redmeansdistortion

Those not only have instant anti-reverse, but also a thumb bar clutch. The clutch is so smooth and precise, the only reel I feel rivals it is the Calcutta Conquest. Abu really hit a homerun before the plug was pulled. The design of the clutch mechanism for this reel was created in the early 1990s, but wasn't awarded a patent until 1998 which ushered in the 1600C/2600C IAR and Morrum. The Morrum used this same clutch or variation of it for its entire production run from '98 to '12.

Sweet reel and tons of potential. The original Alphas platform saw production from '03 to '19 with many variations so it's quite possible to roll your own in much the same way as somebody would an Ambassadeur. If that were my reel, it get a set of 31mm spool spacers made, throw in a '17 Alphas Air Stream Custom spool, star wheel and 80mm offset handle from a Millionaire CT SV, red line guide from a '16 Alphas Air, a drag clicker, and 7.2 gear set and worm gear from a '17 Alphas ASC. You could even use a 28mm spool from a more contemporary Alphas Air TW, Gekkabijin, or Silver Creek Air TW Stream Custom with the use of 28mm spacers. You'd just have to run the 7.2 gears and worm from a '19 Alphas CT SV. That reel is a blank slate ready to be made just how you want it.

These were my Cadillac reels, then I bought them. A few years of patience paid off big. No way did I want to drop $500+ on either of these, as that is the going price lately. Sometimes they creep up towards $1,000. I suppose it depends on the day. These are very desirable to both Abu collectors and fishermen. They are far more smooth than their predecessors and were a step forward in the design, but that came to an abrupt end. The market for desirable Ambassadeur models fluctuates wildly. The 1600C IAR (white knobs) I scored for a measly $150 on Facebook Marketplace. The seller didn't want to ship out of fear it would go to the wrong address. It took 3 weeks of light pestering to get her to budge. I then sweetened the deal and offered her $50 more, and to me it came. The other reel, a 2600C IAR, was a chance encounter on Yahoo Auctions in Japan, buy it now for $280 in an 8/10 condition. Other listings were at least double that for reels in not as good of condition. These are some of the best reels Abu ever made, and they were only made a few years. The 1600C IAR was made in '98, '99, and '00 and the 2600C IAR in '99 and '00. While they look similar to their pushbutton brothers the 1500C and 2500C, the internals are far different. The brake plate is like that of the Morrum and shares almost nothing with its predecessors. They also have a much stronger frame. For those that don't know small Ambassadeurs, the 1500C and 2500C had notoriously weak frames. If you're ever on the market for one, pay close attention to the spool and if there is any scoring. This is indicative of a misaligned frame. 1500/2500C brake plate on top, 1600/2600C brake plate on the bottom. These were to be the successor to the 1500/2500C, but Pure Fishing had different plans when they assumed complete control over Abu in 2000, outright crippling any further development out of Sweden. We were thrown a couple of bones since, namely the 2600C Elite in 2008 and the Morrum ZX in 2012, but that's about it. Outside of those, any Swedish made reels today are just color changes to the C3 and C4 platform without any further development. To make matters worse, when Rubbermaid acquired Pure Fishing in 2017, they forced Abu to stop making parts for reels produced prior to 1997. They also cancelled contracts with many small business partners who were authorized to make replacement OEM quality parts, effectively ending the Abu era. They were on top for almost half of the 20th century, then pushed by the wayside at the turn of the millennium which paved the way for Daiwa and Shimano to come out on top.

I'm partial to short rods as I fish a lot of smaller streams and creeks. A sub-6' is gold in that environment, and the range of motion afforded with one handed casting is the difference between landing your bait precisely or just getting in the general vicinity. I do have a half a dozen rods that are over 6', but the majority of my quiver is anywhere from 4'10" to 5'4".

It depends if you consider this an advantage or not, but the Conquest is heavier. That means it'll balance better with more rods. The tolerances are also very tight. I have shied away from low profile reels the last few years, equivalent round reels are generally heirloom quality and don't cost too much more. The price difference between an Alde BFS and Conquest BFS is about $65 right now. When I got my Millionaire CT SV, it was a $40 difference in price between that and the Alphas CT SV.

I use a Daiichi Seiko line winder, probably the best line spooler I've used. It also lets you recycle line, pretty handy if you want to save braided lines. My favorite feature is the tension knob, letting you spool line with up to 5kg of tension. The price on it just went up. I got mine last year for $40. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BAKO8ZM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Yep. With BFS, some reels will have you near to or exceeding the 4 digit range. We're a special bunch 🥴

It's great being back in the woods; the sights, sounds, and smells of nature are food for the soul and have many great mental health benefits. Boats 'n hoes, not so much.

I'm a serenity fisherman. You're most likely to find me away from everybody way back in the woods on a small stream than the hustle and bustle of drunks and their tuna boats on the bigger waters. I'm blessed to have such excellent fisheries, but I really despise those who aren't fishing. On Lake St Clair, most of us locals know to get off the water by noon. Otherwise you're going to encounter some choice individuals and their ineptitude at captaining a boat.

