Abu 6500cs Pro Rocket- Busted

Is there any tackle dealer in Dublin/ Wicklow that would be able to repair the above reel without having to send it off to Abu in the UK. I rang them and they've told me it could take up to a month for the reel to come back.

The problem with the reel is that it will not retrieve the line after I have casted it out. It's as if the star drag is on it's weakest tension. Could anyone give me some advice?

Have you oiled the bearings recently? It could be that you have also oiled the drag (a felt washer) and therefore you have no drag. If you have, remove the drag washer and soak it in petrol for a few seconds. Squish it in the petrol and then put it on a piece of kitchen towel. Clean the surface that mates with it and re-assemble. Then try the drag before you cast out.

if it is something that can be fixed in the shop you may only have to wait a few days. however if anything else is required you may wait months. try and contact someone from abu reel service and they might be able to talk you through fixing it yourself. they should be familiar with most problems and it might just be a simple problem as so often is the case. personally i will never go back to a tackle shops for reel repairs, often dodgy ones at that too, having waited up to nine months for a part i never got in the end. i contacted the reel maker and had the part in three days!!????

Have a word with the Nigel, the Reel Doctor: reelrepairs@lycos.com. Fantastic bloke for fixing/servicing reels. He does all mine for me, and at such silly cheap prices too. Quick turnaround time also, usually just a couple of days. I've got his number if you want it.


The main man as regards ABUs for fixing and repairing them in the UK is a bloke called Pete Coogan. I've not used him, so I can't comment personally, but his reputation is excellent. I don't have his contact details but some of the guys on the UK boards do, if you want me to ask them.

Myself, I'd send my reels to Nigel every time.

same happened to me with a different multiplier. I had the reel loaded with braid and it was slipping on the reel. the answer was to back it with a few turns of mono. good luck.

Some good advice there,cheers lads. Is Nigel based in Ireland or the UK?
I spent some time last night cleaning the reel and having another look at the problem. For some reason it seems to be working again.

However, I thought I had the reel fixed until my 3rd or 4th cast out I could not retrieve any line in the last time I went fishing. It seems like such a simple problem but I just can't put my finger on it...

Pete coogan can be contacted via E-mail at petercoogan@fsmail.net. I have sent him mails before about reel issues and he has been very accomodating.

J

When the reel is in free spool and then you turn the handle this triggers a spring to kick the pinion gear back onto the main cog. Your problem must be something to do with that. Did you take the reel apart at all to clean or grease it lately? ABU's are great in the sense that all the fidley bits are held in the handle side side plate you will not have messed with the reels mechinism unless you undid the screws to this side plate. Merely opening the hand nuts and getting at the spool and bearings etc. would not have caused this problem. Best bet is to get someone elses Reel and then take yours apart. You can use their reel as the template to put yours back together. Don't be afraid to open her up. Its not rocket science! I have taken all my ABU's apart. 6500 C3 CT Mag Elite, 7500 C3 CT and 7000 C4 LD and all are quite doable on your own.

Nigel's in the UK.

I took the reel apart last night. I cleaned all the major components and put it back togehter. It seems to be working fine now. I going to test the reel this evening on Sandymount Strand.

Cheers lads