Reviewed by CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
My wife won a new fishing rod in a raffle at an event we were attending. Now I needed a new reel to complete the combo so I called one of my contacts at Abu Garcia, told him about my wife’s new rod and asked for his advice on what sort of baitcaster to pair it with. “We’ve got a Jordan Lee Low Profile Reel that would go great with that rod. It’s stylish, loaded with features, light weight and comes at a great price point,” he said. (For you non-bass guys, Jordan Lee won the Bassmasters Classic two years in a row a few years back and he’s still one of the top pros on the circuit.)
I looked it up at http://www.abugarcia.com and agreed. Look up the features for yourself – impressive. More important, my wife loved it.
The bright yellow grips are more than just flash, they are molded from a soft-touch, easy to grip material. It’s light weight, combining a graphite frame with an aluminum spool. She could handle the rod and reel quite easily and so could I.
Though it is my wife’s rod and reel when she fishes with me, I’ve snuck it along on several trips and used it myself. One thing I noticed immediately was how smooth it was when reeling, when dropping a jig into the river or casting it. Everything inside that moves is ball or roller bearings. No bushings. It comes with a choice of either 6.4:1 or 7.1:1 gear ratios; I chose the higher speed, 7.1 to 1 retrieve. One of the downsides to most of these smaller reels, specifically designed to be used with braided line, is their smaller spools need a fast retrieve to put much line back on the reel with each turn of the crank. The high speed ratio pulled lures or the fish in without any undo speed-cranking needed.
Available at many online sources as well as too many retail outlets to list.
FISHING TOYS 