Question on brand choice 2024

patchtech reply :

So, when I'm at the store I tend to gravitate to Abu Garcia stuff. No particular reason, except the brand stands out in my head from when I was young.

As an adult, they hit the price point I'm buying in, and I know what I'm buying. In my day job, there's a saying, "nobody got fired for buying xxxx". Along that line, Abu Garcia fits for my fishing purposes.

This unfortunately has left me without much experience with others, and leaves me wondering if I'm missing out on something better/different that could help broaden my experience.

Thoughts?

MN Fisher reply :

On 9/17/2019 at 9:22 AM, patchtech said:

So, when I'm at the store I tend to gravitate to Abu Garcia stuff. No particular reason, except the brand stands out in my head from when I was young.

My main brands for years were Abu, Mitchell and Pflueger...mainly because the reels I had from those three lasted-and-lasted. Now I've begun getting Diawa and moving away from Abu. My 'feeling' is that Pflueger and Diawa give a better product at the same price-point as Abu. But that's my gut feeling from testing things out.

FishTank reply :

For me, it's just personal preference. I would fish with what you are comfortable with.

There are so many choices....Each company out there makes at least one or two good reels and a few duds. My personal favorites in are (in order) Shimano, Daiwa and Abu Garcia.

NorcalBassin reply :

When I got back into fishing about 15 years ago I asked my dad what a good reel was at the time. He said pretty much any Shimano, and as I transitioned from getting whatever Wal-Mart had to a carried away enthusiast the past 10+ years I've never had a reason not to stick with Shimano.

NorthernBasser reply :

As far as Abu goes, I only have one baitcaster, and it's the REVO SX Gen 4. It's a nice reel, but my Curados and Tatulas blow it out of the water when it comes to performance.

Bluebasser86 reply :

In my boat right now I have rods and/or reels from; Shimano, Daiwa, KastKing, Quantum, Okuma, Pflueger, H2O, Fenwick, Hammer, St. Croix, and Abu Garcia. Nobody is making you stick to one brand but you.

A-Jay reply :

While variety can be the spice of life, I look at my gear as tools and prefer the right ones for the job. Sometimes we may need to fish a few to find out exactly what we might like or not like. That said, my current arsenal contains offerings from Shimano, Quantum, St Croix, Lamiglas, Fenwick, Rainshadow, Okuma, G Loomis and Diawa.

You should also know that the Bait monkey is presently holding a gun to my head......

:smiley:

A-Jay

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Abu Garcia used to be my brand as well, My first baitcaster was Abu6500c3 30 years ago, the first reel I bought when moved here in US was abu 5600, my first low profile reel was Abu Garcia almost 20 years ago as well as my Spining reel (cd4 2000). My dream reel used to be Morrum over Shimano Conquest (and still might get one if I have a chance)

These days things have changed, most of Abu Garcia made from Third Party Company (OEM reel) just like others like Kastking, Lews, Favorite etc. I’d rather pay for unique and R&D than getting cheap mass production reels.

That is just me, though but if all about old Abu Garcia I’m in any day of the week.

Spankey reply :

Expand. Experiment. There is a lot of good stuff out there.

I will not buy a rod rod or reel sight unseen or unfelt.

In my area Abu Garcia is mostly in Wally World. Low end stuff. Quality that would turn you off. BUT Abu does put out some nice quality rods and reel. It’s in the true bass type shops.

Shif29 reply :

Daiwa. enough said.

livin2fish reply :

I have a small variety of rods and reels, none top dollar. I enjoy fishing all of them and have no true favorites. Each has a purpose, which fluctuates from time to time.

patchtech reply :

On 9/17/2019 at 9:25 AM, MN Fisher said:

My 'feeling' is that Pflueger and Diawa give a better product at the same price-point as Abu. But that's my gut feeling from testing things out.

I'll have to take a look. I bought my wife a cheaper Pflueger spinning combo not too long ago, and it felt pretty solid. Recently gave it a deep clean and liked what I saw inside.

On 9/17/2019 at 10:40 AM, FishTank said:

There are so many choices....Each company out there makes at least one or two good reels and a few duds

Don't I know it! Mostly, I stuck with abu to keep myself from going crazy analyzing all the other options. Basically it was a "it's good enough"

On 9/17/2019 at 5:40 PM, A-Jay said:

You should also know that the Bait monkey is presently holding a gun to my head......

