Abu Garcia Pro Max

[kennethdykes]

At $79.99 is this reel good for its price point. Any thoughts on rods for the reel.

[MediocreAngler]

I cant speak for the newer ones but I owned a couple of the 2nd generations and they were great reels for the price. I had one paired with a duckett ghost 7'3" for jigs/trigs and one on a st Croix mojo spinnerbait rod worked great in both applications.

[fishnkamp]

The reel is okay but if you pm me directly I can help you get a much better reel for $25 dollars more it including shipping to your door. Take a look at the Daiwa Tatula CT, it usually sells for $130 plus shipping almost everywhere else,

As for a rod, it depends on what you want to do, and your budget. Lets say your budget is equal dollars for the rod and reel  so we speak of about $200. This is reasonable. I would get the Tatula CT reel in either a 6.3-1 or 7-1  ratio for the $100 I mentioned. There are lots of decent rods available for $100 to $150.  My definite first suggestion is a Dobyns Fury series rod. If you want to throw most single hook baits like spinnerbaits, worms chatterbaits, Sencos, jigs etc look at a FR 703C or FR 733C. The slightly heavier duty rods FR 704 and 734 are great all around rods as well.   For a treble hook rod, like crankbaits and rattle trap baits,  look at a FR 705CB. All of these rods sell for $110. They are light weight, well made and fish fantastic. They actually fish more like a $250 plus rod.

 

[Bluebasser86]

I think you can do better for less money, but that's IMO.

[lecisnith]

I have to agree with Blue.  I have one.  It is a very serviceable reel.  But I got mine for about $30 on sale, and if you're willing to pay $80 for a reel, if you just do some shopping around you can ALWAYS find a deal for a much better reel at a deep discount.  

[kennethdykes]

what reel would you suggest for that price point

[snake95]

I bought the Promax3 as my first baitcaster last year.  My background is that I fished only spinning for over 3 decades.

Right, wrong, or indifferent my rationale was to pick a new entry-level reel from a reputable manufacturer, to try out baitcasting on something affordable and reasonable quality.

I have since acquired two more of the same model, and getting into baitcasting has been a success - leading me to buy three more $140-220 reels from Abu and Daiwa, so that is my basis of comparison.

From a beginner's perspective I don't regret the Promax at all.  In my experience it has been a physically solid reel and was fine to learn on and I can't see taking out of rotation.  I would describe the "fit and finish" as very good.  It isn't unusually bulky or heavy.  Brakes are simple and easy to adjust quickly.

The weak point in my opinion is smoothness: there is a slight but detectable lack in smoothness in reeling relative to the more expensive reels, and on one of the reels, the drag seems lacking in smoothness too.

When I have the choice, I take the Promax reels out just as often as the expensive guys.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.

That said, the other guys on here have more years behind them than I do - so they have a better basis of comparison and other good ideas to consider.  I have since seen new Lew's and Daiwa reels in the same price range that "looked" as good or maybe better, but didn't look at them closely.

 

[buzzed bait]

2 hours ago, kennethdykes said:

what reel would you suggest for that price point

lew's speed spool lfs can be found on e bay for $80 and is a better reel than the promax

i'd also keep an eye on the flea market forum on here as there are some great deals that pop up from time to time

[fishnkamp]

In today's market the difference between a $50 to $80 reel and the $100 to $140 reels is huge. Reels like the Daiwa Tatula series and some of the Lews Speed Spools operate much closer to their $200 to $300 siblings, than to the reels that cost a few dollars less.  Snake95 said it well when he said he liked his ProMax3, but could easily tell it was not as smooth in rotation or drag compared with his better reels . I doubt it will hold up as long either, before feeling rougher.  My point is not to down grade the lower priced reels.   If you are starting out and if that is all you can afford go ahead and get one.  If you can spend just a little more money, the return is a reel that will start out rotating smoother along with a much smoother drag and should stay that way for much longer. The better reels should also be easier to learn on as well.  There are some real quality workhorse reels available for the $100 to $140 price range and that is a good thing for all of us, no matter how experience an angler you are. Many times I see new anglers ask for advice on the forums. Often they are looking to buy " CHEAP"  now and almost without saying it they know they will "UPGRADE"  soon after. I always say find a deal on a higher quality piece even if you have to save a bit to get it.  The money saved will come when you are not wasting money upgrading it. The difference can often be just $20 dollars now.  

