Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

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charleswilbourn
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Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by charleswilbourn »

Hi, It's me, Charles. Fishing is one of the most favorite hobbies for me. I love fishing but I don't know properly about fishing. I have asked someone which is best fishing reel? He told me that the best fishing reel is Abu Garcia fishing reel but I am confused because I don't know which is best. Is that true? Experts help me.

Thank You
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Ron Mc
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Ron Mc »

There's no arguing both Abu baitcasters and their Cardinal spinning reels were great designs and made to last.
Anyone arguing they're the best has a great argument.
For most beginning fishermen, spinning reels are easier to get the knack than baitcasters. Spinning tackle lets you concentrate on fishing and not worry about casting.
There are definite advantages to baitcasters, instant retrieve and depth control, but for anyone starting out, treat a baitcaster as a secondary skill.

I'll add to this. I'm a fishing reel historian, and have level winds that go back to the ninteen-naughties and teens, with obscure mechanisms that had to compete against the Marhoff patent (eventually used on every LW baitcaster after 1928). Here's a 1914 FE Thomas bait rod and c.1915 Talbot NLW reel (fun to cast and fish a silk braid when you're feeling really golden age).
Image Most distance tournament casters today still use prewar Meek and Talbot non-level-wind reels for competition.

There were a lot of bad spinning reels that showed up before WWII, but Hardy's 1932 patent Altex was the space shuttle of fishing reels (and with a war extension on the patent, it was 1954 before anyone else could use a flip bail). Even among today's computer-balanced designs, this is one of the smoothest reels ever made.
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I've fished quite a few rods and reels pushing 50 years and have my favorites, including older (discontinued) Lew's baitcaster and Penn spinfisher.
ImageThe performance of this particular baitcaster (Shimano design) was a big jump over the traditional Abu design, both for improved distance and ease of backlash control.

My Penn spinfishers have lasted 30+ years in the salt and just won't quit - or corrode. My UL 4200SS has landed 30" reds, and the 4400SS has fished thousands of miles, landed thousands of fish, including jacks and kings. Penn also gets to play in that smoothest ever group. (in comparison, big fish wore out the gears on my Mitchell from high school by the time I went to college - and no one could ever accuse a Mitchell of being smooth.)

For spending your money today, I honestly don't think you can beat top-line Tica reels, for spinning or baitcaster.
These same China reels are re-branded and sold as high-grade reels wearing other names and bigger price tags.

That said, they're still making good Penns, and you won't ever need a replacement.
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Last edited by Ron Mc on Mon Oct 09, 2017 9:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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charleswilbourn
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by charleswilbourn »

Thank's buddy for your tips. Your tips are best because your explanation is wonderful and now I am satisfied and I can choose best one for my hobby. I love fishing and I want to do it as like professional. now I can do it I hope so. Thanks, a lot. If you know more information about fishing please give me the best tips.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

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I'm kinda guessing you already have experience fishing, but the single most important tip is learn to read the water. Thinking like a fish isn't too tough, because according to Gary Borger, who said he got this from research piscine psychologists, a trout has an IQ of 6, and a carp has an IQ of 12.
Fear is the greatest motivation of a fish, sometimes overcome by feeding drive, but stealth is the 2nd most important fishing skill. Time on the water and paying your dues is where most of it comes from. Dues paying is the personal experience that no one else can teach you.

I started my girls with bait, catching grasshoppers in the back yard, and taking them places where they could fish if they wanted, and play if they didn't.
Both were accomplished anglers by 12-y-o.
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and willing to pay their dues
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Last edited by Ron Mc on Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Ron Mc »

Another anecdote about why I like Shimano/Lew's better than Abu.

In college I bought a Daiwa Millionaire 6H, a quality Japanese reverse-engineered Abu clone (equivalent to Abu 6500). When I wasn't fly fishing, the Millionaire was my full-time fishing reel, fresh and salt water, though still at the coast accompanied by the clunky Mitchell (the HS Mitchell still works even today, but it sounds like a freight train).

Fishing the surf at Cedar Bayou in the 80s, sand wore through the Millionaire LW worm gear. The worm gear was nickel-plated brass, and the pawl was 440SS. Even though the reel had only been out of production for 5 years, Daiwa would not support it with parts.
That was when I bought my first Lew's BB1NG, marked for Browning.
On Lew's, the worm gear is 440SS, and the pawl is zirconia ceramic. Together they will grind sand, instead of the other way.
My first BB1NG is still going strong with two parts replacements, the anti-reverse pawl, and the handle (parts came from Roy's Bait &Tackle in Corpus)

