Abu Garcia Max X Low Profile Baitcast Reel

I bought this as a Christmas gift and it has already caught about 30 bass. Great quality with a smooth cast. It looks sleek and nice but it also very functional. We have used Abu Garcia for years and it is a very durable brand coming from people who fish almost daily. It has not been used in salt water environments, but for every day bass fishing in ponds and lakes it is a great reel and comes at a pretty good price point.

Nice reel. Works great. Good product for the money. Great for Steelhead fishing.

I've been a spinning guy my whole life. When I recently decided to buy my first baitcaster, I went to all the online forums and tried to decipher what I should spend my money on. Well, I quickly found out that if I spent anything less than $150 on a baitcasting reel, it would be a complete waste. I might as well tie a string to a can opener, and fish with that! Fortunately, I've been through this before with other hobbies, so I decided to ignore the haters, and spend a measly $40 on the Black Max. And I made the right decision! If you're a beginner, trust me, the Black Max should be your first baitcaster. It's smooth, casts far, and has plenty of drag. Sure, it takes some practice to learn how to use a baitcaster. I used cheap mono for a while until I got comfortable with it. But after a few fishing trips, I made the switch to braid, and haven't looked back! Yes, you will get a few backlashes in the beginning. It's not as big a deal as you might think. Just start with a tight tension knob, and then loosen it up over time. You'll pick it up pretty quick. I now have two of these reels. They are on $40 Berkley rods, and guess what? I catch fish! And I mean, a lot of fish! Big fish, little fish, in between fish... they don't seem to mind that I'm using cheap equipment. My PB is currently 6 lbs, 2 oz, using my trusty Black Max. In all seriousness, if you're a pro, go ahead and spend the bucks on high dollar stuff. Or if you fish several times a week, I can see investing more. But for the weekend angler, this reel is perfect! P.S. if you are right handed, and you've spent your whole life turning the reel on spinning gear with your left hand... buy left handed baitcasters! You'll thank me later. Update: 4 months later, I now have 3 of these, they’re still awesome! 2nd update: It’s been 8 months since my last update to this review. I’ve been using my 3 Black Max reels for everything... Texas rig, jigs, lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits... you name it. All 3 reels are just as smooth and strong as the day I took them out of the box. I’ve performed minimal maintenance, and I’m fairly tough on them. But they are rock solid! If you’re on the fence about this one, don’t be! Just buy one and try it out. But beware, they’re so good, you might end up buying several more! Last update: I thought I would provide one more update... 2 years later! My Black Max reels are still amazing! I haven’t cleaned them, lubed them, or ever taken them apart to work on them. They are still smooth, strong, and work great. Still hands down, the absolute best beginner reel on the market. And experienced guys will love them too!

This is not my top caster but I purchased this for camping and I needed a small reel and I love Abu Garcia. I'm pleasantly surprised as how well this did. As I said it's not as good as my other reels but it performed well. It's durable, good price, and it cast well. I wold recommend this for camping or beginners.

Great reel for the money

Easy to use and the controls hold their settings. Good quality.

I target striped bass in rivers & estruaries. I mounted this AB baitcaster to an 8-foot medium-heavy, fast action rod. It's spooled with 20 lb braid with a 24-inch copolymer leader to 4-inch paddletail swimbaits and jerkbaits. The combo casts very far so I can cover alot of water. The drag and spool tension are very predictable. If I nitpick, the reel handles can get a little slick when wet but otherwise it's a top performer and excellent value.

Outstanding reel and manufacturer! Would recommend to any level of fishing enthusiast.

I like the ease of use and good value. I do have problems throwing a light lure, however.

J'ai acheté ce moulinet après avoir passé pas mal de temps sur internet à lire différents comparatifs et reviews sur youtube (principalement faits par des américains) et ce moulinet ressortait tout le temps. Je l'ai pris en version gaucher (ce qui n'est pas évident de trouver). Après réglage et quelques sessions de pêche je peux dire que ce moulinet représente un vrai bon rapport qualité/prix pour qui voudrait commencer à pêcher en casting, je n'ai pas encore eu l'occasion de sortir de "gros" poissons avec mais se débrouille très bien sur des brochets de 60cm. Bien évidement, il m'arrive de faire des perruques mais cela ne vient pas du moulinet mais de ma technique à peaufiner ;) Je recommande ce produit !

Marca muy reconocida,económicos,funcionales y de muy buena calidad lo recomiendo ampliamente

👏✊👍Awesome 💐💐💐

I have been using right hand conventional reels for almost my entire 25 years fishing life. Since i use left hand retrieve on spinning setups, I thought of trying out a lefty and couldn't resist the temptation when i saw this - the worst case is that i can give the reel away if i can't get used to it. Loaded the reel with 20lbs braid, PE1.5 rod and 80g jig - caught a 2kg barracuda on the 2nd cast. The reel is very smooth and the drag sufficient to handle the fish easily. With some simple tuning, i can't really tell the difference between this and the Rev04 X-HS (also from Amazon) that i own. This reel casts very well, if you are getting overruns from it, here are a few tips. 1. Clean out the bearings and put in heavier oil 2. Play with the spool tension knob, too tight will reduce your casting distance dramatically. Too loose and you will end up having tons of overrun. 3. Adjust the magnetic brake control according to the wind conditions especially if using light lures. 4. Start off with mono or thicker braid until you know how to control the reel fully. 5. Don't whip the rod, swing-cast until you get used to the setup and gradually increase your "casting power"