# ABU 5501-c3 casting issue



## Oleballcoach (Aug 28, 2015)

I just recently joined the site and have been reading on line .. I just spooled the above mentioned reel with 15lb moss green braid .. But my casting length has went too below mediocre.. I had 17 LB stren mono on it casting 1oz and pier bought double rigs .. Fair too moderate 45-yds ..any thoughts .. What i need too do .. Upgrade? Idk ..

Rod is a medium bass rod .7 ft


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## Oleballcoach (Aug 28, 2015)

I kno this isn't ideal surf set up .. I was plannin on this rod/reel 
too throw the gotcha plugs and jigs


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

I have a 5601 C4 that I paired with a light action 8ft Ugly Stick that casts pretty fair. I use 12lb Suffix Tritanium on it now and have used 10lb Berkley Big Game before.

Have you taken it apart to see what the brakes are like?

How tight is the spool tension knob?

Is the little plastic thing under the tension knob still there or broken?

I throw 1 once and a river rig most of the time but I have thrown a Hopkins with it and it threw it out there a long way. 

1 once is the lowest that I go with it.


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## Oleballcoach (Aug 28, 2015)

I loosened the tension knob .. Almost all the way out ..press the bail button thumb off line it( lure) semi falls but wasn't a dead drop by no means.. Was using a 7/8 inch rebel top water here on SML at night trying too loosen the line memory.. And maybe luck into a striped bass ..plastic thing is still intact under the knob housing .. I don't lkno a thing about the brake and yes I took it apart used some light oil on the gears ....


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## Oleballcoach (Aug 28, 2015)

Rod...6'6 Shimano cv-66mhb..convergence . Line wt- 10-20lbs...lure 1/4 -3/4


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

Are you having any issues with backlashes? If so, did you spool the braid on to the reel tightly? Braid has to be tight, otherwise it will usually dig into itself, particularly braid that light since it's so thin. Backlashes are the usual problem, but if it's digging in, even if you're not getting a lot of backlash, that too will limit the casting distance. I have 20 lb braid on one of my 5600 ABU's & can cast it a lot further than I ever could cast mono, maybe 50 to 60 feet further and I'm usually casting less than an ounce with a 7' rod.


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## Oleballcoach (Aug 28, 2015)

I just wound it thru the eyes holding light steady finger pressure as I turned the reel handle .. I'll try pullin it off and rewinding it. Thanks for the input


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

One other thing I thought about that should be mentioned, braid has a tendency to spin on the reel spool since it has no stretch. This is often an issue when fighting fish, but might be a problem when casting. There are two ways that folks prevent that, one is to back the braid with mono, spooling several feet of the mono onto the reel first & then tying to the braid. Since the mono has stretch it "grabs" the spool. The other is to wrap something like electrical tape around the spool first, then spool the braid onto the reel. I've used both methods & have never had any issue with either. I prefer the tape as there's less knots to deal with. 

On reels that have a way to tie to the spool, nothing else is needed with any line, but ABU reel spools aren't designed like that, at least none I've seen & I have about 20 of them in various models.


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