Howdy, Any of you 965/975 users ever have a problem with removing the bearing from the non-drive side? My 965 has been a solid reel other than basic maitenance like replaing the prawls (more often than they should be replaced, but they are cheap), and has seen more use since I put the bigger handle on it. My 975 has been ok but requires tons of maitenance compared to my 7000C. I have been using the 965 for 3 full season now and the 975 for two. Again, they are great and super smooth but need to be tuned up once a week in season. Especially the roller bearings.

Anyways, I am having trouble getting the non-drive side bearing out. THe edge seems to be rounded a little but still has the gold finish so I don't think it has been damaged at all. Any hints or tips? Thanks,

East Tide

Dave---that's one of the reasons my 975s aren't seeing much use after their first season. Too much high maintenence. I had the same problem with the pawls wearing---just to give you an example, the pawls in the Abu level winds tend to last several seasos. The 975 wore out in its first year of use. Also---you have to keep the free spool clutch clean and greased to avoid having it niot fully engage and pop up during the cast---which often costs you a plug or a jig (thank God for 50# Spectron or I would have snapped even more off).

I'm beginning to think they were $200 msitakes---I'll never own another one, but I'd buy another Calcutta 400 (used much harder and still on the original pawl after 4 seasons) in a heartbeat.

But to answer your question after this rant---I have no idea how to pop that bearing out. Getting Penn bearings out---even in a Squidder---has always been a major PITA.:(

I got a 965 as a gift for xmass so I should trade it in for a 6500 or 7000:(

GB - Keep the 965 - nice reel. I don't have one but my bro-in-law swears by it. The 6500 & 7000s are good (after tweaks and upgrades) but IF you choose to trade it, the Calcutta 400 is extremely sweet. But not a necessary upgrade from the 965...

Now if you choose to get another similar reel, then check out the Calcutta 400...

Think I will stay with it as it was a gift from one of my customers. Still need some one to help me learn to rig and throw eels with it. I have always liked pluging with conv. reels but like most others now use spinning gear. Thanks for the info John.

Mike, the pawls are a pain and I fogot about the aut-engaging free spool that my 95 and 975 are famous for. I really do like the reels though. I've never tried a shimano. I think i steered away from them because there were more parts and I have always found penns easy to work on. It's weird how much i love fishing with my 975 and manage to overlook the issues. My abu is a work horse and i should probably soup up a 6500 and see how the drag feels. .....

Cowboy, they recently came out with an Extreme Smoothy drag washer kit for the Abu's - a little better than the regular smoothies. Last year Mike recommended using HT-100 drags from the Penns and trimming them to fit the Abu (as I recall, he hadn't had any bigger fish on them at that time). I plan to do my 6500 Big Game with the HTs...

Mike P,

I would be interested in knowing more about the HT-100 mods to the 6500.

The Penn washers I used were the 704 size---very common sized washer. They fit the 704, 706, the 6500-8500 in the SS series, and are a great replacement for the crappy stock washers in the 200 and 250 size Van Staals. And, for that matter, they fit the old Luxor/Crack 300. The 704s are a little undersized for the Abu, so they will get a little chewed up around the edges over a season inside the Abu---but they only cost about half a buck apiece.

You can only use two HT-100s in the drag stack, as they're thicker than the Abu washers. If you install all 3, the metal washer with the tabs on it won't seat in the slots on the main gear, and the reel will lock up when you tighten the drag. The Abu washer that goes into the base of the gear has a larger hole than the other two---I keep that one, and put the two Penn washers towards the top--in the proper order, naturally. The drag was much smoother and held a great deal more pressure than with the wimpy Abu washers---but, regular Smoothies perform even better. I'll try the Extreme Smoothies this year when I service my 6500.

I've never tried the Squidder sized HT-100s (I think their part number is ends -60), but I've heard they work in the Abu, too.