A NEW ADDITION - ABU GARCIA C3 4601 ROUND BAITCASTER REEL

 

You know us anglers have one problem, that is if we cannot go fishing after a period of time we start to feel itchy, you know like a seven year itch ha ha! You know what i am talking about. We start to play with our gears, clean them up, open them up, put them back together, change set ups, read fishing magazines, watch fishing videos etc just to get us in touch with the world of fishing but short of going fishing. Eventually we end up in a tackle shop just to see what are the latest gears hit the counter and so on. Then we start to drool when we see some new sexy reels with new technology, materials or colors we wish we could own but stop short of buying due to the astronomical price tags attached to the reels. That sort of thing happened to me all the times. Most of the times i tried to resist and kept telling myself that i have more than enough after so many years of collecting fishing tackles to the point that the room that i use to store my tackles look like a tackle shop, no joking!

I already have 6 low profile and 3 round baitcaster reels of which three are low profile Abu Garcia reels, but i do not have an Abu Garcia round baitcaster reel. I have a very good Shimano Culcutta TE GT 101 round baitcaster reel which performed well in my previous fishing trips but it is so beautiful in gold color that i do not have the heart to make it my workhorse and end up scratching all over it. My Okuma round reel did not last very long and start to make a grinding sound when reeling the line while my Tica Caiman is too big for casting and light jigging. What i need is a robust and well designed reel with quality and yet affordable and a proven performer.

After doing some research and reading a lot of reviews from anglers i decided to go Abu Garcia way instead of Shimano or Daiwa or other high end brands because they are more affordable than those guys and not to mention their experience and tradition in designing high quality reels which last very long and easy to maintain. Abu Garcia produces top round reels of which the Record, C4 and C3 round reels are their best sellers. These reels go way back with the Record being one of the earliest round reel produced by Abu Garcia and they have kept the tradition and original design largely intact. Some people say why buy these reels as they are old school but i could not be bothered as i think there is value in good old things especially if they still last this long and still selling well.

So, on last Saturday i went to my favorite local tackle shop in Kuala Lumpur with an intention to buy three reels actually( did i say three reels? ha ha), a Pflueger Patriarch low profile baitcaster reel because of its awesome chrome finish, an Abu Garcia C4 and C3 round reels. Unfortunately( or is it fortunately ?) only the C3 was in stock for a left hand model. Of the three models available - 4600,5500 and 6600, i do not like the 5500 as the thumb knob is missing and was replaced with stainless steel switch on the side which is awkward. The 6600 model can hold more line but is too big and heavy for casting all day long, so i decided on the 4601 model which is for the left hand version. It is not expensive as it only cost RM410 (US128). Compare this to the Shimano Culcutta TE GT101 which i paid RM1050 the C3 4601 is a steal! I intend to put a Stren 10lb fluorocarbon lines and match it with 12-25lb medium heavy baitcasting rod that i have for the purpose of casting lures and light jigging and see how it goes.

Abu Garcia gave three stainless steel bearings for smooth operation of the reel during casting and retrieving. The C3 4601 has a 5.3:1 gear ratio for a slow retrieve of lure ( 65cm retrieve per turn) at the mid to bottom level and comes with a 7kg or 15lb of drag which is better than some bigger and more expensive reels out there in the market. Most of the reviews i read mentioned the drag as being very smooth and strong which handled big fish quite well. The reel is not that heavy at 265gram or 9.3oz but is heavier than my latest Abu Garcia Revo 03SX low profile reel at 6.66oz. It can hold 195yards of 10lb mono line or 155yards of 30lb braid or more if you use a 10lb braid.

The reel was supplied with  a bottle of Abu Garcia lube oil to help keep the reel in tip top condition. Other items are the warranty card, instruction manual on brake settings and the other usual stuffs.

The C3 4601 reel is made in Sweden instead of the third world countries as OEM which is common nowadays due to the cheaper production cost compared to the cost in Europe. So the quality of the reel is assured and the reel feels very solid. The reel has only one control knob for casting located next to the star drag. That means it is simpler to use unlike the new reels which have the control knob plus either a magnetic brake knob or centrifugal brake adjustment or all of them. I like the reel metallic hairline steel finish because eventhough it is an old model it still looks high-tech.

Synchronized level wind system

I like the design of the side plate with the royal crest making it look elite among the round reels out there. The satin stainless steel finish adds to the quality of the reel making it  a must-have collector's item in any anglers arsenal.

I am very excited to try this reel in the next fishing trip and hopefully i got good story to tell in my next post along with photos of my catch to show. Until then, happy fishing.

