Abu Garcia 7000 series

[ryanmitchell]

Which one is best for throwing big double bladed bucktails? There seems to be three different models, ic3, c3i, big game???

Looking to purchase one for the upcoming season. Any help would be great.

[MUSKY18]

I have the 7000i (red) and absolutely love this reel. Have had it for 2 1/2 seasons and have never had a problem with the reel that I didn't cause myself. No breakdowns what so ever. The thing that you are looking for is the gear ratio. The lower the number the easier it is to pull the big baits in. The 7000i like mine has a 4.1:1 gear ratio. I believe the 7000i C3's come in either 5.3:1 or 4.1:1, so if that is the route you go, make sure you get the lower gear ratio. The Ci3, doesn't come in a gear ratio that low and I am not sure about the big game.

You will probably find there are a lot of guys who like these reels and some who think they aren't worth a hill of beans, but like I said, I love mine. Crank Double 10's all day without a second thought!

[Muskiefool]

Just a suggestion, look for a older Made in Sweden model on e>bay or hso classifieds, if you can get it for say 80-100 bucks pick up some smoothies drag washers and I would highly recommend the ABEC 7 ceramic bearings; a good cleaning, a ceramic pawl and you'll have a dream of a 7000 for the same money as that new one and IMHO a much better reel, I also picked up a coupla new side plates and did a few other minor mods to mine.

Simply great reels; not light, not Chinese, just rock solid.

[50inchpig]

Ahhhhhh - swedish models - wish I had a whole boatful of them but the one I have has been faithful to me. The blue one is pretty. Seriously though they don't get any better than that.

I'd take a used swedish made over a new ic3, c3i, big game or anything else anyday.

[ryanmitchell]

I think the one I highlighted has the 5:3:1. If the 4:1:1 is better for the big blades I should look at that. That swede is awesome looking for sure. I don't have a lot of time to refurbish the reels. Wish I did. I do a little annual grease/oiling, but that is about it. I will look a little closer at the ratios.

[ryanmitchell]

Also the free sunglasses offer when you buy the reel from Abu doesn't suck. We could all use another pair of nice polarized glasses.

[ryanmitchell]

What about this one. This looks like a winner!

[10,000 Casts]

The c3i is a good way to go, the HSN defeats the purpose of having a 7000 in my opinion.

I don't think I have ever seen a 7000 pro rocket but if it exists and you can find one it would be highly recomended! Probably set you back $300+ too.

[10,000 Casts]

Muskie Fool,

thats better than looking at a nicely restored 67 Corvette!

[ryanmitchell]

That reel that is shown is only $160ish. I think that is reasonable. I think it is made in China though, and most other Abu's are made in sweden? Is that true?

[50inchpig]

I think the majority of them are made in china now. They will break, it's a question of when.

Swedish models work for everyone but Tiger Woods, if you're willing to drop $160 on a garcia find the swedish made online somewhere and get it. You've got 4+ months until you need to use it. It's always a shame to not be able to fish in the summer because your reel is busted.

Only exception to the swedish mades is the older model C3, I don't know the year range but Debo does, they are very sturdy indeed.

It does seem though that the musky reel odyssey is a journey every man must walk himself before he is enlightend, so just save your receipts.

[RK]

Hiya -

For some reason Garcia changes their model numbers about every 20 minutes or so, without much rhyme or reason that I can find. I have probably more than a dozen 7000s, and they're all pretty much the same animal for the most part. They're all pretty solid. I was cleaning some last night and one of the ones I cleaned was one I bought in probably 1985 or 1986. Still going strong...

There are basically a couple variations on the 7000s.

- Gear ratio: Some of the models have 5.3:1. Fine for jerkbaits and topwaters. A chore for bucktails or spinnerbaits, IMHO. For a while the Big Game version of the 7000 was high speed. They also have the 7000HSN, which is the higher gear ratio with a narrower spool. I've never seen the point - you basically end up with a bigger, heavier 6500. Most 7000s are 4.1:1. Those are the ones you want.

- Newer models have a flip lever spool release rather than a push button. I have both, and either one's fine. I kind of like the lever personally.

- Bearings vs. bushings. Some models have one bearing and 2 bushings. Others have 3 bearings. The bushing models are usually somewhat cheaper. The bushing models have been variously identified - they used to be 7000 "B"s (Some of the "[PoorWordUsage]" were red, some were green. I have some of each. Then they were the 7000 "Red" for a while. I think they may still be the "Red." I know some guys, including my late friend Don Bownik, who swore that the bushing versions stayed smooth longer than the bearing versions. I have both, and quite honestly can't tell the difference one bit when it comes to how they perform. If the bushing version's cheaper, buy that instead. For all practical purposes it's a distinction without a difference.

Unless of course you want to geek out like Underhill and soup up your reels. I'm lucky if mine get cleaned once a year...

My $.02 about 7000s...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[10,000 Casts]

Ryan,

Thanks for pointing that out. I saw some for $150. That model is made in china like the other 7000s. I was thinking of the other pro rocket models with the higher quality materials made in Sweeden.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy the 7000 pro rocket in your pic. But I agree that if you want to throw double 10s 7 days a week all day, then look for the older 7000s, get some extra parts and keep them maintained.

[ryanmitchell]

Good insight guys. Well said. I was thinking the HSN models would be better for bringing in the bigger bucks, but the lower gear ratio and the extra tourque makes more sense with the size of the spool. Just looking to lessen the physical wear ffrom throwing bucktails for hours on end. I realize the weight of the reel itself might exhaust you, but I am more concerned about the power of the reel for handling the task and not buring out like my 2 Shimano Curados.

