abu garcia 700i big game enough to handle muskies?

Im in the process of winter splurging in an attempt to have my new pole set up before the next season. I just picked up a XH 8’6/9′ poleand now am looking for a reel to match it up with. I was looking at shimanos used by the guys in my old musky hunter mags but those calcuttas rn about 2-400, well out of my collegiate price range. Ive been looking at an abu garcia 7000i big game though, it runs alot less and is a saltwater reel i believe. it has a 4.1:1 gear ratio and can hold upto 325 yds of 17# diameter line. would this suffice for tackling muskies or should i look into other reels? I can get the 7000i for around 60-80, alot better than 200.

try a garcia record nice reel holds up well really smooth for about 140.00 holds plenty of 80# tuff line

It’s more than enough reel to fish muskies, the question is for how long. Abu’s wear out in a hurry if you huck anything over an ounce or two. If you only fish a couple times a year, it will be a good choice. If you fish a couple times a week, you will spend more fixing and/or replacing an Abu in a season than simply biting the bullet and investing in a Shimano. Bob Bowman and I learned that lesson the hard way, we have the Garcia graveyard to prove it.

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try a garcia record nice reel holds up well really smooth for about 140.00 holds plenty of 80# tuff line

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I agree

As Dan mentioned above, if you aren’t fishing a ton go for it. If you do plan on fishing a lot and plan on throwing big rubber or big blades spend the extra money once rather than many times over the season. The best reel for the money to huck the big stuff would be a Daiwa Saltist levelwind in my humble opinion. The 20 size model runs about $160.00. I put two of these through the paces all last season and they were pretty much bulletproof. The only problem I ran into at the end of the season was a broken spring on the spool release lever. These are saltwater reels and weren’t designed for casting a million times. I called Daiwa and they sent me some new springs free of charge and was able to fix the problem in about 15 minutes.

SALTIST

Im hoping to be on the river everyday if not every other so i get to know it well. Thanks for the insight on the abu garcia durability, i shouldve said what sive baits i plan on using. the rod is rated for 1-12oz lures, and i figure to stay in the 2-4ish oz range. I had a nice muskie hit a 2 inch fat rap last march, lets just say thats a real interesting battle on 8lb test before the line breaks any other kind of shimano to look at aside from a calcutta te 400?

To answer your question the 7000 would definintely be enough reel for muskeis. I only have used Abu’s and had good luck overall. I have mainly used a 6600 EXT and a 60 Record this year. Both held up very well for double 10’s and cranks and pretty much everything under 5 oz. When I tied on some 6oz+ rubber lures I did feel like I was holding my breath waiting for something to go wrong. The spool slipped a few times trying to engage and I knew that something wasn’t quite right. The 7000 might be better equipped for those heavier lures, but I don’t have any personal experience with it. I would stay away from a 6500C3, those don’t have a very good life expectancy for big lures. I think I am going to invest in a Abu Revo Toro 60 this spring, but that Saltist does look nice too. Have heard lots of good things about both of them.
I will also add that I don’t think I have ever heard anybody say anything bad about the Shimano 400TE, I just have never wanted to fork out the $400.
Good Luck!
You might want to wait for the sportshow season this spring, you can usually find some pretty good deals.

If your going to fish every day like you want DO NOT buy an Abu I saw 3 big games get smoked in 4 days. Like Jeremy said look at the Diawa saltis 20 or the shimano Calcutta 400b. With Muskie fishing I’ve found it’s better to spend the money up front than spend 2 to 3 times that later when you replace the cheep stuff.

Fished muskies heavy for years and never wore out a 6500 series, run 35# braided line and they outlasted the Diawa 6HS millionare series I used.

Not sure about the other models though.

You don’t need 350 yards of line to fish musky’s, no where near that.

I spool somewhere between 125 and 150 and doubt I ever came close to needing that, but nice to have the extra line as I used to retie about every couple hours or so.

Al

The 6500 reels – probably the most popular muskie reels – can be worn out easily; I agree. The 7000 on the other hand is a workhorse. That said, I’m talking about the old Swedish models. The ones from just a couple years ago aren’t great. I’ve heard mixed reviews on the new models.

A Calcutta 400 can be bought for about $200 and there’s no doubt people love them.

People are saying great things about the new Garcia Revo Toro reels. I intend to pick one up for 2010. They aren’t the cheapest things either.

You definitely do get what you pay for in a muskie reel.

The Revos are very nice and smooth but after testing one out for the season I think they are somewhat overpriced. I had the gears crap out on one but did get a replacement for free. They do work pretty well for blades up to double 10’s…Not so great for blades larger than that. Over all all I’d say it’s a great general purpose reel and the power handle which is included with the reel is a must. The regular handle is pretty much worthless.

Can I use a few fish bucks to sell some old reels

The reel you purchase needs to fit your style of fishing. If you huck big baits all day, the extra money spent on a good reel is worth every penny, same goes for the rod. Anything that helps take the fatigue down a notch or two is a good thing. I got a chance to use the Saltist a number of times this summer(Thanks Tim and Max) and for the way I fish, its hands down one of the best reels I have used. Smooth casting and the retrieve is amazing with big baits. Team that with a nice 8-9 foot rod and life is great hucking all day.

If you huck big baits all day, the extra money spent on a good reel is worth every penny.The 7000 is OK,But huck that reel for even 2 hours,It not the reel, it is the size of it,Get yourself a couple 6500’s burn em out then try a Revo. You will thank yourself you read this message

Toro, Okuma Red Iris, Calcutta D, Salstist, Diawa Luna 300 all good reels that will last. Sorry Abu fans but IMO the Toro is the only muskie reel Abu makes currently. I have that 8’6-9′ rod you do and running a Corvalus on it now works bu there will be a better reel on it next spring, I do like the rod for thowing 13oz rubber and big blades, smaller stuff I use the Thorne Bros Predator.

Try e-bay

You’ll deffinately thank your self when you get a 400TE

With your lack of avalible funds you may be able to strech it out going that route, b/c you can usually find a nice used one for around 200-300 or sometimes a bit cheaper, but I like the mid range, b/c they are usually in better condition

Like shaley mentioned the Diawa Luna 300 is a great reel too