Fishing Forum

Hey there guys,

I've already put my message on the buy-sell board and just thought I'd cover all the bases. I would like to buy an ABU garcia 5600 FL conventional or round bait casting reel.

JapanRon
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Sorry JR, I don't have one but good luck hunting that down.
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I went through most of my Abu's no 5600 yet. still have a box or two to fish through.

dose it gotta be a 5600?
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Hi there davetclown,

Thanks for the reply. Ohhhh yes. Not only a 5600 but the FL model is really the only one I'm interested in right now. They have the AB, CL, etc. too! I got two Shimano Calcutta 400's recently and they are sweet but the FL is much lighter. Its got graphite sideplates, an inner anodized aluminum frame, thumb bar, large handle with nice big knobs, star drag, and three types of casting adjustments.

It's no classic but not that easy to find. Mine went south after defeating a lot of fishes. I got the alert function set for ebay auctions! ha ha Whoa! If I say too much, I'll never get one cause everyone will keep 'em! ha ha

Again thanks for the effort.

JapanRon
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so you have any pictures of it,

I have severl modles that do not have the printing left on them only the trade mark sheild....

maybe if I get a moment I will look on the net for a pic....

if I find one in the box that matches the discription I will take a picture of it and post it to see if it matches.

I hope you did not throw your old one out if I find one you may be able to rebuild one with the parts form the other if needed.
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Hi davetclown,

You're right I should and will take a picture of it. I've been searching for days on the net with four of the top search engines as yet to no avail.

The story gets better. I warped the frame on a very big fish I refuse to admit I was fishing with it for. I got a new frame from the factory but a few other things are messed up enough that things just don't quite click properly. I've keep the reel for parts and await another working model.

Just got an email from Japan and they said there may have been two models one the with thumb bar (my model) and the other the push button or push lever positioned on top of the right sideplate.

I don't care if the handle is left or right. Actually, I prefer a baitcaster or conventional reel with the handle on the left side. When I use coffee grinders my handles are always on the left!

Again, thanks for the attention.

JapanRon
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here is a site you may want ot check out.

though I did not find your reel on the list there is a large number of those reels assembly blue prints.

many of the parts are inter changable for one modle to another.

if you still have your assembly print you may be able to match up the parts needed to repair what is disfunctional.

all the prints are in pdf. format.

I have found most of these reels are made in sweedon

[url "http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/Schematics_files/Ambassadeur%20Reels.htm"][#606420]Ambassadeur/ Cardinal Reels[/#606420][/url]
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Sorry, JapanRon, I can't help you with the reel. But after reading your posts, I broke out my old cruise books (from 1967 and '68) and began thinking about some of the fishing I'd done off my old ship while inport at Yokusaka and Sasebo. I only caught a few small ones (whatever they were) but had fun doing it. While the rest of the crew was ashore spending their money and getting drunk, I'd park my butt on the well deck (the closest to the water) and scrounge shrimp off the cooks for bait. I doubt I'd eat anything I caught anyway out of that harbor anyway, these were the days when the raw sewage went directly into the water. Oh, yes, I did take my turn at trying to drink the bars dry (never did succeed) but other times, I'd rather wet a line than kill a million brain cells. Call me crazy, call me anything you want but do call me a fisherman.
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Hi davetclown,

Thank you for the heads up on the blueprints. I checked them out and that darn model is a one of a kind. I went to a website cantufind.com and found a ton of places what repair and have spare reel parts in stock! I found our BFT banner ad on their site! Good choice! I must confess, I don't use half the resources on BFT, as I should, just because I'm lazy sometimes and search the old google way.

JapanRon
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Hi there johnincolorado,

Yep, brought back memories here too. Served in Viet Nam 1st Bat 9th Marines (grunts) and got an all expense paid trip to Okinawa on 11 months, 6 day mark. Unit then stationed on Okinawa and we went on a float. I fished the Hong Kong and Subic Bay Harbors off the fantail of a helicopter carrier thingy. Hong Kong wins hands down on dirty harbor water!

Great fun,

JapanRon
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Hong Kong, maybe. My 1st Place vote would have to to Subic Bay, Phillippines , Olongapo City and the infamous Shit River. Now THAT was a foul harbor. You could smell it twenty miles out to sea, with an off-shore breeze.
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Here is some info I found from a reel repair guy that services abu garcia in canada. He said that the fl series was possible made exclusive for wallmart.he suggested contacting thier buyer. I stopped by a walmart location and did not even see Abu Garcia reels in the location close to me in california. Is it possible that you bought it there some time ago?

Here is a link to his site he has schematics to a couple of fl models available but not the one you were inquiring about maybe if you contact him you know more about the reel than i do.

[url "http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/"]http://www.mikesreelrepair.com/[/url]
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Thank you OneWhoFishes,

I bought that puppy in Japan but it may have been brought over from the US. Thanks again for more parts of the puzzle. I'll share royalties with all contributors when the 'movie for TV' version of this quest airs! The site you mentioned is also in the cantufind.com directory.

Again, thanks

JapanRon
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Pleasure is mine.
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I have found this situation to be the same with just about every brand manufacture. they will take an order from a coustomer and make a special run (elete addition of a modle) and they will make it for one year and they will sell over a couple years then gone for ever.

and again after so many years the standard modles are just as hard to find and get parts for as a special run product. I have a reel that I baught back in the mid 70's I wished still worked. it has seen its day yet I still refuse to throw it away because I baught it form my favorite bait and tackle man who has long since passed. I did manage to get 20 years of good faithfull service out of it before retireing it to the window ledge in my house to collect dust and oxidize.

seeing as it came from over yander, my chances of comming across one is slim at best. still I would like to see a picture of it when you get a chance.

for I forget. if the one you have is a left side crank then the number you are asking about is incorrect. you shoul ad a "1" in place of the last zero to indicate that you are refering to a left hand reel. this dose seem to be standard pratice with this manufacture. if you go back to the site you will see what I mean when you find a reel you want then you want to indicate it you will find the numbers running in this patern.

so insted of a 5600 you should be asking for a 5601 if they make a left hand reel of that particular modle.

in going through my box of garcia's I only found one left hand reel and that is a C3 modle 6501-C3. it dose feel like a nice reel, I may have to take it out one day and give it a test drive.
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Hi davetclown,

Thanks for the info. Having not lived in the states for 30 years, I wasn't aware of the special run business. I did see the BassPro name on a 4600C.

Mine is a right handled model so 5600 is OK. In addition to the original frame being warped the brazed spots on the foot (connected it to the horizontal bars on the bottom of the frame) that fits in the reel seat had failed and with very little effort I pulled the foot off!! On that foot was stamped the serial number. When I got the reel back from the service people the foot was missing from the bag I had put the stuff in and was never to be found again. If I had that serial number I could even trace it better but alas!!

Isn't it amazing the history some of these thing can go through and that's not even talking about fishing experience with it which include wahoo, dorado, and YFT!

Thanks for the continued input,

JapanRon
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Hey there davetclown,

I just realized I had an old email with the serial number of the reel in question. The number is 85A or 35A 841100!
I should be able to trace something with this, maybe, I hope, wishing, and....... loving it.

Thanks for the nudge.

JapanRon
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