Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Upgrades/modifications?

[jason41987]

i have an abu garcia 5600c4 ambassadeur, and im interested in upgrading it.. it has a wiffle spool so holds only about 135 yards of 12lb test.. thats plenty, but what id be interested in upgrading is whatever i can to gain better reliability when throwing lighter lures.. im much, much more likely to backlast on 1/4, 3/16 oz lures, etc and below that i cant even cast because it takes too much force to get the spool rolling than these light lures are capable of (at the lake where i fish though, on 3/8 and 1/2 oz lures i cast considerably further than those around me with spinning gear)

 

another problem i have is the brass gears look a bit worn... im not too fond of the idea of brass gears in something i want to keep long term.. any idea where i could get steel gears?

 

so what sort of upgrades could i make in reguards to spool tension, rolling resistance (bearing upgrades), gear upgrades, etc?

 

also, if i lose a piece of line due to a backlash, snag, etc.. the levelwind is then out of sync with the line.. itll try pulling a line off the left side of the spool while the levelwind is all the way to the right.. best way to correct this besides pulling my line out and reeling it back in?

[aquaholic]

 

also, if i lose a piece of line due to a backlash, snag, etc.. the levelwind is then out of sync with the line.. itll try pulling a line off the left side of the spool while the levelwind is all the way to the right.. best way to correct this besides pulling my line out and reeling it back in?

Im not in anyway knowledgeable on those conventional circle reels. but as far as the levelwind is concerned could you just reel your line all the way in, and then keep reeling until the level goes to where you want it? the line wouldnt move because its all the way in, only the levelwind. Would that work?

[iabass8]

ambasadeur reels aren't meant to throw light 3/16 oz lures. most baitcasters aren't if you are talking total weight. if it's a 3/16 oz weight + plastic, most baitcasters can do that more than efficiently. if you are looking to be throwing 1/4 cranks or something small like that, you would be much better off investing in a reel that would be suitable in doing so. i.e shimiano 50 size reels. the correct rod is also very important when throwing these light lures so it can load up. 

 

if the brass gears are worn you would be better off replacing them via true fishing. abu garcia ambasadeurs are known for their longevity in use and can take a ton of abuse.  i have a 6501c3 that i used for years catfishing on the river. i think the only thing i've ever had to replace was the bait clicker and upgraded the drag. most upgades for these reels are drags/bearings/power handles.

 

i don't believe there are any spool upgrades for this particular reel that would enable you to throw lightweight lures more efficiently like you want to as these aren't meant to do that. 

[jason41987]

well, reducing the rolling resistance of the spool should in theory allow lighter lures to be thrown, so a bearing upgrade should improve this.. so a good bearing suggestion could help... also, i havent had a need for a drag or a handle upgrade yet.. i never overpower a fish with the handle, but use the rod to pull them close, and then reel in the slack

 

anyway.. i noticed another issue with this reel, i actually set it down on the shore to unhook a fish, and i actually got sand inside the reel somewhere, so i can feel the grit when casting or reeling.. last time this happened and i got sand on it, i dunked it in the water to wash it off and afterwards the spool tension didnt seem to work adequately anymore until it dried out.. is there any upgrades or tweaks that could offer better reliability to the spool tensioning, especially when wet?

[iabass8]

okay, don't EVER dunk your reel into the water to "clean it off". doing so washes away the necessary lubricants that keep the reel in working order. getting sand and grit in your reel can cause binding in the gears if too much gets stuck. tear the reel down and clean it or have something do it for you. i'm not trying to sound rude, but i'm assuming you have no idea how to do this properly which is fine, not everybody does. have it cleaned by a local shop or a service like DVT(site sponsor). A bearing upgrade won't help the spool(on this particular reel) throw lighter lures. it will make casting the same distance easier with the correct lure weights for the rod/reel. bearing upgrades don't change the weight of the spool or cheat inertia. they increase the spool speed and if you aren't using the correct lure weight and correct rod you will backlash more times then you will like.  if you are getting back lashes now when throwing these 3/16 oz lures, just imagine doing so with faster bearings. the overrun will come much quicker.  the best thing you can do is get a lighter action rod that will allow you the rod to load up and this will give you somewhat of the correct inertia to throw a lighter lure. the outcome will most likely be the same but you never know. these reels aren't meant for this.

 

The best upgrade for the spool tension in your case : don't dunk it in water.  you're getting unnecessary amounts of water into areas that it shouldn't be in. 

[Jolly Green]

Im not in anyway knowledgeable on those conventional circle reels. but as far as the levelwind is concerned could you just reel your line all the way in, and then keep reeling until the level goes to where you want it? the line wouldnt move because its all the way in, only the levelwind. Would that work?

Yup.

 

And as iabass8 says, 3/16 is too light. I don't throw anything lighter than a 1/4 oz. + trailer with mine; I use spinning gear for anything lighter.

 

General reel cleaning advice abounds here and on other forums, YouTube, etc. but definitely have the diagram for your reel in front of you while you're working on it. Taking pictures as you go can help as well.

[flechero]

There is a lot more to it than the reel... the rod, line and especially the user make a huge difference in casting lighter weight baits.