MONO VS FLUOROCARBON VS BRAID

I read somewhere that early human used some sort of thread with fish bones as hooks to catch fish. They did not use rods but handheld the line while waiting for the fish to take the bait. When exactly this early form of fishing started i have no idea, you have to look up in some scientific research books. But the methods of fishing and the equipments used have gone through thousand of years of evolution since it first began up to the modern time with what you see today available in the tackle shops and online stores. The evolution of the fishing lines had one purpose in mind which is to make them stronger and more efficient in catching fish.

There are so many types of lines available now with each has its pros and cons, and price that reflects the technology that goes into the making of the lines, and the quality of the lines. There are monofilament lines made of a single strand and comes in classification according to the diameter in milimeter and breaking strength in pound or kilogramme, which is quite common and popular since they are generally cheaper. They are made of less denser materials and therefore more buoyant in the water and sink slower to the bottom. They also stretch more than other lines under load which reduces the effectiveness when setting the hook. Their refrective index are high making them more visible in clear water which can have an effect on fishes which are sensitive thus reduce the hookup rate. But due to their low price they are popular as the main lines with most anglers.

I started my fishing hobby using cheap mono lines which cost less than RM5 (US1.50) for a 100meter length with a breaking strength of 20lb. After sometime i would discard them due to their high memory and just bought new ones. Nowadays i would buy higher quality lines with higher breaking strength but smaller diameter which can make them less visible in the water and can help give me better casting distance. They come in so many colors like yellow, green, blue, black, orange and red which some manufacturers claiming the red color can make the line disappear in deep water due to the lack of light and the red color is the first to go. There are also lines that are invisible in the water but change color above water when exposed to the sun to make them visible to the anglers.There are so many brands available like D.A.M, Berkley, Relix, Shimano, Abu Garcia, Spiderwire, and Stren just to mention a few.

There are also fluorocarbon lines which are monofilament lines made of denser material like fluoropolymer PVDF making them sink faster than monofilament lines, not to mention their refractive index is low meaning they bounce less light therefore are less visible in water. Due to their unique property they are expensive and normally not used as main lines but popular as leader material for casting artificial lures, jigs, poppers etc.They stretch less than mono thus giving good striking power to improve hookup rate. They are a better alternative to the braided lines which are more expensive. A lot of bass tournament anglers in the USA use the fluorocarbon as their main lines to improve their catches and win trophies instead of mono lines. They are more abrasive resistant than normal mono lines and when the bass are found in weed areas there are no other way to pull them out without cutting the lines. It could be the difference between going home with a trophy and a few grand richer than empty hands. There are many brands available in the market but the ones i have used were from Suffix, Stren and Xzoga. They are not that expensive and of high quality.

The ultimate lines to use for fishing especially for casting and jigging are the braided lines which have almost no stretch properties making them very sensitive to feel the fish strikes. They are made by woven fibers using materials like Spectra, Dacron or micro-Dyneema. Some brands have up to eight individual strands woven in such a way that they become more rounded than the others which help in reducing line cutting in the spool if they are not packed densely. Some lines are thermally fused in order to keep their form permanent. These lines are more expensive than the normal braided lines. They are also very resistance to abrasion and comparative to mono or fluorocarbon lines they have smaller diameter at the same pound rating. This is good because you can fill in more yardage in the small spools compared to the mono and fluorocarbon lines,and because their diameters are smaller it will help achieving longer distance during casting. But due to their zero stretch property and their opaqueness they are very visible in the water which can spook the fishes and prevent the fishes from striking the lures or take the bait. Thus using mono or fluorocarbon leaders for the first one or two meters from the hook or lure is a must if you were to have any success in catching any fish. One of the advantages of using braided lines is that it does not have a memory problem like mono or fluorocarbon as most of them are very soft. However those who use braided lines for baitcasting reels will swear that braided lines increase the  backlashes or birdnests during casting because sometimes the braided lines cut into the reel line which was not packed properly and stuck which causes the flying lures to stop suddenly in the air and causes backlashes as the spool still spins and offload the line. Once tangled braided lines are harder to untangled as the knots are tighter compared to mono or fluorocarbon lines. But there are ways to prevent or reduce the backlashes by properly tuning the magnetic or centrifugal brakes of the reels according to the different weights of the lures used. I have used various lines on my low-profile reels and all of them gave me backlashes if not the brakes were not tuned properly. There are so many brands of braided lines out there in the market but the ones i use the most are Spiderwire, Shimano Power Pro and Fins in various colors and poundage. My favorite colors are red, yellow and green ranging from 8lb to 20lb test for casting lures and 30lb to 50lb for bottom, jigging and trolling at sea.. Some manufacturers produce braided lines in various colors to mark the water depth like each color for every 5 or 10 meters so you can roughly guess the depth of the water you are fishing in.