Yeah... Every time I walk into Cabela's or Bass Pro I have to remind myself not to empty my bank accounts.... I'm "lucky" to have both within reasonable driving distances... 15m to cabelas, 35m to bass pro.... And a Pick's Sporting Goods right near the Cabela's for good measure... (some forum filter won't let me use the D for DSG)

I'm contemplating a cranking rod setup in the not too distant future. I'll have to branch out to one of the safer choices in the price point, just to get some reel comparison (pun definitely intended).

MAN reply :

I'm the opposite....I started out using everything and have gravitated to Abu (sweden made) and Shimano. Mainly having been in the industry and learning first hand about all the companies.

Randy Price reply :

On 9/17/2019 at 10:40 AM, FishTank said:

For me, it's just personal preference. I would fish with what you are comfortable with.

There are so many choices....Each company out there makes at least one or two good reels and a few duds. My personal favorites in are (in order) Shimano, Daiwa and Abu Garcia.

I agree with @FishTank. I've primarily fished with Stradic's for the last 20 years and they have NEVER let me down.

ike8120 reply :

I have an assortment of Dobyns, Kastking and 1 Pflueger spin cast (for the wife).

the reel ess reply :

I used Daiwa when I was young because Bill Dance did. Now I don't want to buy their top of the line reels because I want to have 5 baitcast reels on the boat and I can't justify $2500 worth of reels on a kayak. So I settled in a comfy spot with 3 Lew's reels, 1 H20 and 1 BPS reel that fit my needs at a price point I didn't have to feel guilty about. I didn't buy all those Lew's at once. I liked the first one so much for my preferred price point that I kept buying them. I just like to stick with what has worked well for me and is a known quantity. I under stand some reels of different brands and store brands are made by the same factory. I have less brand loyalty with rods.

When it comes to beer, I buy whatever strikes my fancy. I rarely drink the same one twice in a row.

Randy Price reply :

I will admit to being a St. Croix rod and Shimano reel fanboy. I do have a couple of Daiwa's and one Abu Garcia LP musky reel. I think that currently pretty much all the stuff is good.

Tennessee Boy reply :

Rods and reels are tools. Some cost more than others. The difference between high end and low end is not as much as most people think. Kind of like hammers.

the reel ess reply :

On 9/17/2019 at 11:15 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

Rods and reels are tools. Some cost more than others. The difference between high end and low end is not as much as most people think. Kind of like hammers.

I guess the left one is the one the Pentagon prefers.

NYWayfarer reply :

I have reels and rods from many of the brands out there. Abu, Shimano, Daiwa, Quantum, Pflueger, Kastking, Lew's, Powell, St. Croix, Denali, etc.

I gravitate towards my favorite brands but I like trying new things from other companies

king fisher reply :

I own many brands of reels, in all price ranges, for fish as small as blue gill large as blue marlin and everything in between. Have been a Shimano fan my whole life. Recently have tried Diawa and am very impressed. For bait casters Below $80 all brands are similar. Same for spinning reels under $50. For bait caster and spinning reels in the $80-$140 range I prefer Diawa. Over $140 Shimano. Have not tried more expensive Lews, or Ambassador, but have used Ambassador 5500, and 6500 for years and have no complaints. For the money Plueger president is my favorite fresh water spinning reel, Diawa BG for fresh and salt water. Bait caster favorite is Tatula CT for fresh water, Diawa Coastal 200 for fresh and light saltwater. I have no complaints with any of my Shimano reels. My new love affair with Diawa might just be due to the evil influence of the bait monkey. Due to past financial experience, bait monkey is not even allowed to look at new fly fishing equipment.

boostr reply :

I used to use all name brand cheapo reels cause I didn't know better until I started bass fishing, and gravitated towards Lew's reels. I've been all over the place with rods having Fenwick, Wright and Mcgill, Cabellas, BPS, and Kastking. For bank fishing I use Kastking rods and reels good bang for the buck, and I don't mind getting them roughed up.

new2BC4bass reply :

I am like quite a few on here. Rods and reels from too many brands to list.

Lots of good rods and reels today...and from yesteryear...that make it impossible to own all. BUT I did try for awhile. :rofl_red: No top tier tho except for a couple used Daiwa and Shimano reels and a mid-priced Megabass.