I could make up some ground with a lighter rod! I want to pair this 7000 with a nice all round 8 foot rod. Any suggestions?? My buddy bought the 8'6" sling blade from St. Croix, but that was like $360. I like the look of the Lamiglas rods and the premier level St. Croix's, but want something a little different than the rest, yet reliable and durable, and if it gets damaged, replaceable by warranty. The musky show this weekend will give me plenty of visuals!

[DeBo101]

Hard to beat an 8ft shimano compre in the XH weight for an all around rod. Will throw mag dawgs and cowgirls easily. I had a 7000 on one for a season or so. Good warranty and $120-130 I think. That rod is now my jerkbait rod. I prefer 9fters for most everything.

The okuma lineup is affordable and strongly recomended as well. They telescope which allows you to have a longer rod and store it more easily.

I bought a lamiglass site unseen from rollies and well.... I wouldn't have purchased it had I held it first.

[10,000 Casts]

don't get the lamiglass for bigger bucktails, I have the 8'6" XH and it loads up way to much especialy on the 8. I love it for smaller stuff. I also highly recomend the 8' xh compre, can't beat it for $119. St. Croix Premier are heavy but very good quality.

[Muskiefool]

Hey 10,000 I'll trade ya for that 67, (my year lol)

RK; that one got inadvertently geeked out while cleaning and greasing last year, funny how the project grows when the right side bearing came out in 4 pieces plus the bearings, I was on the verge of buying a new one and then I got ideas LOL.

[ryanmitchell]

That really is the idea for the setup. Bulldawgs and cowgirls. Lighter the rod the better, cause that reel weighs 21 ounces and I think a Calcutta weighs around 12 ounces. I have 2 Curados that I love. Those are great for topwaters and jerkbaits. My brother has a 7'6" gander mountain guide series rod with a curado that works as a good all around and I will then put my curado on a 6'6" heavy rod for jerk-baits. I will look at the Compre this weekend. Any other suggestions?

[ryanmitchell]

XH for big bucktails??

[brmuskie]

You could look at Musky Innovations rods in the monster magnum or super magnum. I have used both with 7000's and they are nice setups. I am going to look at Tackle Industries rods - for the money (about $100) and with the handle options, they look like they are worth checking out for sure.

[MikeEiden]

I have the 8'6" XH Bulldawg rod that I've used for a few years now and I recently picked up a Tackle Industries 8'6"/9' XH (3-12oz). I don't mind my MI rod and it seems to get a little better with more usage (I won't go into that part) but I was really impressed with the Tackle Industries rod. A much much lighter rod and I prefer the action better to my dawg rod. It has a little more tip action which I wish my MI rod had. The handle extension is AWESOME! It's the perfect length and I love tucking my rods under my arm where I have to pay to get my other rods lengthened. Plus this feature will make storing it a little easier by removing the extensions.

Just so you know I haven't casted with the TI rod yet but I can just tell it will be nice addition. I also prefer fat cork handles and both the mentioned rods have good size grips. All of this adds up to less fatigue over a long day. My recommendation is for the Tackle Industries rod based on price, feel, and warranty. You just can't go wrong with them.

Good Luck..

[ryanmitchell]

I talked to a couple guys today and they both said the abu 7000 series is garbage. Break easily, frame twis during retrive or fighting a fish, and an overall bad investment. The Saltist 30 series was suggested. I did score a Compre 8XH and am pleased so thanks for the insight there. I had my hopes up for the 7000 Pro Rocket, but don't want to [PoorWordUsage] away $180. The chinese made 7000's are poorly reviewed also.

[ryanmitchell]

I just did a little research on the daiwa saltist. I like the levelwind, and I think the 30 size is ideal. The advertised ratio for the saltist is 6:1:1 and the the Abu 7000 is 4:1:1. Isn't the 4:1:1 ratio better for the bucktails.

[RuKiddingMe]

As far as the saltist levelwind, the 30 and the 20 are the same thing except for physical size, same line retrieve, gear ratio, and drag... I would suggest stopping at thornes if you are in the area and checking out the difference between the two. I personally prefer my 30HA, but there are a lot of guys that prefer the 20HA.

BTW - a good solid reel for the money and a strong all around reel to top it off.

RU

[MUSKY18]

Ryan:

Another good rod option that is just coming out are the Musky Armor rods. They have all the way up to XH 9', which are the Mike Hulbert signature series, and the 8'6" H, which are the Chad Cain signatures series. The Cain rods should be out now, as they had to take them back and rework them as they were having problems and Chad didnt feel right about putting an inferior product out there. I got the chance to fish with them this past summer with Cain and they are AWESOME rods. Lighweight and have great feel to them. Will be picking up a couple for myself this spring.

There are quite a few guys that have posted on here that their 7000's went to heck in a hand basket really quickly. I can't speak for them, but I have had my 7000 Red for going on 4 seasons and haven't had problems with it at all. Other than me screwing it up (took it apart waaaay farther than I should have been allowed), it has been rock solid and worked like none other. I will definately not hesitate to buy another one for my new Musky Armor Rod this spring. I am sure that there are many out there that have had problems, and are not happy with these reels. It happens, and that is just the fact of the matter. Same can be said for Calcutta's....some people haven't had good luck with them at all. But if you take care of the reel, it should last you without any problems.