Abel: The Harley Davidson of fishing reels.

[myt1]

It just dawned on me.

Before I was obsessed with fly fishing I was obsessed with motorcycles. I pretty much rode most styles of bikes except Harley Davidson's and the like; although I did spend a day riding a rented Harley on some Colorado "twisties" near Grand Junction. It was like riding a sofa.

So, this is my observation:

Both Harley Davidson motorcycles and Abel reels are made in the USA.

Both are pretty much rock solid, although both are somewhat antiquated.

Both have been reluctantly dragged into the 21st century. Harley has to had to make concessions to meet strict environmental requirements and Abel appears to finally be making sealed drags de rigueur.

Aesthetics is at or near the top of the list of reasons why people buy these respective products.

If aesthetics isn't at the top of the list of why people buy these products it is only because "the sound" is more important to some people than looks.

And both products lag significantly behind their higher tech brethren in the performance category, at least according to the numerous reviews that I have read. Although both are better than they used to be.

Dare I say as well that both are over priced for what you get?

It is kinda like the Asquith thing, another very expensive fishing product, except with the Asquith you are spending a lot of money to buy a rod that pretty much unequivocally is considered great, or close to it.

With Harley's and Abel's you are spending a lot of money for looks and sound...attributes that have little or nothing to do with catching fish... and very equivocal performance. That is a huge difference in my opinion.

 

[el jefe]

Funny enough, yesterday a buddy of mine called on his way back to town from his fishing cabin, where he had broken his 4-weight. He stopped at the local fly shop to replace that 4-weight, and also needed a reel. He said he looked at the Abel reels I like, but hated their features (he was looking at the Super Series, as was I when with him a few weeks ago at the same shop). He ended up with a Hatch, and wondered why I liked the Abels so much. I told him it had nothing to do with the technical superiority, which it lacks, but was 100% about the aesthetics (I was looking a Cutthroat Trout pattern on a Super 5N). For me, it was about the artwork, and beauty, as the reel is functionally decrepit by today's standards. I want that reel because it is gorgeous; there is no second reason.

 

[denver1911]

If I believed this analogy and many of the espoused reasons, I might feel bad for just deciding on an Abel as my next reel purchase.

 

[akos75]

Probably the most important technical feature of a fly reel is reliability. It is totally ignored in all reel shootouts (it is not really measurable). Being able to repair it on the field is also a huge plus.
So for me a Tibor, an Abel or even a Hardy Perfect is technically superior to any reel that has a one way bearing in the mechanism, which will eventually fail because of humidity, cold, water intrusion, dirt, salt, too much lubrication, etc.

 

[eastfly66]

I might feel bad for just deciding on an Abel as my next reel purchase.

Any chance of that happening will disappear like a fart in the wind once that Abel is in your hands ! Good Luck on your trip !

 

[pnc]

No , furthest thing from HD. Still use a Super 8. No leaks in 20 yrs.

Interesting staement about being outdated. Maybe I am too. I like big cork disc drags.

....... pc

 

[duker]

I don't own an Abel, but as I just commented in another thread I do own a Tibor and a couple of Islander (basically a Canadian Abel) reels, use them for saltwater, fresh, including one of the Islanders on a spey rod. I guess I too am an old-fashioned guy, as I like the bullet-proofness and ease of maintenance and repair of draw-bar reels. There's just not much that can go wrong with them, and as akos75 points out if something does go wrong you can likely fix it quickly and easily.

Sealed drags are all well and good, but I think that those seals are eventually going to go--the question isn't if they're going to leak, but when. As another posted pointed out in another thread, NASA lost a Space Shuttle due to a faulty O-ring. I know that many anglers use Hatch, Nautilus, Abel, and other sealed drag reels and have given them good reviews, and I have no doubt that they are fine reels. I may even buy one myself some day. But I'll never go on a faraway fishing trip without a drag-bar reel.