Shif29 reply :

On 9/17/2019 at 10:53 PM, the reel ess said:

I used Daiwa when I was young because Bill Dance did. Now I don't want to buy their top of the line reels because I want to have 5 baitcast reels on the boat and I can't justify $2500 worth of reels on a kayak. So I settled in a comfy spot with 3 Lew's reels, 1 H20 and 1 BPS reel that fit my needs at a price point I didn't have to feel guilty about. I didn't buy all those Lew's at once. I liked the first one so much for my preferred price point that I kept buying them. I just like to stick with what has worked well for me and is a known quantity. I under stand some reels of different brands and store brands are made by the same factory. I have less brand loyalty with rods.

When it comes to beer, I buy whatever strikes my fancy. I rarely drink the same one twice in a row.

You're exactly right. I am a Daiwa fanboy but I will never spend more than $200 on a rod or reel. My most expensive setups are around $250. I still get outfished by the old guys I fish with and they use the same old gear they have had for years and everything they have is spooled in 6lb mono. They bring in a couple citations a year too. Just something to think about.

MN Fisher reply :

On 9/18/2019 at 12:51 AM, Shif29 said:

My most expensive setups are around $250.

Good fishing can happen at any dollar amount. My most expensive rig is right around $150 - all six of my rigs combined is still under $500 total.

the reel ess reply :

On 9/18/2019 at 12:51 AM, Shif29 said:

You're exactly right. I am a Daiwa fanboy but I will never spend more than $200 on a rod or reel. My most expensive setups are around $250. I still get outfished by the old guys I fish with and they use the same old gear they have had for years and everything they have is spooled in 6lb mono. They bring in a couple citations a year too. Just something to think about.

Right. I get outfished routinely by my buddy, who until recently didn't even own a baitcaster. If I was a pro and spent 3 out of every 4 days on the water, then I'd want the best. Although I've seen a a lot of BPS Qualifiers on pros' decks over the years. They're probably specially tuned. My best combo is a $125 Lew's reel and a $130 Falcon Lowrider rod. But i bought the rod for $50 used. I cut corners where I can. I have two Lightning Rods for techniques that don't require sensitivity. They're light and have a great action. In fact, I caught a 7 pounder this spring on a decade old BPS Johnny Morris reel I bought used and a fossil of a Mitchell "100% graphite" rod that I know is more than 30 years old.

Bassattackr reply :

Personally, I prefer consistency. If I pick up the same reel on a rod with the same style of grip it's one less thing to think about to help me concentrate on fishing. If I have 14 different reels with different grips, handle lengths, braking mechanisms and feels to the drag it annoys the heck out of me taking the time to remember how to adjust each one on the fly. I have all Revo STX reels and I love them.

Nothing wrong with Abu as there's nothing wrong with other brands. If you like it and it works well for you, why change?

And surprisingly (or not), Abu makes a great rod. I have two of the Villain 2.0 spinning rods and they are the best rods I've ever used for $200.

GreenPig reply :

My first baitcaster was a Abu and I stuck with them for a long time. I now own and fish Abu's, Lew's, and Shimano. I've been satisfied with all 3 brands but the Shimano's just do everything better except pull fish out of thick grass(less drag than Abu).

patchtech reply :

On 9/18/2019 at 10:27 AM, Bassattackr said:

Personally, I prefer consistency. If I pick up the same reel on a rod with the same style of grip it's one less thing to think about to help me concentrate on fishing. If I have 14 different reels with different grips, handle lengths, braking mechanisms and feels to the drag it annoys the heck out of me taking the time to remember how to adjust each one on the fly. I have all Revo STX reels and I love them.

Nothing wrong with Abu as there's nothing wrong with other brands. If you like it and it works well for you, why change?

And surprisingly (or not), Abu makes a great rod. I have two of the Villain 2.0 spinning rods and they are the best rods I've ever used for $200.

Consistency has been my main focus too. Minimize variance to maximize my learning.

I've been immensely happy with my Abu gear. And most of the responses in this thread just helped exemplify that at the price points i'm targeting (generally in the 100-150 range for either rod or reel), it's splitting hairs more than anything. I.E. most things are going to perform comparably, with certain trade-offs per brand. Just wanted to make sure, i guess, that I wasn't overlooking something significantly better at the same price points.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! And I'll see about expanding my brands next time I buy some rods/reels.

BassCats reply :

You don’t want to do that. That’s how the bait monkey gets you. Once you try something new it becomes a virus that takes over your mind and wallet.

CrankFate reply :

I have been criticized for having 10 pairs of shoes that all look very similar. My answer is always, because my feet are the same shape and size no matter what shoe I put them in. I look at rods and reels the same way. I go with what fits best and have several very similar set ups mostly differentiated by weight, but some by rod stiffness and line capacity.

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