Neil Mackellow explains how to tune the Penn 525 Mag T reel.
Based on the original 525 Mag but in place of the four small brake magnets the Mag T has a single, much larger rare earth magnet. The wind in wind out assembly offers an enormous range of braking and can and has been used successfully on the tournament court – Neil won the 2000 USA Nationals with a stock Mag T. However, while it was originally developed for use on the field, it was soon clear that with this reel you could go from the tournament court straight to the beach for some long range work and then onto the rocks lobbing big baits for big fish. Tuning is very similar to the standard Mag so only the two inboard spool bearings need attention more than a twice yearly service in normal use. When wound fully in there is only a few thou between the spool and magnet and braking is dramatic. For normal beach work start off with unscrewing the knob by one full turn and see how things go. If all okay have a few more casts then take another half a turn off at a time until you find the right level of braking for you.
Gear ratio: 6:1 Brakes: One large rare earth magnet on a threaded stud adjustment
Spool end tension: Set spool end float so there is just discernable lateral movement
Fishing tune: Red RF or 80/90 weight gear oil. For maximum control use Liquid Grease. Start with the mag a turn off and adjust half a turn at a time
Pro’s: Powerful retrieve, precision spool, reinforced drive train, phenomenal brake power
Con’s: Works straight out of the box
Bearing access
Only the two inboard bearings in the spool affect spool rotational speed. While the shaft itself rotates in a pair of bearings, these bearings do NOT effect spool speed, only coming into play when the spool is under load, ie retrieving a fish.
Download reel schematics
Click the tutorial pictures below to see step-by-step instructions.
To gain access to the spool bearings loosen the three screws in the left hand endplate and remove
Now remove the spool and spindle
Lift off the white clicker cog to reveal the LH bearing
Remove the bearing
The drive end
