112 out of 134(84%)reviewers recommend this product.
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Overall rating
4.1/ 5
Gear Feel (Smoothness)
4.4/ 5
Ergonomics
4.4/ 5
Casting Performance
4.3/ 5
Ease of Maintenance
4/ 5
112 out of 134(84%)reviewers recommend this product.
Share this product
Product Reviews
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Ratings summary
Overall rating
4.1/ 5
Gear Feel (Smoothness)
4.4/ 5
Ergonomics
4.4/ 5
Casting Performance
4.3/ 5
Ease of Maintenance
4/ 5
112 out of 134(84%)reviewers recommend this product.
Share this product
Product Reviews
Overall rating
4/ 5
Good Reel and Rod for beginners and for the money
PostedApril 8, 2013
Ethan
from Rochelle, IL
Age:Under 18
Favorite type of fishing:Freshwater
Number of times fishing per month:5+
Owns a boat:No
Experience:Intermediate
Gear Feel (Smoothness)
4/ 5
Ergonomics
5/ 5
Casting Performance
4/ 5
Ease of Maintenance
4/ 5
I am a newby when it comes to bait casters, but when i used this rod reel combo i was blown away. the accuracy of the set was ridiculous( coming from a spinning cast guy) and being a newb i did get many birds nests at first but then i used a fire line instead of mono filament or fluorocarbon and they all practically disappeared. the retrieval of the reel is quick and really good for poppers or baits that need to make a splash. overall this is a good reel and rod.
I would have enjoyed it more if I had just set my $70 on fire and watched it burn. It would have been far less frustrating. After reading about how great baitcasters are, I wasted my money on this garbage. The drag adjustment knob didn't adjust anything. The spool would turn when I reeled, but would not reel in the line if there was much tension. Changing the drag did not change anything at all. After about two dozen casts with three different kinds of line, the line made awful birdsnests except for maybe three or four times. I watched several videos on how to cast a baitcasting reel to see what I might have been doing wrong. After two disastrous fishing attempts, I now know that the problem is with this rod and reel. Being that this was my first experience with Abu Garcia, it is absolutely my last. I will NEVER again waste my money on anything from Abu Garcia, simply because this rod and reel were so completely useless.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from Abu GarciaAbu GarciaApril 8, 2013
Good afternoon. It sounds like your issue may be due to the way the casting brake systems are configured instead of a mechanical issue with the reel. Either way we are here to help.
Try this:
With the rod-reel-line-lure properly assembled, place the tip of your thumb on the line to hold the spool. Depress the thumb bar with the pad of your thumb to disengage the gears. Allow the lure to drop to the ground. If the lure does not fall when the thumb bar is depressed, turn the spool tension knob (located next to the reel handle) counterclockwise (left) to reduce tension on the spool. If the lure falls to the ground and the spool continues to rotate, spool tension is too loose. Rotate the knob clockwise (right) to increase tension. Once the spool tension is set, you can then adjust the Magtrax brake dial (opposite side of the reel from the handle) to further fine tune you casting.
There is a little bit of a learning curve associated with baitcasting reels when anglers start using them for the first time. With practice, using a baitcasting reel becomes much easier and allows for extreme accuracy and control.
If you have any questions or need more assistance, we are always here to help. You can reach us at (800) 228-4272.
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Comments (2)
Newbie
Tennessee
NAMES for PARTS diagram
Posted June 2, 2013
Several other posters have mentioned a lack of an instruction leaflet with the reel or online. How about a leaflet with instructions that CLEARLY IDENTIFIES the names of the parts on the reel. In the response to this poster, you mention the spool tensioner, If I had an illustration, I would know what that is, what to turn. The parts schematic has numbers which are fine if you know what you are ordering, but what part number corresponds to the spool tensioner knob? Yes, I am new to fishing and this reel seems to be targetted at entry level , the very people who would most need an instruction leaflet with the important bits named. Please post a simple pic with the names. Thank you.
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Sounds more like a user issue than a product one. I too had never used a baitcaster until 2 weeks ago and find this reel to be reliable and true. Anyone will tell you that it takes time to learn baitcasting but once you get the hang of it, this really is a great reel. Especially for the price.
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Picked up this reel for a great deal. Abu Garcia is one of the best reels on the market in my opinion. The 6.4 gear ratio is just right for crankbaits! I would love to own a Revo one day since I love the Abu Garcia brand so much. Thank you for making baitcasting easy for a beginner.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Comments (1)
kenew
nova scotia canada
fun little reel now my go to fishing setup
Posted June 11, 2013
Im in an area of canada where the only baitcasters i see are on youtube so thats where i learned to use this reel. Bought it, set it up and played with the settings during the winter so when the opening day of spring fishing season came my first cast was perfect, right at par with my spinning gear.I changed my original line choice from 30lb braid to 20lb mono and birdnests almost disapeared and are 100% easier to remove when they happen. i will be upgrading my reel for the 2014 season and will be sticking with abu gracia for sure. I just wish this $50 reel wasent $69.99 at the only shop it can be found at :(
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This is my third bait caster and let me tell you, i am in love with this product. Paired it with a cherrywood Berkeley 7' pole and it has performed amazingly. I am going out this weekend to pickup 3 more!!!!!
