Went to dicks today to grab a few things, and started playing with the reels they had. Some one must have messed up because I saw an abu garcia C3 5500 listed as 29.99. On top of that it was 75% off, so I walked out with a new C3 for $7.50. Question is now what should I use it for, I don't do much deep cranking but I was thinking either swimbaits or for saltwater.

A rig? Score on the reel though!

Congratulations on a great buy.    No suggestions for uses as I would consider it larger than what I would need in my area.  I suppose it would be okay for catfishing locally.  Your suggestions and OFG's suggestion sound okay to me.  A friend uses a similar size reel with his lure knocker as he doesn't have a use for something that large either.

Give ya' 10 bucks for it!

WHAT!!! That is awsome

Sounds like an awesome deal.  My local DSG has next to nothing on sale.

Sounds like an awesome deal.  My local DSG has next to nothing on sale.

 

Currently true for my local DSG as well.  However, I do buy a lot of my crankbaits from them whenever they put a few on clearance.  Better prices than my local Walmarts.....which carry nothing but junk in rods, few reels worth having, but do carry some decent crankbaits.....just never on sale.

Sounds like an awesome deal. My local DSG has next to nothing on sale.

I don't think there's any rhyme or reason to sales at dicks, seems like every store is different. I just got lucky someone mislabeled the reel

It wasn't mislabeled. They just don't gouge people on their fishing stuff. They don't make their main profit off their fishing dept, and so when something has become out of season or out of date. ... they get rid of it. They don't try and get full price for a discontinued model like most places.

That being said, they're still a business and are always going to be making a profit. For them to price some of their stuff at 75% off and more- it makes you wonder about what these stores pay wholesale for this stuff.

And that train of thought should make you hate Walmart even more. ....

Just fish it. You'll figure out what to use it for afterwards.

We use em for saltwater here, light surf setups and inlet type fishing...

My 5500c3 is one of my main bass reels.  I have three types of bass reels:

 

Original 5000/5500 series:

 

Two are in active duty.  Both are 5000 models.  One is a 5000c and the other was a 5000.  Both have been upgraded to 5500c specs but with 6 bearings including the crank bearing.

 

These have 4.7:1 gears for a 23IPT retrieve.

 

The next one, on a Cherryrod, is what you have.  It's a 2014 model 5500c3 that has been supertuned and has 6 bearings including the crank IAR bearing.

 

It has 5.3:1 gears for a 26IPT retrieve.

 

The 5600 has all done to it that has been done to the 5500c3.  Its main differences are a thumb bar and a faster retrieve.  It's on a BPS Tourney special.

 

It has 6.3:1 gears for a 30IPT retrieve.

 

All are really excellent reels.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

Geez...I just can't imagine that much upgrading on a $30 reel. What's left is still a $5 frame.

 

 

 

Geez...I just can't imagine that much upgrading on a $30 reel. What's left is still a $5 frame.

Which is the $30 reel?

Josh

Went to dicks today to grab a few things, and started playing with the reels they had. Some one must have messed up because I saw an abu garcia C3 5500 listed as 29.99. On top of that it was 75% off, so I walked out with a new C3 for $7.50. Question is now what should I use it for, I don't do much deep cranking but I was thinking either swimbaits or for saltwater.

 

abu garcia C3 5500 listed as 29.99

Mmmm... where?

Acedemy and amazon have them listed at 89-120 bucks respectively.

Good deal either way.

I collect catfish gear because, ever so often I go cat fishing from the bank.  Just because I'm cat fishing doesn't mean I shouldn't have decent to good gear for the task.  That reel would make an excellent addition to my catfish arsenal.  Ii'd go back and see if they had any more.

 

That reel meets all the standards I have for decent catfish gear.  A - will it hold a couple of hundred yards of 25 to 40 lb mono?  B - Does it have a sturdy frame and strong gears?  C - Is it capable of casting 2 to 5 or so ounces of weight + bait?  That reel meets all the standards.  A clicker is nice but not mandatory.

 

Josh Smith offered $10 for the reel.  I'll go $20, and reserve the right to re-bid if necessary.

abu garcia C3 5500 listed as 29.99

 

It had to be clearance priced at $30, or maybe it was a mislabeled made-in-China 5500 S or whatever the call 'em.

 

The 5500c3 is NOT a $30 reel.

 

Josh

Acedemy and amazon have them listed at 89-120 bucks respectively.

Good deal either way.

 

Yessir, I just bought one from BPS not too long ago, a 2014 model.  It's a piece of quality. 

 

If I can get one for $30, dangit, I will!

 

Regards,

 

Josh

I collect catfish gear because, ever so often I go cat fishing from the bank.  Just because I'm cat fishing doesn't mean I shouldn't have decent to good gear for the task.  That reel would make an excellent addition to my catfish arsenal.  Ii'd go back and see if they had any more.

 

That reel meets all the standards I have for decent catfish gear.  A - will it hold a couple of hundred yards of 25 to 40 lb mono?  B - Does it have a sturdy frame and strong gears?  C - Is it capable of casting 2 to 5 or so ounces of weight + bait?  That reel meets all the standards.  A clicker is nice but not mandatory.

 

Josh Smith offered $10 for the reel.  I'll go $20, and reserve the right to re-bid if necessary.

 

Hello,

I have been thinking about building another '70s 5000 I have laying around here.

This time, I'll keep the low 3.8:1 gears that give it a 21IPT (or so; I'm guessing) retrieve.  I usually use carbon drags without grease, but I'd grease the ones going in this one.

I need to get a SS frame instead of the aluminum frame, though I'm sure the aluminum frame would hold up fine to most catfish and carp.

I'm torn on whether to use bearings or bushings on the spool.  I'm thinking bushings would be fine.  They strike me as being tougher.

I really don't like long rods or rod handles for bass fishing.  A trophy bass might be landed best with one, but for the average bass and occasional bigmouth buffalo fish I catch, the pistol grips I prefer are just fine.  The largest fish I ever caught, a buffalo, was landed with my 5000 (23IPT retrieve) and a pistol grip pole.  I started getting worn out after about 15 minutes, but the rod held and so did my hand and wrist!

 

However, for a dedicated bottomfeeder rod, I'd probably go with a hybrid rod design and a long handle I can tuck.

 

Do you have thoughts on these ideas?

 

Thanks,

 

Josh

Yeah, I've got my ideas on catfish rods, basically straight from the In-fisherman playbook.  Many different companies make "catfish rods"  Pick one of those.   7' to 8" are best for most bank fishing situations.  Much longer and they become a pain to cast from the bank if there is any vegetation around.  Make sure that it has a sturdy handle, that will fit into a rod holder.   Rod holders work so much better than forked sticks, it isn't even close.

 

The few that I have right now (don't remember brand, got them on Walmart close out) are a 7 1/2' Medium action with a very soft tip.  The soft tip is important.  It helps you throw dough baits, punch baits and live baits a distance without throwing the bait off the hook.  Secondly it helps when you are using circle hooks.

Using those, upon getting a strike all you've got to do is go rod tip up and tighten up and the hook sets itself.

 

I used to use a cheap flipping rod, thinking I needed the power to fight the fish.  However, distance casting without throwing the bait became problematic and it didn't work real well with circle hooks.  With standard hooks and shad sides as bait, hook sets were ok.

Id use it for deep cranking, swimbaits, a rigs, or live or cut bait for stripers and catfish. Not much saltwater action here in tennessee lol but it would probably work pretty good for that tko