Next on our ICAST list is Abu Garcia. Their newest reel is the Revo MGX which incidentally, won the “Best of Show for Freshwater Reels”. This reel utilizes a magnesium alloy frame called X-mag and side-plates that are made of a lighter than aluminum C-6 carbon.
The braking is provided by an externally adjustable 4 pin centrifugal system called IVCB-IV, which stands for Infinitely Variable Centrifugal Brake. This results in twenty eight different settings on the knob.
The MGX has all the bells and whistles including audible click star drag and cast control settings, a bent carbon-fiber handle and EVA foam grips to name a few. Line capacity is 115 yards of 12-pound mono and this reel will be offered in two gear ratios, 7.1:1 and 7.9:1. Both of these ratios will bring in lots of line in a hurry.
Abu is introducing a new series of rods named the Villain that is designed to be used with the MGX both to take advantage of the light weight and of course to complement the reels cosmetics.
Most of the rest of the Revo line has seen recent upgrades both mechanically and cosmetically which will continue for the time being.
The Black Max has been re-designed with bent handles and a bent drag-star to make them more ergonomic. This series uses a graphite frame and side-plates, a MaxTrax externally adjustable braking system, has 5 bearings, weighs 7.9 ounces and will retail for about $50.00.
The Pro Max series is also more compact and uses the bent handle and a bent drag-star, has basically the same foot print as the Black Max series but adds 3 bearings to give you an 8 bearing reel. It comes in both right and left had retrieve and retails for about $80.00.
The Silver Max utilizes most of the features of the other two reels in the Max series but weights slightly more at 8.0 ounces even. The additional feature on the Silver is the flipping switch. This reel will be available in both right and left hand retrieve in one gear ratio, has a 6 bearing system and will retail for about $60.00.
For spinning gear the Orra S is a sleek looking reel that will be offered in four sizes. It uses an X-Craftic Alloy Frame, a sealed hybrid matrix drag system, a seven bearing system and a braid-ready aluminum spool with a corkscrew design. The Orra S will retail for about $70.00.
The Orra SX uses the same build components as the Orra with different color schemes and adds two bearings giving it a total of 9. The SX will retail for about $100.00 and be available in four sizes.
Lately Abu Garcia has been building some good rods and this year will add the Veritas Winch series to their line-up. This series is designed for fishing cranks and has similar features to the original Veritas rods. They have also built a new flipping stick in this line-up and will soon make available a micro-guide series of the Veritas.
The Abu Garcia Vengeance rods are a new light-weight series of graphite rods. They feature a split rear grip, Pac-Bay guides and color schemes that complement their reels but would go nicely with other manufacturers products.
See ya’ on the water …