The Bait Casting Reel

Craig Sandell ©  2006

The Bait casting reel is the weapon of choice for most Muskie and Northern Pike Anglers. The Abu Garcia reel line is probably the most reels used because of its moderate price and product support.

The Abu Garcia The Abu Garcia family of reels comes in many variations and is likely the most used reel for Musky angling. You will find that the models 5500-C3 (pictured) and 6500 are most suited for the Musky angler. The price will vary depending on where you purchase the reel, however the range is $49 to $69.

Product Review:

This family of reels demonstrates nominal performance on the water. The drag system is adequate, however, it will tend to loosen and tighten with extended use. Line capacity is adequate for 40 lb. test line. The workmanship is adequate and the retrieve ratio varies from 4.7:1 to 6.3:1 depending upon the model.

The major problem with the family of reels is its longevity. That is to say that the reel (those manufactured in the 1990's) has a useable life of perhaps two years. A particular annoyance is the propensity of the reels to exhibit a "free spool" failure with heavy use.

The failure is directly related to the plunger mechanism used to 'arm' the free spool for casting. The illustration shown here will provide you some perspective. The spring arrowed in red is the key to the whole mechanism. When the free spool plunger is depressed, this spring is stretched placing tension on the internal mechanism. When you turn your reel handle to begin your retrieve, this spring contracts placing the free spool plunger in its original position. Without this spring, the free spool plunger will not 'pop up' when you begin your retrieve. Unfortunately, this spring is made of very cheap material. The persistent amount of expansion & contraction of the spring results in fatigue of the material. Heavy use will result in failure of the free spool mechanism usually at the most inopportune time.

Abu Garcia is aware of the problem with the 5500-C3 and our other classic round reels (6500-C3,6000,etc.) from the late 80's and early 90's. At that time changes were being made in the automatic assembly line, which mainly affected the anti-reverse dog/ratchet and the clutch return spring. Since that time we have made a number of design changes in the classic round series of reels which have made them more reliable than ever before. However, due to the loyalty of our customers, many of these reels are still being used.   If you own one of our reels with any of these problems please call 1-800-228-4272 and speak with one of our representatives about how to get warranty service performed on your reel.  We want all Ambasadeur owners to be happy with their choice and will do whatever it takes to keep them fishing.

PENN International 965 This is a new reel on the market. It is fashioned after  popular solid cast aluminum reels. It has a 4.75:1 retrieve ratio, stainless steel gears and 3 stainless steel ball bearings. The suggested retail price is $220.00

Product Review:

Since this is a new reel, we do not have any field test data for it. The reel is well made, however, not all of the gears are stainless steel. The reel has a large spool capacity which is well suited for the heavier line that Muskie anglers use. The drag system is, based upon my limited field testing, consistent regardless of the size and weight of the lure.

The reel, because of its size, is a bit on the heavy side. The price tag will be a bit steep for many Musky anglers. The reel Does NOT come with any accessories like a tool for disassembly or lubricant...one would think that they could afford to include some lubricant given the price tag.

Field Report - July 1998

After less than 100 casts, this reel failed. The failure mode is the inability of the 'level rewind' mechanism to properly place line back on the reel after a cast. Penn's factory repair facility gave no explanation or indication that this is a wide spread failure, however, it is unlikely that they would be forthcoming with such latent defect information. Although we would like to be able to recommend a 'Made In America' reel, the poor quality in performance of this reel prevents me from recommending this one. If you are determined to spend $200+ on a reel, you need to consider other reels on the market.

Field Report Follow-up - 1999 Season

After waiting about 3 months for Penn to repair this reel, I was ready to try again. I should note that Penn provided no explanation as to why the reel malfunctioned. I used the reel during the 1999 season without a problem. The reel is a bit heavy but is a good performer. Is it worth $220.00?...I don't believe so...perhaps $150.00 max. My suggestion, buy two or three Abu Garcia reels.