# new catfish reel



## wabi (Jun 14, 2008)

Bought an Abu Garcia 6500CP (Catfish Pro) and upgraded the levelwind worm gear to one with 2 ball bearings, and the cog wheel to one with a ball bearing. Put it on my 7'0" Cabela's "Salt Striker" MH rod and headed for the local lake. The shallow inlet I was trying it in has several downed trees in the water on the other side, and with my old 6600 I could come within 10 or 15 feet of reaching them with a hard cast. My first cast with the new setup put my bait right at the root ball of one of the trees (on the bank).  This reel will cast!

Went this evening and put a cut bait between two of the downed trees about 20' out from the opposite bank. Action was slow in coming, but I finally had a run. When I started reeling (I was using a circle hook) I thought it felt like a decent fish, but it managed to get into one of the tree tops.  I kept giving it line, then trying to bring it out at a different angle, and it finally came free of the branches. I managed to land it, weight & measure it.
8lb 9oz and 27½" - I was happy with the first fish on the new reel!


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## Catman63 (Aug 25, 2008)

Nice catch man. Good way to break in the new reel!


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## bassattacker (Mar 14, 2007)

i agree Catman63 def a nice way to break a new reel in. Nice fish!!!


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## Randy101 (Jan 7, 2010)

Nice catch....... Way to go on getting him out of there.


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Wabi
I damaged the bearings on a 6500 TC throwing 8 oz (1/2 pound) sinkers and large (1/3-1/2) pound chunks of shad for blue cats on the James.

I will replace the bearings with abec 7 ceramics and put in teflon drag disks.
Also thinking of putting in a ceramic pawl on the levelwind. The reel caught a 52 pound flathead and a couple of 50+ blues in its original state.

This upgrade should make it a racer


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