Abu Garcia Rod and Reel. Any good???

[L1A1Rocker]

My father won an Abu Garcia rod and real in some raffle from a gun show two weeks ago. Does anyone know anything about this brand?

Rod:
Ambassadeur bcx
AMB661MH * 6' 6" Medium Heavy * 1/4 - 1 1/4 oz. Lure * 10-25 lb line * O1C11BK

Reel:
Ambassadeur 5600 BCX

Thanks for any info on this. I only know a little bit about Shamano reels and use either Ugly Stix or rods from a Texas outfit that I cannot remember the name of (a guess I'm having a "Perry" moment)

[El Laton Caliente]

That is the more modern version of the old Ambassador 5000 which was the standard for inshore fishing back in the 70s & 80s... I was always a fan of Penn spinning reels on ugly sticks for inshore, but most swore by the Ambassador baitcasters.

[alismith]

Abu Garcia used to have a reputation of being a top-notch fishing equipment company. I think your father made out pretty well with the raffle (at least, he won something...beats not winning anything).

Unless the QC has slipped in the past 15-20 years, it should be a pretty nice combo.

[Zoff12]

Yeah... that are good low-mid range Abu's. I have that combo myself. If he wants to part with it... let me know.

[deth502]

yup, good middle range reels. ive never used their rods, i usually go with a carbon one piece, with ratings similar to that (med-heavy, 6'ish). i dont like the spongy wet noodle feel of the ugly stick. and most all of them wear a abu garcia reel with rear drag.

too heavy for trout, and not heavy enough for saltwater, but a great lake rod, bass, walleye, pike, ect...

[Kadmos]

My dad used to call his "My Swedish watch", his own little joke. He probably still has it in his basement, his first good reel, probably got it in the late 1950's. It ran very well. I imagine your dad will enjoy his

[TheDreamer]

Never had a problem with any of my Abu reels, although I lean more towards browning rods for my bait casters, currently run 2 Abu 6500's for spinner/direct retrieve crank baits. Also have a 5500 that has been on my rod rack for over a year, have yet to get my hands on an Abu spinning reel if anyone has any feedback?

[L1A1Rocker]

Thank you folks for all your input.

[Kadmos]

Thank you folks for all your input.

As always, happy to help ;)

[Gunner1558]

Back in the day.... Ambassadeur reel was the ultimate.

Have used a lot of Garcia gear, and always thought well of it. Not Orvis, but good for the fishing I was doing.

The best thing about fishing gear is being able to get the time to use it.

[Zoff12]

Yup... Abu is one tough setup. I have an old XLT Plus that I have been using since the early 80's. Been on a bunch of different rods. Right now it's on a Vendetta.

[stevelyn]

Don't know anything about the rod, but Abu Garcia 5500 series reels are the go to reel for king and silver salmon fishing in fresh water by the folks that fling hardware.