# 6500 Chrome Rocket



## DORIGHT (Dec 1, 2006)

I'll be purchasing a new reel soon and this one has been on my wish list. My question... is this reel a practical fishing reel or more of a casting reel that stays on the shelf for special occasions ? I'm trying to put together a pier rod thats not 12' long that i can target anything from medium sized biters, reds & maybe cobia or kings...Any advice would be helpfull...thanks


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

First of all I would think the 6500 series is not to well equipped drag wise for you intentions. 

Secondly the Chrome Rrocket is the heaviest in the 6500 family. Better suited for the field. 

I would look into something in the 30 size Daiwa range..SLSH,SHV,GW etc.. Just to have the better drag and line cap. IF something a little bigger takes you offering,you will have a chance to land it. Fill it with 20 or 25lb Big Game and your set.


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

*Barty is right.*

While a great reel, it doesn't have the line capacity to handle those fish you mentioned and you'd have to swap out the drag system with smoothies and carbontex washers. Great casting reel though. You should move up to a 7500 C3CT with modified drag or get one of the reels he mentioned. :beer:


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

You're geting good advice here, Doright...I've got a CT Chrome Rocket, and while it is a BEAUTY, the only thing different about it from all the other Abus, is that the sideplates are chrome plated brass, and that adds some SERIOUS weight to the reel. I'd guess about three oz. or so over a "normal" Abu. It's enough to throw it out of balance on anything but a surf rod.

Not enough line capacity for your intentions, as has been mentioned. I LOVE the Daiwa 30 SHA full of 20#.

If you want it, get it, and be proud. But fill it with 12# or 14#, put it on a surf rod, and use it to cast a LONG way to the whiting/pompano.

You can also use the sideplates to reflect sunlight into the eyes of bathing beauties...


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## DORIGHT (Dec 1, 2006)

Exactly the advice I was searching for !! Thank you.. 

As far as the babes.....Well... I'm always looking for an advantage..nuthing like a hot chick with little to nuthing on in distress and in need of assistance..


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

Just a few comments about the "Abu Drags Suck" myth, from my personal observations using them. Certainly you can't compare the drag in a Abu 6500 to the drag in a Penn 525 or a Penn 535; lay a set of drag washers from each reel on the table next to each other and you'll immediately see why. If I was fishing for Tuna I wouldn't use an Abu 6500; a Penn 545 is a Tow Truck Winch, an Abu 6500 is a Swiss watch. 

Why do you fish? What is it that makes you stand out on the pier for hours? Is it the thrill of the battle, or is it to fill the cooler for dinner? If you've been on the pier for hours and you finally hook and lose that "big fish" do you go home disappointed or do you go home with admiration for your opponent who won the battle and thrilled because you got to participate in the battle, even for only a short while? You need to answer those kind of questions before you pick you weapons. 

Most fisherman, I think, tend to lean heavily towards the "overkill" side when it comes to equipment. Have you ever seen anybody hook anything (redfish, cobia, king) that spooled a reel filled with six or seven hundred yards of line? I haven't. The only thing I've ever seen take 200 yards of line was a very large Tarpon that was hooked in the surf, and he didn't spool the (250 yard capacity) reel. 

Based on personal experience (catching fish), I think Abu stock drags are fine, considering the size of the reel, with the exception of the fact that factory installs them dry. The first "big" fish I caught on an Abu reel was this one:










The reel I used was this one, loaded with 17lb test line (less than 200 yards worth). 6600 C5 Mag X, same drag washers and guts as any 5000/6000 series Abu reel:










Yes, the fish made a few nice runs, but he never got anywhere near the end of the line. There were times where I couldn't do anything but hold on. Inspection of the (dry factory) drag washers in the reel after catching the fish showed NO damage at all, with the exception of one tiny "hot spot" on the first fiber washer in the stack. 

I think the "Abu Drags Suck" myth was born due to the fact that people tend to compare Tow Truck Winches with Swiss Watches, coupled with the fact that a lot of after market reel parts are available.

Drag washers, it seems to me, are designed to slip. When anything slips, a byproduct (heat) is created due to friction. Can you burn up a set of drag washers in a Abu 6500 reel with a big fish? Sure you could; I doubt Abu Garcia intended the 6500 to be used on large saltwater fish, but we use them anyway because they cast so nice. 

