Thread: November Fishing

Do you have any problems with line getting behind the spool .
Small diameter mono slips behind the spool on all of my baitcasters and causes a mess .

Originally Posted by Fishfishwish

Good eyes!!! The round reel is an ABU 1500C from 1977. I'm using 4 pound test Diawa J-BRAID x8 GRAND with a fluorocarbon leader. The lure is a beetle spin with the stock beetle changed out with a Panfish Assassin 1.5 Limeteuse minnow or whatever they call it!

Would like to try one of them out. I have a 2500 loaded with 6# line and love the little thing! had to go look up the 1500. Found one, an anaversary model $18 thousand dollars. Run of the mill stuff around $300 to maybe $600! Couple went over $1000 though! I bet that is a hoot!

Originally Posted by DonF

Would like to try one of them out. I have a 2500 loaded with 6# line and love the little thing! had to go look up the 1500. Found one, an anaversary model $18 thousand dollars. Run of the mill stuff around $300 to maybe $600! Couple went over $1000 though! I bet that is a hoot!

I think I have a 1500 . Bought it at a yard sale for $15 IIRC . I’ll have to check it out .

I don't put more than a few hundred feet of line on the spool since I'm not making long casts and usually not catching any fish that would take much line. I've never had the small line get behind the spool.

If you have a 2500C, the 1500C is essentially the same reel in a more narrow format. I have a 2500C too, I just like the way the 1500C fits in my hand better.

To cast really light stuff, you probably need to do some mods or change out some parts. The first thing is to get a light weight spool. These are very shallow spools, so I couldn't put much line on if I wanted to. This spool made the greatest difference in being able to cast very light lures. I've upgraded the bearings to ABEC 7 ceramics. I've added light weight worm gear, line guide and a ceramic pawl. I've added a light weight main gear too. These last two don't impact casting.

I was lucky to find the 1500C on eBay for about $200. It was fully functional but fairly dirty, so a complete disassembly and cleaning was needed. Then the modification madness begin. I'd recommend you not go down this road, unless you just want to see how far you can go with the reel and like using older reels. Modern BFS bait casters will work better and generally cost less.

If you want a small, narrow frame ABU and don't want to spend as much as you would on a 1500C, look for a Black Max 1600C. The down side is that I have not come across a light weight spool for the 1600C reels. With upgraded bearings and the right rod, you can still cast 1/8 ounce lures and could probably go even lighter for shorter casts.

Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, I like the older ABU round reels - I have nine of them. I had to stop myself for a while from getting more!

Originally Posted by DonF

Would like to try one of them out. I have a 2500 loaded with 6# line and love the little thing! had to go look up the 1500. Found one, an anaversary model $18 thousand dollars. Run of the mill stuff around $300 to maybe $600! Couple went over $1000 though! I bet that is a hoot!

A few years ago when the BFS craze wasn't splashing across our pond just yet I was intriqued to try my hand at baitcasting. At the time I was purely a stripped bass and catfish fisherman and folks were telling me i got to get myself a baitcaster, especially the conventional (round) type, so I did. After I read and researched a little I ended up with a Abu Garcia morrum 1601c (left handed) because I also like the size for my favorite ML to Medium rods. I paid somewhere in the $150 range and was my most expensive reel at the time. However much I love this reel Finesse it is not. Using it as a dropshot rig my sweet spot is 1/4 to 1/2 oz weight or top water lures.

The Morrum 1601C is a nice reel. I have a 1600C. I've paired it with a 7-foot G. Loomis medium-light rod. Spooled with 14 pound flouro it works well with light square-bills, 1/4 oz Megabass Dark Sleeper, and 1/8 oz Megabass Okashira heads with smaller paddle-tail plastics. Caught a good number of bass this summer with these set-ups. I bought a lightweight spool for the Morrum to try throwing some lighter lures. This spool was ever so slightly too large on one end. Need to find local machinist to take off a few thousandths.

I've even caught a few gills with the rig when they are aggressive and hit Dark Sleeper!

Originally Posted by gillchaser999

I think I have a 1500 . Bought it at a yard sale for $15 IIRC . I’ll have to check it out .

Checked out my Ambassador and it’s a 2500C .

You got it for a GREAT price if it is complete and working. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by gillchaser999

Checked out my Ambassador and it’s a 2500C .