Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[prairiefire]

I am also thinking of going for a centrepin setup. Any ideas of a good starter outfit. This will be my second year of going to the Vedder.

[fish4fun]

Check out the 6501C4. I've got a lefty and it's been a pretty good reel, both on the Vedder and Fraser. Worth your while to upgrade it with the ceramic pawl though as they have been known to have worm gear issues. Keep the worm well lubed too. {Never hurts to have the old Quantum as a backup either}.

[prairiefire]

I ended up ordering a 5501C4 from Cabelas. I'll keep my Okuma Induron for the Fraser.

[prairiefire]

Forgot to ask where I would get that upgrade.

[fish4fun]

A buddy of mine got the ceramic pawls online but Mikes Reel Repair in Abbotsford probably has them. There number is 1-888-404-1119.

[umpo4]

I'm a true lefty and want myu rod in my left hand,,being the strongest,,,,,therefore I will reel with my right hand all the 4500's or 00's are right hand retrieve any ending with 01 is left hand retrieve..........thru out the industry.
Back a few guys ,,,,,,,you are correct,,, ALL med. priced ABU's are poor, VERY poor drags, the level wind pawl ( the unit that moves the line from side to side) is a joke, wears out way too fast. Its the only reel I have to stock extra pawls for people.
PLZ look at the Shimano line of reels. Pricing is about the same , but WAY better quality. Curado's, 250 or 251 Calcutta,,,,, TE's are a bit expensive but bullet proof and as smooth as silk. Check out Ebay for good used ones ,,,,lots of good buys..............

[glx]

Milo

No kidding their best selling, there cheap.  They are not built like the way they used to be.  Having to deal with warranty issues in the industry on these reels would make a person cringe. 

Have seen numerous problems on c3, c4, c5 magx, tgc 6000, records, eons, etc. 

These reels are not built well enough to withstand our fishery. 

[milo]

Milo

No kidding their best selling, there cheap.  They are not built like the way they used to be.  Having to deal with warranty issues in the industry on these reels would make a person cringe. 

Have seen numerous problems on c3, c4, c5 magx, tgc 6000, records, eons, etc. 

These reels are not built well enough to withstand our fishery. 

I beg to differ.
All my levelwinds are 5K and 6K Ambassadeurs, varying from the humble C3, the performance oriented C4 to the more sophisticated and smoother C5. They have all landed me hundreds of fish through the years, including numerous chinook monsters in the 40+ pound range.
All my reels are still in working order.

Sure, parts wear out and they DO need maintainance.
It also helps that my fishing partner and buddy is an accomplished technician and helps me keep them in good shape. 

With regular TLC, Abu Ambassadeurs are excellent bang for the buck.

Frankly, I'd rather have two Abu Mag-X C5s than one Calcutta.

To each their own, I guess.

[Stratocaster]

As far as baitcasters go, all I would ever buy are Abu's and Calcuttas (and maybe the daiwa lunas).  Abu's are the best value for the dollar and are easy to maintain.  Sure they may not be as bulletproof or smooth as a calcutta but if you want to spend more money on your rod and not a reel, there's no better choice IMHO.  I picked up a C5 mag-X for 59.99 at Cabela's during their grand opening sale.  I will be using it this fall as my calcutta finally needs service after 11 years of hard use.

[glx]

always a good thing to have 2 abus.  While one is getting fixed, you can fish the other, then switch it up when needed. 

glad to hear your happy with them.  While working in the tackle industry for over 6 years, i spooled many abu reels for customers, and dealt with numerous, uncountable warranty issues.  For that reason, I wont go near them.  In that time, I havent had a single calcutta issue.  Cheaper shimano reels arent much better than abus though either. 

[river-rod dyl]

i have a abu 6600c4 and it works great... i reccomend it!
I havent had any faults with it, and has caught some good fish for me