76: Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free

Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free

Introduction

Abu Garcia Japan must be housing some long haired, pot smoking, creative wizard to be able to come out with amazing looking low profile reels again and again. Pot smoking or not, I don’t know. What I do know is that they seem to be able to turn reels that already look good into more amazing looking works of art. Not only do they make them look a lot more amazing, they also have some form of magical engineering power to make them feel greater than great.

Delightful looking Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile bait-casting reel.

When the Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel first touched hands with its magical colour effects, sharply designed front, ebony black swept handles, and gold trimmings; my mind hit “reel orgasm” and I was riding a new sort of a high. Not the kind of high that makes one see life in abstract. It is the kind of high that children get when they presented with their first video game console, or first remote control helicopter.

The colour changing beauty of the Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel.

The Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel comes in a dark toned metallic green coloured side plates that changes to maroon depending on the angle it is looked at, a matte black Dura Metal aluminium frame with glossy black lips, glossy black swept handles and star drag, glossy black spool tensioner or control cap with gold trimmings, and black Super Duralumin spool with gold trims. All these together with its sporty dimensions gives it an amazing look.

Made For The “Salties”

The Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel is made for saltwater fishing; light jigging in particular. As of now I have not had the opportunity to try it out in the field but from what I can see and feel, the Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel is a capable high performance reel that is well engineered and also well built.

Shielded bearings for better protection against the damaging effects of saltwater.

Cranking the handle of the Salty Stage Concept-Free gives of a feeling of smoothness. One can imagine lines gliding off the spool and it spins effortlessly. Pushing the drag all the way up one feels the resistance and pressure that it is capable of putting on the fish. Looking at the specs of the reel, it reads 7kg. 7 kg drag for a small reel like this; not bad at all.

Long time proven Carbon Matrix Drag System.

To access its centrifugal brakes, the Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel uses a lever to lock and unlock the side plate. It certainly is more convenient and easier to use than the screw to lock and unlock system. Once opened one sees the 6 pin centrifugal brake system that is called the F-Mode Brake System; great for controlling the spool when casting.

The six pin centrifugal brakes gives anglers good control over the cast.

Should one dismantle the reel further one will see that the Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile reel comes with Abu Garcia’s renown Dura Gear brass gear system that is tough and durable; capable of handling the torturing conditions put on any gear during hard battles with tough fighting fishes.

Tough brass gears.

There are plenty of goodies inside the Abu Garcia Salty Stage Concept-Free low profile bait casting reel. Below are some of its specs. Do look forward to our field test article in a future issue.