Reel Question

I fish muskies 7-10 days per year. I have gone through a few of the Abu Garcia's which are specific to Cabelas. Can't think of the model, but they are red w/ a thumb bar. Couple years and they crap out. I see this issue was addressed in another thread, but I had a couple specific questions.

1) Is it worth having my reel repaired, not knowing just yet what the cost would be?
2) Do I need to spend $200+ to get a reel that will last a handful of years?
3) I mainly throw bucktails, but am branching out into other baits. Suggestions on a low profile as well as a barrell reel would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

NC

[J-Man]

I'd be curious about what model you are using that craps out after a couple of seasons with 7-10 days use. I have several of red reels with thumb bars that were 6500 C3 reels but the thumb bar model made it 6600 ssC3. I used a couple of these for a at least a couple of seasons when i was just starting out and they held up well. I sold a couple to friends/family for starter reels and they have worked well for them too. They don't make this specific model anymore, but I see they still have a similar version they call the BCX 6600.

The difference could be that mine were still made in sweden when I bought them in 2005-2006. Durability has been noticably lacking on some of the lower end reels since they have been manufactured in china.

For a bit higher end, look at the revo toro 60 series....you can pick these up lightly used or brand new in the box from people selling them for around the $200 mark and they are great buys. There are 3 gear ratios to choose from with the 5.4 now discontinued so they could go down to 2 models, but you can still find a few of the 5.4 verions around buy/sell boards.

The 5.4 is the better all around choice, but if you can't get one in that gear ratio, dont hesitate to get the "winch" with the 4.6:1 ratio. Same price range and can be found used. You may see a lot of these coming up for sell with the new shimano tranx coming out at $500, many will not be keeping current reels for back ups with a $500 price tag on this new offering from shamino. New retail prices are generally in the $270 range for the revo toro 60s.

A round reel option could be the Shimano Calcutta 400...it will set you back around $250 new. The higher end 400TE is over $350, but the regular 400 will serve you well for the limited number of days you are on the water per year.

I'm a big fan of my Revo reels and have a half dozen or more. I have sold off my Calcutta 400s because I like the low profile revo much better.

The repaid question is a tough one, but if you are having problems every 2 years..you may be better off upgrading. Best bet for repair woudl be to take them to a major show where the have abu tech on hand to clean/service a reel for you. They may be able to offer some insight as to what is wrong and guess on repair cost.

Thanks for the reply J-Man. I think 2 yrs is pushing it. Probably closer to 4 yrs with no maintenence so I am guessing 95% of it is my fault! Local place said they will clean for $17.95 so I am going to give them a shot. Love the Garcia's, just had this issue, which again I think is more of neglect than anything else.

Will also move to the Toro low profile if an upgrade is necessary. I have the hands of 9 yr old girl, so the low profile is easier to handle!

Thanks again, this has been very helpful.

[J-Man]

depending on the issue, may not be much of a fix. certainly sounds like a cleaning/lube is in order. may be a cheap anti reverse part or something and youll be back in the saddle too.

let us know what you find out if you have it looked at.

[Pezman38]

Originally Posted by unlogged nc

Thanks for the reply J-Man. I think 2 yrs is pushing it. Probably closer to 4 yrs with no maintenence so I am guessing 95% of it is my fault! Local place said they will clean for $17.95 so I am going to give them a shot. Love the Garcia's, just had this issue, which again I think is more of neglect than anything else.

Will also move to the Toro low profile if an upgrade is necessary. I have the hands of 9 yr old girl, so the low profile is easier to handle!

Thanks again, this has been very helpful.

Shimano curado 300 would be excellent for you. I have had some other shimano baitcast reels for 6 years and they are rock solid. Also lots of guys in the US can fix them if anything were to happen.

Thanks for the suggestion Pezman. Iowa St huh? Live in des moines so not too far from cyclone country. Will look at the shimano as well.

[AllenW]

Its not hard to do the maintance on them reels, try this site and see if you'd rather do it yourself.

http://alantani.com/index.php

I have 6500 series reels from the mid 80's that I still use for musky's and northerns, along with cats and sturgeons and they still work great, little maintance goes a long way..

You want to upgrade, I like the round style reel so I'd reccomend a Cardiff or Calcutta 400 from Shimano, but they need maintance too...


Al

[Pezman38]

Originally Posted by Unclogged nc

Thanks for the suggestion Pezman. Iowa St huh? Live in des moines so not too far from cyclone country. Will look at the shimano as well.

Yep I graduated from there.
The 300 curado has bigger line capacity and a sweet handle. I had one but traded it because I didn't use it enough.

[SoulFulCry]

what about the reels that pete mania designed specifically for musky fishing n big baits n alot of casting not sure what the models are but from what i seen n heard there dam good reels i dunno just a thought

[BradH]

I think you are referring to the 5600CB/6600CB. It's a C4 with red sideplates, thumb bar release, made in Sweden and 6.3:1 ratio. The "CB" was a Cabelas only deal but it's a C4. They are good reels if you give them regular service. I have 2 of the 6600CBs on jerkbait rods. The 6.3:1 takes up lots of slack with a full spool between pulls. I got into the habit of servicing new reels before I fish them so maybe that is why I have so few issues. I've got to the point where everything gets torn down and I flush and oil the spool bearings before I even put a reel on a rod.

1. Yes. they are worth fixing. Parts are cheap. Round ABU reels (excluding the Chinese BCX) are the Chevrolet V8 of the fishing reel world. They are easy to work on and you can do about anything with them.

2. No. Any reel you neglect to service will poop out sooner or later. Tossing big baits will trash any reel given enough time.

3. I like a lower ratio for bucktails but I still use the round ABU reels. I'll switch to something else someday.