On Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:35:02 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Oct 27, 8:05*pm, wrote:
On Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:53:38 -0400, D. LaCourse wrote:
On 2010-10-27 18:53:02 -0400, said:

I take it from the above that you've not done much, if any, flats/bonefishing?
If so, why the Abel?
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I have several Abels and they impress me in a number of ways -
workmanship, drag, ruggedness (I fall alot d;o) *), but not price. *
When I buy a new outfit (steelhead, salmon, etc), I usually look at the
available Abels. *Don't always buy them, but they are my usual first
look. *I was unaware of the Madoff connection. *I will take a look at
your suggestion. * I've heard good things about the Tibor/Billy Pate. *
Thanks.

I bought my Abel Super 8 in 1999, before Bernie Madoff was a household
name.

Depends on the household...seriously, though, AFAIK, Bernie (directly) never had
anything to do with Abel, it was his son who purchased (perhaps with partners or
???) the company and is (was???) CEO of the holding company, and that was only
in the last year or two. I don't know or care about the minutiae of his
(their???) role in Abel - again, nothing against the product or the Abels (the
actual people), but I've always preferred the Tibor/Pates. I'll leave it to
those interested to look further if they desire, using the suggested search
terms I gave Louie. If it were me and I were a big fan of Abel with several
"go-to" reels from them and further intended to use what I had hard, I might
consider laying up my own small stock of service parts, esp. any "model common"
parts or wear items.

It's been an excellent reel. The drag became uneven after much
use, the foot was bent because I dropped it (and had to repair it with
a visegrip), and I lost the lock nut years ago. Sent it back recently.
$20 later it's like new. I feel like I'm ahead with Bernie and his
sons.

I've seen, handled and _very_ briefly used one or two Abels (I cannot recall the
model(s)), and stuck with what I have. I cannot recall the exact circumstances
or thinking "Now this is a ripoff!" (and if I had thought such, I would recall
it), so I'll take y'alls word that they are good reels. I can recall hearing
rumblings about Andrew's spending and where the money came from, and that would
give me pause as far as any current purchases from them, at least until the
situation is known, for anything approaching retail prices.

There are lots of good reels, and the really good ones are expensive.

Generally, yes, but not exclusively so. For example, the larger "real"
Medalists can be a fairly decent SW reel, as long as they are maintained
_scrupulously_ (and drag parts, etc. are at hand or can be made "on site").
OTOH, the Pates, Abels, etc., require much less ****ing around, and for many,
this represents value for money (and I include myself in that group). A quick
FW rinse each day used, IMO, beats a complete tear-down and flush one or twice a
day, each and every fishing day, and the same, not daily but fairly frequently,
even when not in use but merely "on-site" in a SW environment. OTOH, if you're
on a "beach bum" budget and schedule, you can fish effectively with one.

Just make sure that you have an excellent drag and plenty of backing.
And you should have a backup rig.

With this I'd agree. And I'd again say that anyone traveling to SW fish would
do themselves a favor by at least looking at and trying 'glass rods. Over the
years I've seen 'glass take much more abuse than graphite and all the moreso in
the realm of SW fishing - bounced around in transport, on boats, etc. and I
guess as function of "beach" dwellings vs. "trout lodge" dwellings, inside, too.
My flyrods that are kept on board boats are all, save one, 'glass and I'd be
_very_ careful using anything but 'glass with large SW gamefish.

HTH,
R