter will combat abrasion and nicks much better than smaller diameter mono. you can build a 14/0 up to be a great choice with a few modifications - it can be a reel that will be able to sustain higher drag pressures than the stock senator, apply more overall drag that is smoother and more consistent thatn the stock senator, and have greater overall line capacity with line that is more capable of withstanding the abuse of sand, shells, and structure.

you can build a 14/0 up to be a great choice with a few modifications - it can be a reel that will be able to sustain higher drag pressures than the stock senator, apply more overall drag that is smoother and more consistent thatn the stock senator, and have greater overall line capacity with line that is more capable of withstanding the abuse of sand, shells, and structure.

Is there a how-to for doing this?

I do solid beach fishing and use full spool of braid with A nice slab of mono topshot.....

Could I get you to expand on the drag upgrades and other tweaks? I'm a greenhorn angler, won't even have a line in salt water till the end of this month... But I got a great deal on a 16/0 and want to make the most of it. I'd greatly appreciate any tips to make the most of this reel. A lot of people suggested I just turn it around and sell it since I got it for such a good deal and that the new leverdrags make this big spool unworthy, but I like heritage/nostalgia. Just want to make sure I'm employing it to the best of its abilities.

Is there more than just upgraded HT-100 washers to making this thing a winch? Thanks in advance!

get the best of BOTH worlds - your overall goal is somewhere around 900-1000yds of line to allow for deep drops if necessary and line to fight with. Get a 600yd spool of 200lb hollow core Jerry Brown line and pack it on as tight as you possibly can - cut off about 50' of the braid and set it to the side - at the end of the line you just put on the reel create a large loop of about 24" (you can learn how to do this on http://www.bhptackle.com ). now take a 5' section of the braid you cut off and create a loop the same way you did on the end of the line on the reel but make this loop only about 6" - on the other end insert the start of the mono from the spool and serve it off according to the directions on that website. you can then join the two with a simple loop to loop connection (100% strength on the connection - thats why you made the first loop so big so that you could slip it over the 5lb spool of mono). pack on mono topshot like you would normally. when your done go ahead and make another wind on loop and serve it onto the end of the mono on the spool - this way when its time to change out the topshot its just a matter of another loop to loop connection and your ready to spool up again either because of line wear and abrasion or from a cut off. using this method you get to keep and/or extend the maximum capacity of the reel and actually fish a much larger topshot to help fight the abrasion and sharp objects and still have the overall line capacity (including your emergency back up of braid) in case of a freight train run. there are other tricks you can do as well to make the most out of those senator reels as far as drag upgrades that will not only extend the life of the drags but also the life of their performance at 100%.

I collect old penn senator reels and also use them.....just my style,but also have old penn INTERNATIONALS reels that are used often.Lever drag works better for most styles and would be the way to go....I shark fish from the beach 100% of the time so I use the senators cause of the slab of yards they hold.....My way of enjoying my investments.