Scott

 

[coug]

Not sure the OP is using the same Abels that I am? The ones I use are bomb proof and just keep working year after year.

 

[scotty macfly]

It just dawned on me.

Before I was obsessed with fly fishing I was obsessed with motorcycles. I pretty much rode most styles of bikes except Harley Davidson's and the like; although I did spend a day riding a rented Harley on some Colorado "twisties" near Grand Junction. It was like riding a sofa.

So, this is my observation:

Both Harley Davidson motorcycles and Abel reels are made in the USA.

Both are pretty much rock solid, although both are somewhat antiquated.

Both have been reluctantly dragged into the 21st century. Harley has to had to make concessions to meet strict environmental requirements and Abel appears to finally be making sealed drags de rigueur.

Aesthetics is at or near the top of the list of reasons why people buy these respective products.

If aesthetics isn't at the top of the list of why people buy these products it is only because "the sound" is more important to some people than looks.

And both products lag significantly behind their higher tech brethren in the performance category, at least according to the numerous reviews that I have read. Although both are better than they used to be.

Dare I say as well that both are over priced for what you get?

It is kinda like the Asquith thing, another very expensive fishing product, except with the Asquith you are spending a lot of money to buy a rod that pretty much unequivocally is considered great, or close to it.

With Harley's and Abel's you are spending a lot of money for looks and sound...attributes that have little or nothing to do with catching fish... and very equivocal performance. That is a huge difference in my opinion.

As for motorcycles, is there a cheaper version of the Harley? I ask because I don't know much about bikes.

As for Abel, there is a cheaper version. Ross Reels.

When the boys from Scott Rods came down, they also brought with them Abel and Ross reels. Jake took apart both reels to show me the drag system, and the only thing different was the housings for the drag, other than that and Abels expensive paint jobs, they are the same reel.

So I guess you can get a lower priced Abel, just pronounce it as Ross.

 

[mka]

I have to agree, El Jefe and Myt1...I admit that no matter what the product, for me, if it ain't beautiful I'm not buying. Beautiful design matters (a great deal) for most consumers...but I'm biased, my first degree and career was in graphic design

Confession: I play with Abels

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[myt1]

I have to agree, El Jefe and Myt1...I admit that no matter what the product, for me, if it ain't beautiful I'm not buying. Beautiful design matters (a great deal) for most consumers...but I'm biased, my first degree and career was in graphic design

Confession: I play with Abels

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I take back everything I originally said.

That is a friggin' beautiful setup. I want one.

 

[camelbrass]

I think a more appropriate analogy is a car one.

Cork drag Abels are the Ford 150s of the fly reel world. Old technology, V8 engine that goes back to the 60s, steel frame. You can buy the Raptor in camouflage colour or the XL in white but either will pull a 3 ton boat, get you into the forest up a fire track, launch a boat off a beach, carry the kayak, have a 700km range on a tank and you can get it home with a roll of duct tape and a hammer. Probably all at the same time.

Try doing that with a Tesla.

Regards,


Trevor

 

[huibgeselschap]

I like cork too! my Billy Pate from the first series is still going strong after 40 years!!! My Orvis SSS corkdrag reels are also indestructable, might be old fashined, but no bearings to fail, landed a nice 24" lake rainbow on my 7/8 this weekend on a 4x tippet, which took me well into my backing. I like material which I can depend on for years to come and can clean easily after a salt water outing.

 

[scotty macfly]

I am more for the practical side of reels than fancy paint jobs. I don't mind a beautiful looking relic, Lord knows I love to see good craftsmanship. But give me a black matte finished reel any day. That way when I drop it, and we all do at times, I won't feel so bad.

Just like having a fancy paint job on your car or bike. You know how ticked off you'll get when you see that first scratch. I do enjoy looking at those beautiful paint jobs Abel puts on their reels, especially the one with the Colo. flag, but that's all they are to me, just looking at reels. Naw, give me something to fish with instead.

