Abumatic 276i
2.9
5
11
11
Thumb Release Defect
I purchased a 276i at Bass Pro Shops recently and had to bring it back the next day...only positive thing I can say about this reel is that it reels in smooth. I rigged the reel and did a couple of practice casts...the "plastic" thumb release mechanism broke at the pivot point on my 3rd cast. I had to drive 30 miles back to the store to return it...wasted a lot of time and gas. I was extremely disappointed.
March 11, 2013
Spincast
I purchased one of these fine reels a few months ago. One of my first spincast reels ever. (grew up a dock rat and young dock rats were always given old broken cheap spincasts to use, so I developed a bad attitude towards them until recently)
I have a 1950s Shakespeare Wondercast in perfect shape which worked well for bank fishing. Fished for 50 years using spinning tackle, which can be finicky.
I replaced the line on the fine reel with Spiderwire EZ Mono 8lb, and in doing so found the reel did have a problem as described in a couple of posts. The problem was me not putting the line on correctly, or not enough which was the problem. This was causing the short cast problem. Too much line can be bad too. In any reel, and reel type. One must find the perfect line fill for each reel.
My advice and experience taught me to double check any rod or reel before using. I have expensive rigs which a screw, or spring sometimes needs adjusting.
In short I know of no reel, or tackle for this matter which works 100 percent of the time 100 percent. Great reel!
July 1, 2012
this is not a good reel
this is my 3rd season using this reel and this year I cast and it stops short and drops in the water 12ft from me. it has a catch when you reel it in. this is the worst reel I have ever used. I have had it taken apart and restring it 3x now and it doesn't change anything the first fish I catch it acts a fool again.
June 20, 2012
Works better than AG's more expensive reels
I was very impressed with this reel. The tension iss very easy to adjust and fits well in my hand. The spool release button felt a little cheap after a while, almost as if it was broken after the first 15 casts, but it kept working. Occasionally, I would get backlash but this was rare and usually fixed by a long cast and pinching the line as I reeled it in to make sure it spooled tightly. Also, this reel was loud, like the line inside was constantly scraping the metal parts inside. A simple reel that simply worked. More than I can say about the other to expensive AG reels I also bought.
May 26, 2012
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