Abu Garcia Reels Review

Abu Garcia reels have been synonymous with my fishing life for the last 42 years. Specifically, the type fishing reels that are not tear drop shaped, or made of exotic materials, or have any particular  bells, whistles, or magnetic drags. While Garcia makes those type of modern reels, their standard  remains the most popular .... and the best of any freshwater or salt water fishing reel made. The round, simple reels with centrifugal drag are today as they were 42 years previously tough, utterly dependable and ridiculously durable. I currently own a 42 year old (my first ever) Garcia 5000C that is just used with a bait knocker on it now. With some cleaning up and adjusting, the reel will work as well now as it did over four decades ago out of the box.

While the company has made some fine tuning refinements to their product Abu Garcia reels still look and operate essentially the same as they did when they first came out all those years ago. I could take each reel pictured below and do a separate review on all of them, but with the exception of reel spool speed and size, they all operate essentially the same. They are much like GLOCK pistols. Describe one as far as design and function and you describe them all. Consequently the Abu Garcia fishing reels shown below are all a bit different in action which is described with each one. All the reels below have seen very heavy use and have scarred finishes. But with Garcia reels that just adds to their character.

First is the Abu Garcia 6000. The ruby red color of this reel is almost enough to make you buy it  even if you don't fish. But like all these reels, it's the smooth casting, absolutely dependable action that gets the kudos for this reel. This is a standard bass reel and casts medium weight lures with ease and allows hook sets that will capsize a boat without any problems with the reel action. The reel has a left side clicker lever that allows you to release the spool to freely let line flow when bait fishing without backlashing when a fish hits. The clicker sounds off when a fish grabs the bait and runs. The reel can be mounted on any medium to heavy action bass rod. It is the Garcia 6000 is suitable for spinnerbaits, medium speed crankbaiting, worm or jig fishing and medium duty bait fishing. It functions best with line from 12-20 pound monofilament. The reel below was about 6 years old when photographed.

The Garcia 4600 line of reels were developed to be tournament bass fishing reels. Smooth casting handling light/medium to medium lines and lures they are ideal for medium speed crankbaiting, spinnerbaits, or plastic worms. Functions best with line weights from 10 to 15 lb test monofilament. I own a couple of these now after having sold several over the years that I just didn't need. The reel pictured below is over 16 years old, was put through four years of hard tournament use and works just like it did when it came out of the box.

This type of round Abu Garcia reels is not usually associated with high speed angling, but Garcia in the past and currently makes excellent high speed reels in this style. The one pictured below is a Garcia Royal Express, purchased about the same time as the 4600 above and used about the same amount (a lot). It is a high speed reel with a gear ratio of over 6:1. I used it in tournaments for buzz baiting, fast spinnerbaits, and other high speed bait situations. I use it regularly today and the Royal Express, like the one above works like a new one.

The Abu Garcia 7000 below is one of the heavyweights for fresh water fishing. With a high line capacity and extra strong gears, it is suitable for big rivers and big, tough fish like catfish and stripers. I regularly use it in the Arkansas River on a 12 foot custom "Meat Hunter" rod with 40 pound test Trilene Big Game line. This reel also has a bait clicker. The reel, rod and line combo helps tame the big river and the underwater debris that litters the bottom. The Garcia 7000 pictured below is seven years old and has seen extremely heavy use. It's beat up on the outside, but no effect on the function.

I tournament fished for about five years and regularly tore up relatively new reels made of various materials with all kinds of gadgets. These were high end expensive reels that would not hold up to many of the tough conditions in the Rivers and heavily wooded lakes we fished. The moderately priced round Garcia fishing reels never faltered or suffered damage under any conditions.

So if you're new to fishing or bait casting, or just considering one of these type reels, I can tell you from 40 years experience, when you buy one, it will not only work the way it's supposed to, but you'll likely be passing it on to future generations for which it will work just as well.

Here's to your good fishing ~ Mark Rogers