Abu 7000

[Fish&Fowl]

Anyone have any pros/cons about this reel? I have been very happy with all other Abu's, and am looking at the 7000 for cowgirls and some bigger baits. Any other recommendations for a different reel close to the $150 mark?

Also, how do the 7000 and Abu's big game reel differ?

[Esox_Magnum]

Personaly I would try the Okuma Indurons but again just my opinion.

[BullFighter]

The Big Game Series"-7000iHSN has a 'Narrow spool" with a 5.3:1 gear ratio

Most of the 7000's I have used have a 4.1:1 gear ratio

Very Good Reel in my opinion!

[HugoBox]

I haven't used the others so I don't have much of a comparison but I own two of them and they have worked great for me. That said, I don't burn the doubles 10's like some folks (Jredig) so others may have a better perspective than me.

Only real adjustment for me is that my little girlie sized hands cramped up a bit after palming the soupcan-sized 7000 for a few hours.

[jsondag]

There are good thing about Abu 7000's and bad things.

Pro's: Comfortable to palm, good line pick-up, comparably inexpensive, decent casting.

Con's: If you pound the water daily, you will need multiple reels. What I find, is a lot of the new components are not built to last. From the Level wind to the handles. Last season I set a hook on a decent fish and actually ripped the handle in half. The newer handle body is constructed of a metal that is way too pliable. The level wind craps out now and then, and they require a lot of steady maintenance.

The difference between the 7000i and the Big Game is mostly the size of the spool. The Big Game has a narrower spool / Less capacity. Another big difference is also the bearing count. The Standard 7000 has 1 bearing and the Big Game has 3. If you are serious about Abu, the 7000 CS Pro Rocket is described as the most durable Abu to date.

[Fish&Fowl]

There are good thing about Abu 7000's and bad things.

The difference between the 7000i and the Big Game is mostly the size of the spool. The Big Game has a narrower spool / Less capacity. Another big difference is also the bearing count. The Standard 7000 has 1 bearing and the Big Game has 3. If you are serious about Abu, the 7000 CS Pro Rocket is described as the most durable Abu to date.

So the CS Pro Rocket is quite a bit different from the 7000i? The price really is much different.

[jsondag]

The Rocket is supposed to be the toughest reel for Abu.

[Esox_Magnum]

Another con, they sink faster than a Mag Dawg, and take your Custom Thorne Bros Loomis Steel with it.

I find all the round Abus heavy to me and bulky, kinda hard to explain. I have small hands and can't easily palm a 7000. I did buy a Toro maybe it will change my mind about Abu's for muskies.

[Fish&Fowl]

My biggest concerns are reliability and smoothness. I don't palm any reel while retrieving, so I'm not too worried about how big it is. I also won't be throwing cowgirls all day every day, I like to switch baits too much. But I want a heavy-duty reel for when I am throwing the bigger baits.

[DHanson]

I have 2 Abu Big Games. I like how it performs as far as working lures, but I am hard on my gear and the result is usually a broken reel. It could be that I am terrible at reel maintenance as I hardly ever take apart a reel and do anything to it. What Abu does have is awesome customer service. If your reel breaks, send it in and you will have a new one within a few days. So you will have a good reel for at least a year as it is a 1 year warranty. Key reason why I have 2 is in case one reel goes down while I'm on the water.

[St_Croix_Banks]

F&F it sounds like this is a great reel for your needs. I have one and I like it very much. Great for small bucktails, jerk baits, topwater, swimmers, etc. If you hurl alot of DCG you will eventually have problems. But I think you should go for it.

[PostFrontal]

I swore off all Abu's but heard great things about the 7000c3. I fish 5-6 days a week and all MMTT events. I used it for topwater, all bucktails when I wasn't burning and mag dogs. Loved it and am buying a 2nd one this year. First Abu I haven't had breakdown.

Also, with the wide spool it hardly ever backlashed and when I took rookies out that never threw a baitcaster, that was the reel I had them use.

[jsondag]

My biggest concerns are reliability and smoothness. I don't palm any reel while retrieving, so I'm not too worried about how big it is. I also won't be throwing cowgirls all day every day, I like to switch baits too much. But I want a heavy-duty reel for when I am throwing the bigger baits.

If you don't palm any reel, pick up a Shimano Calcutta 700. Totally smooth, totally reliable! It is a bit larger profile wise than a 7000 but not by much! Awesome reel. If reliability is a concern then spend the extra cash and buy a Shimano. It will end up saving you money in the long run!

[Fish&Fowl]

Well by the looks of it the Pro Rocket seems to be the logical choice for my price range. Thanks for all the input guys, much appreciated!

[propster]

Good call Jerry. We've got 7000's and they work, but the Calcutta 700 is so much better a reel. Of course they're more expensive, but you get what you pay for I guess.

[Quackaddict9]

The only thing I do not like about calcutta 700s is the clicker that after you cast you have to push it back to reel in, that's just my prefrence. It seems that the 700 TE is a bit smaller than the 700 B is that right?

[propster]

Yeah, that would take a bit of getting used to, but no problem once you do. I thought they were same exact diameter but i could be wrong. Did you sell the one you had?

[pauljpollock]

I have a couple of the old 7000 Big Game HS wides with the 5.3 to 1 ratio. After burning through three of them, I finally got a couple that work well. I don't believe you can get these any more.