 

[mka]

Truth be told, my old Battenkill BBS reels perform better on trout streams than most of my premium beauty reels....but I still hang a beautiful one on my rods when I go fishing. I'm off now for an overnight trip to the Jemez Mountains with a buddy of mine...I packed a good looking reel (to me anyway) and not the BBS as usual.

 

[sweetandsalt]

After several spring-time up-grades, I am fielding the finest kit of trout reels I've ever had. Yes, I have and do fish cork disc, draw-bar Abels trout fishing, my BG Pt.5 is about 30 years old and if it has high start-up inertia and/or lack of drag smoothness under load, it hasn't seemed to effect the million trout on fine tippets it has contributed to landing over the decades. Its rod got a Hatch 4+ this spring so it is currently awaiting a new assignment. Really, I do regard draw-bar reels' exceptional durability, reliability and field-stripability to shine most brightly on the saltwater flats where their virtues are best appreciated.

It is true that cork disc, draw-bar actuated reels are old technology. The draw-bar as an adjustment method goes back to the dawn of machine tools and in fly reels to the Fin-Nor Wedding Cakes and Seamasters, the first dedicated saltwater fly reels from Florida in the late 1950's or early 1960's (approx.). Tibor (still Florida-built), Islander and especially Abel are far more refined draw-bars today with features like dual dogs with twin springs, quadruple redundancy. The first reel I ever had that was actuated via a one-way clutch bearing was built by the great reel genius, Ari't Hart. I asked Steve Abel what he thought about this idea which very quickly proliferated and he commented that he considered these bearings inadequately long-term reliable for Abel reels.

Times change, technology evolves and, while late to the party, Abel has culminated a few years worth of research and development and introduced stacked, sealed drag SDS for the salt and SDF for fresh water. I enjoyed the privilege of fishing a pre-introduction sample SDF 6/7 in matte graphite grey on my also grey Loomis NRX#6 this season. (I'm trying to upload an image of this outfit but something seems amiss with our Forum's image up-load software) As you can observe in the above image, this Abel is in good company; Nautilus X, Ross Evo R, Allen Atlas and Hatch Finatic represent the absolute finest sealed drag trout reels in existence. I am highly critical of fly fishing tackle but can't muster a complaint worth describing in this masterful group of mature reels. One of them though has the most perfect aspect ratio, remarkable machine and finish work with not an edge un-radiused, super fine tuneability via a big easily grasped knob and requisite captive, threaded spool lock knob too and linearity of drag setting with a sense of impervious rigidity, refined feel and subtle but audible sounds elevating it to a previously unachieved level of excellence. Yes, it is expensive and no, it is unlikely to enable me to catch more trout than my almost four decade old CFO IV. However, for an angler who spends a lot of time on the water and appreciates the virtues of the finest tackle available, SDF, in perfect balance with my NRX with capacity and performance to spare is, in my opinion, the best trout reel in the World.

 

[el jefe]

To follow up further on my buddy's assessment of the Abel Super Series reel he was looking at, he lamented its inconvenience in changing spools onstream, and the ability to quickly remove and replace the spool with a smooth, one-handed operation. I acknowledged his criticisms, but told him that's not the deal with that Abel reel. It's a "one-off", in that you don't go out to the water with three different lines loaded up on individual spools expecting to quickly change them to meet changing conditions. You go down to the river with that one reel and commit to it, and you don't remove the spool onstream. I have many reels that are much cheaper than an Abel, are easier to deal with, have better drag systems, and most of them are also pretty darn bulletproof themselves. Some are even attractive. In spite of all the criticisms of Abel reels--and I find many of those to be spot on, though durability is not one of those criticisms--I want one, just one (which reminds me, big Powerball drawing tonight), because there is just something about fishing with a work of art like that. I don't care if it works well, or not. You don't drive a Porsche 911 Turbo to the grocery store because it's a good grocery hauler; you drive a Porsche 911 Turbo to the grocery store because it's a Porsche 911 Turbo!!!