If you hook a big fish on a tiny reel, and he want's to run, you have two choices. Tighten the drag (create more friction) and try to stop the run or loosen the drag (create less friction) and let him run. The option you chose will determine the condition of the drag washers in the reel when the process has ended. If you want to know what your drag washers are feeling when a big fish runs, just loosen up the drag and stick your thumb on the spool.

Having never been to fishing reel engineering school, and having used Shimano reels for years, it's my opinion that dry drag washers are not a good idea. A very light coating (enuff to help with the heat/friction problem, and not enuff to make things more "slippery") of Shimano Drag Grease seems like a much better idea, to me anyway. 

Here's a test you can try at home. The automatic transmission in your wife's car works on the same principal as the drag washers in all of your fishing reels; fiber bands against metal drums, designed to slip. At least that's how they worked 30 years ago, when I last saw the insides of one. Drain the fluid out of the transmission and use the car for a while, see if the lack of lubrication has any effect on the internal parts of the transmission. 

The other thing I've never been able to figure out is that if "drag grease" is not necessary, why has Shimano been making it and giving it to me every time I get new drag washers from them?

Anyway, to answer your question, it's my opinion that a 6500 Chrome Rocket would make an excellent collector's reel, or a fine paper weight on the desk in an office, but I'd never buy one with the intentions of taking it fishing; too heavy, too much chrome to clean, and the same guts as any other 6500. 

And never forget that a scalpel in the hands of a trained surgeon is a much different tool than a scalpel in the hands of a Boy Scout with a Whittling Merit Badge.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

I _KNEW_ this was coming... 

If I'd caught a Tarpon on a 6500, I'd have posted it, too! 

You're right of course, Jim, and I've caught several "over 40" Redfish on Abu's, but a 525 fits the job much better.

Having said that, I'd NEVER tote a 525 in the 'yak inshore, and I do enjoy the fight of 30 inch-ish Reds on ultra light gear. I lose the battle, regularly, however...


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

*Agreed.*

A big red can certainly be landed on a 6500. Not an argument. They are great reels. If a person still wanted to go with that reel, they could always put down some braid as backing and then add their mono. As for the drags...well, it is nice to have a predictable, smooth drag when playing a big fish. Swap 'em!   

BTW...NICE TARPON!!!


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## DORIGHT (Dec 1, 2006)

Now that about sums this topic up...Thank you for the in depth response and at this point I am probably on the side of having a whittling merit badge so to speak so thats why i posted this question...Yea...the chrome rocket is a sweet looking reel but I'm trying to build something practical that can with stand a little punishment and can also survive around me, as i tend to see minor scratches and dings as character marks. I would much rather catch the biggen but don't mind losing a few as well. I've learned alot from losing big fish not to mention it's not a bad way to catch and release...as long as i don't leave it with a bunch of line hangin out of it's mouth.....by the way nice fish...thats percisely why I fish...i can't really say i've ever filled the cooler...most of the time it just keeps my beer cold.. Thanks again ...great response..


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## FishinAddiction (May 9, 2006)

to quote the great words of Seapuppy: "Never bring a knife to a gunfight!"


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## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

*Stock abu drags*

The myth that stock abu drags suck was born from the fact that they do. But they are better than they use to be.


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

SurfRat hit the nail, exactly why I dont own any more abus on my surf gear. Why would I want to buy a reel that im gonna have to upgrade the drag on for fear of loosing fish? 

Ill fish my grandwaves, or any Daiwa till theyre worn out. Ill give penn props as well, mag980 one of my alltime favorite drumreels. She collects dust now on my display shelf.  a workhorse, and one of the first factory magged reels. I dont buy stuff to have to modify it to handle what I wanna do. A waste of time & beer money.

by the way surf, thats a pretty tarpon ya got there


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## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

*Abu's*

I love 7500 c3ct abu's. The stock ones do need upgraded carbon drags. Nothing cast like an abu.


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

*7500c3ct*

SR, when you want to part with that reel and NTKG doesn't want it, let me know. I want to see what's all the hypes about the reels.


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## willyrobt (Apr 7, 2007)

If you have a problem with a 6500s drag system, throw some carbon tex washers in it for 9.00 USD and you have a great drag system. Have a great day/week.
V/R
Bill Thomas
Bills Custom Reel Shop


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