I also have some 7000iHSN Big Games in the 5.3 to 1. I haven't had any problems with this model, but the red 7000i with the 4.1 to 1 ratio has been a nightmare. My experience is that they are a "throw away" reel.

The 7000i C3's have been o.k, but if I still love the old 7000 C3's...they just keep going and going They've just cheapened them up over the years...

Paul.

[RK]

Hiya -

I have - gah, I dunno - a dozen or so 7000s. Maybe more. I'm not sure. They range from pre-1984 versions with lifetime warranties to fairly recent models. I use the bejeezus out of them, and I'm not exactly famous for maintaining my equipment religiously. Sometimes "cleaning my reels" means dunking them in the lake to wash the algae off them. I use them because they're reliable, relatively inexpensive, and easy to maintain. They're about as sailor-proof as a reel can be. I have a couple that are 20 years old that I still use almost every time I fish muskies.

Here are some thoughts on 7000s, based on using them nearly exclusively for muskies since about 1983...

Part of why I like 7000s is there aren't 4,262 parts. I can fix them myself 99% of the time if something does break down. Generally speaking, two things go wrong on a 7000. 1.) you blow out the pawl and worm gear. 2.) the clutch dog or pinion gear will wear down. If you have enough mechanical skill to screw in a light bulb, you can repair either problem in about 5 minutes. I carry spare parts in a little box I keep in my tackle box, so if I really need to replace something in the boat, I can.

Higher gear ratio models are going to wear out faster, especially the gears. Smaller teeth mean faster wear. I don't like the high speed versions much anyhow, but the early versions of the HS and HSN 7000s were miserable. They're better now, and from what I'm told the Big Game HSN is pretty solid. If you need a higher speed reel, really consider a Revo Toro.

Bearing models (C, or C3) start out smoother than bushing ( models, but bushing models stay smoother longer and last longer. I know about a dozen 'old timers' that would agree with me on that.

Newer models with Carbon Matrix drag washers have a much smoother drag than older fiber drag models. Replacing fiber drag stacks is easy. If you really want to get fancy get high end drag washers from a saltwater shop. Personally, I lock my drag and freespool when I fight fish, so half my drags may not work at all anymore and I'd never know the difference... But the newer 7000s I have with the carbon matrix drags are very smooth.

One of the most common niggling problems with 7000s is that the thumb screws on the handle side can come loose. If they're loose even a little, it can set the spool out of alignment and make it seem like the reel is crapping out. The spool will bind up on you. Check them often.

If you want to backlash less with a 7000, and never have the freespool slam shut on you on a cast (cause by the momentum of the handle counterbalance moving forward rapidly), learn to tilt the reel on its side during the cast, so the reel handle is pointed at the ground. Your casting accuracy will improve too...

[Quackaddict9]

Yeah, that would take a bit of getting used to, but no problem once you do. I thought they were same exact diameter but i could be wrong. Did you sell the one you had?

Yeah, I never got the hang of it after using it for sometime. I held the TE and felt more comfortable and felt smaller than the B. Yeah Luke bought it for less $ and threw in a Weagle and XX.

[MUSKY18]

I bought my 7000 after talking it over with a guy that has used them for years and years. I am sure that RK has fished with him and they probably started using them together, back when they were called The Winch series. Anyways....I have had some minor problems with mine, but nothing that would drive me away from it. I can throw big blades as long as I want and never have to worry fatigue becoming a factor. If you are throwing the big blades, the 4.1:1 gear ratio is definately the right place to be. I have big enough hands that even with the larger size, palming it is comfortable. If there is a down side to it, when I go back to my 6500's, they feel like I am using a snoopy reel and takes a few casts to adjust.

[propster]

Rob, re: your casting tip with the 7000's. Are you talking about casting left handed with a RH reel so that the reel handle is on the bottom? Or do you mean casting RH w/RH reel, turning the reel sideways with the reel handle on the top side, but it winds up pointing downward on the follow-thru as the rod tip goes down?

[nater]

RK - Very good info. Where do you get your spare parts for the 7000's? Directly from Abu or locally? That would be valuable to have those in the boat for on the water repair.

My 7000 has had the freespool slam shut a couple times on the cast and might go out on me from the sounds of it. I'd like to have the tools necessary to fix it on the fly. Any more help would be great. I'll have to try the casting trick to prevent that from happening in the future.

[RK]

Hiya -

Propster -

I should have qualified the 'handle pointing down' business, since I cast kind of goofy compared to the rest of humanity... I hold the foregrip of the rod and never let go of it when I cast, so when I cast my left wrist rolls over and the reel handle ends up facing the deck. If you switch hands to cast so your right hand is the farthest forward, your right wrist will roll over so the palming plate is toward the deck. Works either way...

Nater - I used to get my parts at Hayes Tackle in Minneapolis until Larry passed away. Then I got them from a saltwater reel repair shop in Texas, until THAT guy tipped over. (Apparently selling me reel parts is a health hazard ) I haven't had to order any since then but when I do I think I'll just get them from Abu, although Abu doesn't sell the higher end drag washers, so those might have to come from a saltwater reel shop.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Fish&Fowl]

Personaly I would try the Okuma Indurons but again just my opinion.

Have you used the an Induron before? I was just looking at the Clarion, which seems like a more heavy-duty reel. Have you heard anything good about them? I do have an Okuma line counter for trolling, and it has been a good reel so far.