 

[wjlapier]

Regarding durability--dropped my pt. 5 on the concrete floor in my garage the other day. Bent something that I bent back and the reel is as smooth as it ever was.

The Ross F1 I purchased recently here in the FS section is as nice a reel as the pt 5, and the Super 5 ( with #2 spool ) I bought a couple of years ago. I'm new to flyfishing but not new to nice things--yes I have Abel nippers ( plural ) and an Abel zinger No Harley though--I'd prefer my GMC 1 ton Duramax to one anyway :wiggle:

 

[steveid]

After several spring-time up-grades, I am fielding the finest kit of trout reels I've ever had. Yes, I have and do fish cork disc, draw-bar Abels trout fishing, my BG Pt.5 is about 30 years old and if it has high start-up inertia and/or lack of drag smoothness under load, it hasn't seemed to effect the million trout on fine tippets it has contributed to landing over the decades. Its rod got a Hatch 4+ this spring so it is currently awaiting a new assignment. Really, I do regard draw-bar reels' exceptional durability, reliability and field-stripability to shine most brightly on the saltwater flats where their virtues are best appreciated.

It is true that cork disc, draw-bar actuated reels are old technology. The draw-bar as an adjustment method goes back to the dawn of machine tools and in fly reels to the Fin-Nor Wedding Cakes and Seamasters, the first dedicated saltwater fly reels from Florida in the late 1950's or early 1960's (approx.). Tibor (still Florida-built), Islander and especially Abel are far more refined draw-bars today with features like dual dogs with twin springs, quadruple redundancy. The first reel I ever had that was actuated via a one-way clutch bearing was built by the great reel genius, Ari't Hart. I asked Steve Abel what he thought about this idea which very quickly proliferated and he commented that he considered these bearings inadequately long-term reliable for Abel reels.

Times change, technology evolves and, while late to the party, Abel has culminated a few years worth of research and development and introduced stacked, sealed drag SDS for the salt and SDF for fresh water. I enjoyed the privilege of fishing a pre-introduction sample SDF 6/7 in matte graphite grey on my also grey Loomis NRX#6 this season. (I'm trying to upload an image of this outfit but something seems amiss with our Forum's image up-load software) As you can observe in the above image, this Abel is in good company; Nautilus X, Ross Evo R, Allen Atlas and Hatch Finatic represent the absolute finest sealed drag trout reels in existence. I am highly critical of fly fishing tackle but can't muster a complaint worth describing in this masterful group of mature reels. One of them though has the most perfect aspect ratio, remarkable machine and finish work with not an edge un-radiused, super fine tuneability via a big easily grasped knob and requisite captive, threaded spool lock knob too and linearity of drag setting with a sense of impervious rigidity, refined feel and subtle but audible sounds elevating it to a previously unachieved level of excellence. Yes, it is expensive and no, it is unlikely to enable me to catch more trout than my almost four decade old CFO IV. However, for an angler who spends a lot of time on the water and appreciates the virtues of the finest tackle available, SDF, in perfect balance with my NRX with capacity and performance to spare is, in my opinion, the best trout reel in the World.

That's a telling endorsement if the new Abel SD series.

I'm pretty ecstatic to get on the water with my Ross Evo R, and I feel very well outfitted with my current crop. However, knowing myself, it will only be a matter of time/new rod releases until I have an Abel. Picking the color may be the hardest part.

 

[camelbrass]

That's a telling endorsement if the new Abel SD series.

I'm pretty ecstatic to get on the water with my Ross Evo R, and I feel very well outfitted with my current crop. However, knowing myself, it will only be a matter of time/new rod releases until I have an Abel. Picking the color may be the hardest part.

Steveid, choose the colour wisely.

You'll have to live with it for a long time.

Regards,


Trevor

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