Anybody use Abu Garcia Baitcasters?

[slimbo]

fish ive got 2 old style 4600's had them almost 20 yrs. and there my favorite jig reels.

[texasbass1]

All I fish are Abu's. Most affordable and dependable reels on the market. I have many that are over 20 yrs old and still catching fish.

[nofearengineer]

I just recently purchased an Abu Garcia Silver Max. It's a lefty, since I have used spinnign tackle my whole life and just now wanted to try a baitcaster. I totally suck with it, by the way. If I use it much more, I'm going to be posting in the "what's the longest you ever spent on a bird's nest" thread. I won't give up though...It seems to be a pretty well-constructed reel.

[dynakin]

I bought the silvermax last year and am trying to learn how to cast the blasted thing. During my attempt to get a backlash out I think I damaged the reel. The spool would not run even thoug the crank was. I sent it to AbuGarcia and it came back in a week fixed with no charge. The reel seems to be great but you can't beat customer service like that these days.

[Bipolarattorney]

Originally Posted by Bassboss

Pift! The cabelas guys are wrong! Don't go under 20, The highest I would go is 80lb, but imo the best is 30, it's thin diameter lets you cast as far a would with 6lb (I think that's the diameter), yet have the stregth of 30lb!

IMO, you should go with 30, or 40!

I heard mostly the same thing - the pound test on the braid is not as important as the equivalent gauge of mono. I would suggest going somewhere between 30 and 60 depending. If you are new to baitcasters, having a thicker (i.e. heavier test braid) will make it easier for picking out backlashes.

Just bought a Silver Max (w/flippin switch) Berkley Lightning Rod combo from Dick's. They were running a deal for $59.99. Great deal since the rod alone goes for ~$50. My primary baitcaster is a Shimano Citica 200E, which is great, but does not have a magnetic spool system. I have not had a chance to use the Silver Max yet, but look forward to it. Looks to be a decent reel for the price.

[Bipolarattorney]

Originally Posted by dynakin

I bought the silvermax last year and am trying to learn how to cast the blasted thing.

I feel your pain. Took me a couple of weeks to get the hang of it - spent more time picking out backlashes than actually fishing. I have found that my first couple of casts need to be with something really heavy to "unstick" the line as it tends to dry and mash itself together. After that, the key is to not use the light tackle you may be used to from lighter spinning combos. I started out trying to cast a F5 without any added weight... lmao.

[bamabassman]

go slowly on the casting guys. can't walk without crawling first right? take your time. sorta flip it underhanded at first till you learn to use that thumb correctly. your thumb is your friend on a baitcaster. you'll get the hang of it.