 

Having said all that, I used ABU's for about 20 years and will say that you will likely spend what you could buy a new reel for, in upgrading that one to do what you are really wanting.   

 

For heavier baits, those reels are still great, but for light stuff there are MANY better options out there.

[JD96]

I can't imagine fishing lures that light with an Ambassadeur.

 

I agree 50 size shimano and a rod that'll load enough to throw them.

[jason41987]

cant tear down the reel without a screwdriver and i dont exactly bring a tool box with me when i go fishing.. so that suggestion is kind of pointless

[Maxximus Redneckus]

The brass gears will last forever...and maybe if you used it 365 24 7 for 20 yrs just maybe u would wear them down.

[jason41987]

this brings up another question.. should i use to lube the gears? should i use a thick grease of some sort like my reel was shipped with, or do i use an oil?

[tholmes]

Grease on gears, oil on bearings and the levelwind worm gear.

 

There are many options available. I use Ardent reel butter for grease and Rem-Oil on the bearings and level wind.

 

Tom

[iabass8]

cant tear down the reel without a screwdriver and i dont exactly bring a tool box with me when i go fishing.. so that suggestion is kind of pointless

 i hope it's more than obvious not to make a complete tear down of a reel while shore fishing but maybe not. wait until you get home. you can avoid these situations by not dunking a reel into the body of water. 

 

There a numerous guides and video tutorials on how to properly clean a reel. i'd suggest viewing a couple before you take apart a reel and start dropping oil on everything and greasing every moving part. 

[jason41987]

i wasnt done fishing yet, so i wasnt going to drive 20 minutes to go home and clean it and come back..besides, oil doesnt wash away so easily

[JD96]

A good reason to have a second rod with you, if you get a mean backlash (happens to all of us) or have a reel issue, you can set it aside to fix at home, I would send the reel to abu to be serviced, or another reputable reel servicer, in the mean time, go get you a low profile baitcaster for those light lures.

[jason41987]

i actually havent been backlashing anymore now that i changed my line.. 20lb mono had way too much line memory and 20lb braided was way too thin... the 12lb mono im using now i havent had a backlash yet... question im wondering is if those little crappie baitcasters can throw a 1/16oz lure?.. but, for lures that small id only be catching small fish too and id probably rather get a decent spincast reel.. that should handle crappies and trouts just fine, allow me to use the same rods, etc.. but i still want to upgrade the ambassadeur to get better performance out of it

 

so yeah.. no more backlashes due to that alone

[tholmes]

I fish a fleet of round Ambassadeurs and, from my experience, the best thing you can do to improve the performance is to have the reel professionally cleaned and tuned. I do alot of routine maintenance myself, but  every couple of years, I'll have them professionally serviced. I have a couple of 4600 Cs that are 25+ years old and, with 8 or 10 lb. mono, will still cast a 1/4 oz. lure very well. For anything much lighter than that, you're better off with a spinning rig.  

 

You should never lay your reel down in sand, and definitely never dunk it in water. All that does is wash the sand deeper into the reel. If you do get sand in the reel, STOP using it until you can get it cleaned out. With reasonable care and regular service, that reel should last a lifetime, and then some.

 

Tom

[.RM.]

I fish a fleet of round Ambassadeurs and, from my experience, the best thing you can do to improve the performance is to have the reel professionally cleaned and tuned. I do alot of routine maintenance myself, but  every couple of years, I'll have them professionally serviced. I have a couple of 4600 Cs that are 25+ years old and, with 8 or 10 lb. mono, will still cast a 1/4 oz. lure very well. For anything much lighter than that, you're better off with a spinning rig.  

 

You should never lay your reel down in sand, and definitely never dunk it in water. All that does is wash the sand deeper into the reel. If you do get sand in the reel, STOP using it until you can get it cleaned out. With reasonable care and regular service, that reel should last a lifetime, and then some.

 

Tom

X2 

That grity feel after you set the reel down was probably from dirt/sand getting into the level wind.

When you dunked the reel you forced whatever grit/sand that was on the externals inside.

Now the reel will have to be properly broken down to the set plate, scrubbed out and reassembeld/lubricated properly.

 

Tight Lines All! 

[jason41987]

nah, the gritty feel was there before dunking it

[iabass8]

they aren't saying the dunking made it gritty. the sand itself getting into the level wind and gears makes it gritty. dunking it in water only worsens the problem and washes the sand deeper into the reel.

[jason41987]

well, i tried my best to get it out without dunking it first... so i would have to take that apart anyway to fully clean it.. figured id re grease and re oil the reel after cleaning it once its apart

[jason41987]

well i had the real apart.. to get a better look at the gears and theyre in really good shape, it was old grimy grease that made it look bad.. i cleaned it up and re-greased it with some real grease i purchased.. cleaned out the levelwind system completely, oiled that up with some reel oil.. now it works perfectly

 

however.. upon doing so, i had to remove an e-clip from the pin the main gear spins on.. and i noticed how small and potentially easily this clip could be lost, so id like to buy a few spares and i was wondering what size e-clip that actually is?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Take it along to a Sear HW etc. and go thru the bins to match it up.

[jason41987]

closest hardware store is an hour away.. so ill be ordering online