I had previously bought my dad a Lew's for his birthday, and more along the way.
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All his are still going strong as well, though he has a tendency to crank down the casting drag and wear through bronze spindle pads. No worries, I fabricate replacements from phosphor-bronze sheet I have around for making springs for OP's Meeks and Talbots (I repair valuable antique reels as a hobby business).
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Last edited by Ron Mc on Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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charleswilbourn
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by charleswilbourn »

Thank you so much, dear Ron Mc for, give me some informative advice. Yeah, It's true now I have gained some idea about fishing. Your speech gives me a new experience and I am happy to say I have learned new things from your speech thank's a lot for giving me the best Idea. If you always give me the best tips I hope so I am also be a good fisherman. Thank you so much.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Ron Mc »

keep paying your dues, and eventually you'll need a bigger net

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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by WoodsWaterSky »

I have some of the old AG Ambassador 5000 reels ranging from the very early 70s through the 90s, and each one is still fully functional and reliable. Also have a couple of the old Lews Speed Spools and they too are mint. Great reels when taken care of and will last forever.
I fish mostly with the modern Lews Speed Spool series reels in several different models nowadays , but still grab the 5000s for the big fish and heavy brush fishing trips. They are hard to beat within reason.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Ron Mc »

A very nice feature of the Ambassadeur 5000 and 6000 series (and Millionaire 5H and 6H) is the larger line capacity.
I have a good friend who's built up a collection of 5500s, and that's all he fishes.

The narrow, larger diameter spool is what makes Lew's magic.
With the Abu, your cast energy also moves the level wind mechanism.
The Lew's spools are narrow enough, the LW mechanism is completely disengaged when you cast. Because of the larger diameter, everything at the spindle is happening slower to get the same line speed. That combined with the disengaged LW, means you get longer casts and easier backlash control.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by kickingback »

The very BEST reel you can get is one that you like! Try them at the stores and get some opinions like here but get what you can afford and like. Don't buy a name brand just becasue it is a name brand. You will pay more. You may get a great reel for $100 or you can get a good reel for $40. I have all $40 reels and all mine work great!. From H2O reels to KastKing to Shimano. All of them are good in their own way and some last longer than others.
The best thing you can do is keep them clean and clean them deeply if you get salt water on them. Rinse them with fresh water after use to help as well.
A clean kept, well working $40 reel will last you as long as a $100-$200 reel if you take care of it. I bought an expensive one once and sent it in for cleaning and found I was wasting my money. I used the saving to buy other gear I wanted.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Tallgrass07 »

The best reel is one you can afford that matches your rod and makes for a balanced combo. I buy a rod, and then walk around trying different reels on it to see which feels the best. I've also fished with a $30 Shimano Syncopate and a $600 Shimano Stella on the same day, and they both caught fish equally well.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

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I have a cheap Okuma baitcaster that I bought as a backup. It's very light and works great with only one complaint. The casting brake adjustment drifts as the reel warms. It begins stiff, loosens up, then goes stiff again. Not a problem as long as you watch your spool in the cast and adjust it accordingly.
I don't think there is such a thing as a bad reel these days. The technology is 100-y-o with newer improvements in bearings, clutches and casting brakes, and really nice CNC gears.

I agree about clean and lube. One of the fun parts about staging for a trip is lubing reels (and of course they all get cleaned when they come home) .
I'm staging right now for a trip next week. Plus, I'm loaning tackle.
When I pulled out my two Penn 4x00SS, they were stiff as all get-out. One drop of oil on each side of the main bushing, and one on the flyer/spindle bushing, and both 35-y-o reels are spinning like tops.

A good buddy used to guide out of Lamar. He fished Penns and never did anything except prop them in the garage.
Only reel that can be ridden hard, put away wet, and keep working.

And if you're fishing out of a boat, the longest cast gets the fish. My dad drift fishes. He figures why buy a boat if you're going to get out of it. Three of us one day drifted over Long Reef without a strike. To demonstrate, I ran back and beached the boat, two of us got out to wade and limited out. He still fished out of the back of the boat.

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charleswilbourn
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by charleswilbourn »

thank's buddy for your information.
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

charleswilbourn wrote:Hi, It's me, Charles. Fishing is one of the most favorite hobbies for me. I love fishing but I don't know properly about fishing. I have asked someone which is best fishing reel? He told me that the best fishing reel is Abu Garcia fishing reel but I am confused because I don't know which is best. Is that true? Experts help me.

Thank You
Do automatons fish?


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charleswilbourn
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by charleswilbourn »

Automation fishing, how to do? Explain Please!
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Ron Mc
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Ron Mc »

graphite fly rods with disc drag reels :mrgreen:
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charleswilbourn
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by charleswilbourn »

how can I use it? I don't know about it. Will you give me a better solution?
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Re: Abu Garcia is the best fishing reel?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Dude. Really?


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