My new reel came yesterday, an Abu 2600C IAR. I love these thumb bar models. For me, they are peak Ambassadeur. The brake plate and free spool mechanism on this was designed by Jarding Karlsson and Borje Mooseberg, the designers of the original 2500C. These thumb bar models were to be the successor to the 1500C/2500C and were made from '97 to '99. The program was scrapped after Pure Fishing took complete control of Abu in 2000, but would see a small revival a decade later in the 2600C Elite. Here's the brake plates; top is a pushbutton model and bottom is a thumb bar model. Very few parts are shared between them, the only commonality being the pinion bushing. Note the differences, especially in the pinion yoke. On the thumb bar model, the pinion yoke rides on pins to better keep the pinion gear aligned. It makes for a smoother cranking reel versus the pushbutton models. Additionally, the thumb bar models use a kick lever to re-engage the spool instead of pins located at the base of the driveshaft. So now I have one of each. The 2600C is set up with an Avail 2540R spool, line guide, pinion bearing, and mag brake. From Valleyhill we have a 2BB level wind and 2BB idler gear. I've retained the 5.3 gears and will use it primarily fishing in lakes and larger rivers (Lake St Clair, Detroit River, Huron River). I have it spooled with #1.0 line. And for the 1600C. This one uses an Avail 2BB level wind, 2BB idler gear, line guide, pinion bearing, and 1520R spool. It's used for fishing small streams and creeks and uses a 6.1 gear set. It's spooled with #0.8 line.

My happy place.

This just showed up today, first time I saw one under $500 so I jumped on it. From Avail we have a 2540R spool, pinion bearing, line guide, and mag brake. From Valleyhill we have a 2BB level wind and idler gear, and rounding it out a 60mm Haneda Craft handle. This reel is in exceptional shape, much nicer than I was thinking going by the pics in the ad on Yahoo Auctions.

Where do I start? Rods Smith Troutin'Spin 74M 5-16g Smith Troutin'Spin 65ML 3-12g Palms Rera Kamuy 69ML 4-10g Daiwa Silver Creek Glass Progressive 51LB-G 2-10g Major Craft Finetail Glass B410UL 1-8g Major Craft Finetail B502L 2-10g Major Craft Troutino B410UL 1-8g Daiwa Blazon 66MLB 3-14g Daiwa Bass X 64LB 2-11g Graywolf 410 2-6g Graywolf 542 2-10g Kuying Teton 66L 2-10g Reels Abu 2500C, Avail 2540R, 4.7:1 Abu 2500C IAR, Avail 2540R, 5.3:1 Abu 2500C IAR, Avail 2520R, 6.1:1 Abu 2500C IAR, Avail 2520R, 5.3:1 Abu 2600C IAR, Avail 2540R, 5.3:1 Abu 1600C IAR, Avail 1520R, 6.1:1 '17 Calcutta Conquest BFS Millionaire CT SV, SLP SV700S, 7.2:1 Millionaire Ringa SSS, Roro MX30, 5.8:1

Braid: YGK Upgrade x8 Mono: Maxima Ultragreen Fluorocarbon: Varivas Super Trout Advance

Thank you for the kind words She should be ok, she went and stocked up earlier in the week and does have a generator in case of a power outage. I told her if things get a little too nutty I'd take a ride up and bring her back to stay with me and the family until things clear up a bit. She is 76 years old. Thankfully her neighbor does her snow for her.

It's going to get nutty up there @A-Jay. My mom is on Rifle Lake in Lupton and she already has a foot on the ground with another 12-18" forecast between today and tomorrow. Things are pretty ugly up there for her right now. She's is right in that red spot on your map that includes Mio.

Since you're in SW Ontario, you could get a PO Box in Detroit or Port Huron. The post offices of both cities are right by the Ambassador and Blue Water Bridges. Just some food for thought. I'm across the river from you in Wyandotte.

That's an issue with most US market rods, the reel seat is cheap plastic. Yeah a lot are Fuji, but still plastic. I'd expect something better at that price point. Even the Chinese use wooden real seats with stainless rings on budget rods.

They also make some really nice golf clubs.

Oh yeah I am lol. My grandparents are probably turning in their graves because I drive a Subaru and have a bunch of JDM gear. I live in the home of the Big 3. The factories even make employees park their foreign cars in lots at the far reaches of the facilities. Those that are driving anything German, Japanese, Korean, or Italian have a long walk to the door. If you park a foreign vehicle in the other lots, it stands a good chance of being vandalized.

One day in the distant future, somebody will be digging up artifacts and find an Isuzu buried somewhere in Texas, spool it up, and go fishing!

I only ever back reel when jigging for walleyes. It helps when you're trying to pinpoint a certain depth. Other than that, I have no use for it.

It is, but it also comes off fairly easy with a white vinegar bath.

This '72 5000C I redid cleaned up nice. It spent much of its life fishing the salt at that.

The SLP spools aren't as shallow as the AMO and Roro spools and will be plenty good throwing standard sized baits as well. Where they shine is they are reasonably light and have a braking profile suitable for finesse presentations.