You can do some trial and error on the various lines available in the market to suit your fishing styles based on your budget, i am sure there  are some out there that can improve your catch and make you happy.

Happy fishing.

TIOMAN EXPEDITION

One of the thing that i am looking forward to as part of my fishing adventures is when i get to go sea fishing with fellow anglers once or twice a year in Malaysian waters. Malaysia has a lot of islands in the East coast and West coast of the Peninsular not to mention in Sabah and Sarawak. Due to the logistical nightmare to go fishing in East Malaysian waters off Sabah and Sarawak, my sea fishing concentrate mostly on the both sides of the Peninsular as they are more accessible and cheaper.

This time we were off to Tioman Island waters toward the Island of Aur. Tioman Island located about an hour boat ride from the town of Mersing, Pahang is a mystical island popular with tourists for relaxing, diving and fishing. The journey started from Kuala Lumpur by highway to the town of Mersing which is about five hours drive. From Mersing all of us departed on two speedboats early in the morning fishing the waters off Tioman Island until evening when we had to stay on the island overnight to recharge our batteries for the next day fishing towards the Aur Island. Target species were Tenggiri(Barred Spanish Mackerel),Snappers, Groupers, Cobia, Bayan(Parrotfish) and Layaran(Sailfish). Baits used were live prawns, Apollo for catching live baits like Selar and Kembung. Methods were bottom fishing,live bait drifting freeline and with balloons when targeting the Sailfish and trolling for Barred Spanish Mackerel(Tenggiri) with deep diver Rapala.

FIRST DAY PHOTOS:

Loading the fishing gears into the back of a pick-up truck

Never go fishing without having breakfast first

The jetty where the two boats were on standby

Loading the gears into the boats

Powerful boat with two 150hp engines

Couldnt wipe the smile off my face!

Off we went

The speed the boats were moving was awesome!

The fishing started at one of the Unjang( Man-made fish home by tying coconut leaves to an achor)

Looks like the next boat drew the first blood! A good size Bayan fish(Parrot fish)

 

Ha ha..now it is my turn!

How about that hah? My second Bayan...yeehaw!

Bayan - a beautifully colored coral species, tasty too!

A bro sitting next to me with his first table size Grouper

Feeding frenzy..a Red Snapper

How about that dude!

A really good size Red Snapper

Azlan, the trip leader with his first Grouper

My turn with a good size Fingermark Snapper

Another bro with his Yellowtail Snapper

Ha ha..action was slow in the next boat

Tioman Marina

Carrying our catch through the Marina

Not easy to get a ride on this island, the police were nice enough to give us a ride

Cleaning our catch for dinner

Unbelievable! These guys really knew how to cook! Fresh sweet and sour fish

No spoons, so styrofoam pieces were used instead he he..

When you were hungry everything tasted good!

 SECOND DAY PHOTOS:

Yours truly in front of the Marina

Waiting for everybody to get onboard

Bye bye Tioman, till the next trip

My Shimano Torium 14 multiplier reel on standby

Trolling for Barred Spanish Mackerel using Rapala deep diver lure but no takers

Rock outcrop off the Tioman Island

Flathead attack!!

We must have been over sandy area because the Flatheads were huge!!

Nice catch bro

I got a Flathead too!!

Returning to the jetty

Here was the hard part, carrying everything up the jetty from the boats

Giving a good hose of fresh water to wash all the salt away

Having drinks and discussing the day's action before going back

I was satisfied eventhough did not catch any Mackerel or Sailfish. There is always the next time right?

THIRD DAY PHOTOS:

Dividing equally the catches among the group members

Flatheads, i thought only in Australia they grew this big!

Groupers

Leatherskin Jacks

Kerisi or Vermilion Snappers

Red Snappers and Fingermark Snapper

The star of the catches Bayan fish aka Parrotfish

 All in all it was quite a fun trip and did not cost so much. The disappointment was we did not catch any big ones like the Barred Spanish Mackerel(Tenggiri) and Sailfish(Ikan Layaran) but there will always be another day when the lady luck is on our side. Sometimes it is not only the action that makes the trip fun but your companion anglers too with their jokes and antics. I would love to go again with them on another trip another place anytime.

Till next time, happy fishing.