[snake95]

1 hour ago, fishnkamp said:

If you are starting out and if that is all you can afford go ahead and get one.  If you can spend just a little more money, the return is a reel that will start out rotating smoother along with a much smoother drag and should stay that way for much longer.

What fishnkamp says absolutely rings true for me after using the Promax and somewhat more expensive reels.  If you can afford it, it won't take long before you want to try a little better reel and the extra $60 or so won't seem hard to justify.  I also have a REVO SX (120-160 retail range) and it is a noticeably smoother reel, and not a huge difference in quality (to me) compared to the REVO STX that retails for a fair amount more.   However, the Promax does feel solid and works effectively, and as an "affordable reel" deserves credit for that.  I would not expect it to last for years and you have to factor that in to your choice.

[cottny27]

I too would recommend the LFS for around $80 on Ebay.  

[fishnkamp]

snake95 I have no idea how long you have been fishing but I am an "old guy' and have been fishing since the early 70's. The quality of the reels offered today is amazing compared to what was available back even just 10 years ago. Never before have I seen the competition between manufacturers tighter, and the end result is that the quality of "entry level gear" ( $30 to $80 retail price)  is much better than we ever had available for even a higher price back then.  The upper end has gone to the ridiculous level, if you told me someone would be offering baitcasting reels for over $400 i would tell you they would not sell any!  They are selling just fine. The result of this is a lot of the technology that makes them so good trickles down to the mid range price category. The $100 to $200 retail range includes some amazing pieces of equipment. I call them workhorse reels    Day in and day out they will just work like magic compared to the gear I grew up with or even what was offered just 10 years ago. These reels are smoother, more comfortable, have more bearings and tighter tolerances in their build and just operate flawlessly. They cast easier, longer and have vastly better drags.

I have been fortunate enough to catch some nice big bass, but nothing over 8 pounds, my biggest catfish, on bass tackle, is a 18 pound blue that ate a rattle trap while striper fishing. My biggest striper, which also was caught on bass tackle, is a 36 inch- 18 pounder. These are not state records, but do test my gear often enough. Because of this I know how well my gear will respond.   That is why I have become such a strong believer in these mid priced reels from Daiwa. I have owned multiple reels that performed well from Bass Pro and Shimano in the past.  For the last three years I have replaced most of them with either Daiwa Tatula,Tatula Type R and Tatula CTs. They have proven to me I can rely on them every time out.

[JustJames]

I would agree with get what you can afford and what you comfortable with. Check on review compare price with other reels in the same price range. It doesnt matter if it cheap or expensive as long as it can catch you some fish. 

For rod, you might look into lightning rod, pretty cheap rod with exceptable quality. You can find those on any local fishing tackle or walmart(this case you can check out both rod and reel in person and get to feel/hold it in your own hand. If you are comfortable with online shopping then check out pure fishing outlet, you might be able to find it cheaper.

[snake95]

On 10/26/2016 at 5:10 PM, fishnkamp said:

 

snake95 I have no idea how long you have been fishing but I am an "old guy' and have been fishing since the early 70's. The quality of the reels offered today is amazing compared to what was available back even just 10 years ago.

 

OP, @fishnkamp, the perspective I'm offering is that of a complete baitcasting rookie.  I have the sum total of 12 months with baitcasters under my belt, starting out with this Promax3 (actually, a "stable" of 3 Promax3's -- long story).  Hopefully it is of some value to the OP and others considering this reel to hear that the way a guy with my background as a frugal beginner feels about this reel after 12 months jibes perfectly with what the seasoned "old pros" are saying.