ABU GARCIA 6500CT PREMIUM MAG ELITE - 13/02/2009

The Swedish-made Premium Mag Elite has both magnetic and six-pin centrifugal braking systems, so it should be almost impossible to get an overrun. The spool has a capacity for 215m of 15lb mono and the 5.3:1 gear ratio will retrieve line quickly. Slick operation is provided by three stainless steel ball bearings and a carbon Matrix drag system ensures line is given smoothly to a running or crash-diving fish.

The plan was to visit one of Norfolk's beaches where some excellent bags of fish had been taken to get a piece of the action. Hopton-on Sea, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border was chosen as cod to 14lb had been caught in the past few weeks. The reel was filled with 15lb mono with a 60lb shockleader and mounted on the butt of one of my favourite rods. With the rig baited it was time for some action and with one brake-block clicked in and the mags set on the middle setting, I let it fly. There was a bit of line lift during the cast, so once the gear had settled I slid the mag control up another two notches ready for the next cast. Second cast, the settings were fine and there was no line lift at all, giving me the confidence to wind up casts and hit them hard.

The power handle, with its large knob made reeling in easy; the smaller types are neat but can be difficult to grip in the depths of winter. Although, the retrieve at 5.3:1 is not quite as fast as its brother - the 6500 Hi-speed - but it's plenty fast enough for general fishing over clean ground. Just for fun I kicked it into 'match mode' and had pre-baited rigs ready, so as soon as I wound one rig in, the next one was ready to go. Two and three-hook clip down rigs were smacked out to varying distances to find the best range. This tactic found several decent sized whiting plus a couple of pout and small codling - no record breakers but a good mixed bag that would score decent points in a match.

I can see it will also be a useful reel if you're inshore boat fishing, especially for uptide casting, becuase it will give long, trouble free casts with its two braking systems.

The star drag operates smoothly and can be finely adjusted. A good tip when using any reel is to always back the drag off at the end of a session; if you leave the drag clamped up tight it will crush the fibre washers and make it difficult to lock the drag up.

INFORMATION
Facts At A Glance
Gear ratio: 5.3:1
Ball bearings: Three
Line capacity: 215m of 15lb mono
RRP: £122.99

ROGER'S RATINGS
Appearance 9
Casting 10
Fishing 10
Value for money 9

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