Abu Garcia Sea Caster II
Test Drive
In the previous issue we introduced the Abu Garcia Sea Caster II fishing rod that was designed for anglers that who enjoy speeding out to sea and casting their lures and baits at hard fighting monsters that call the sea home. Being rods designed to tackle these monsters they have got to be tough, have all the right components, and of course muscles.
The Abu Garcia Sea Caster II.
It is well known that saltwater fishes fight harder pound for pound as compared to their freshwater counterparts. Of course, this does not mean that freshwater fishes are all lazy sissies who don’t workout. Far from that actually. The Natural Exotic Sports Fishing pond in Behrang, Perak, Malaysia is home to some of the hardest freshwater fighters. Some of them are so strong they can very easily strip your spool naked if your weapon of choice is not up to mark. We certainly have watched our lines go missing without being able to do much other than to sit and wonder when it would stop.
To test how good the Abu Garcia Sea Caster II is, we took it to the Natural Exotic Sports Fishing pond and went round waking up the giants that have been training hard there.
Rod Model Tested
Rod Brand: Abu Garcia
Series: Sea Caster II
Model: SIIS802XH
Action: Extra Heavy
Length: 8′
Weight: 20-90 grams
Line Weight: 17-40lb
Blanks Type: Carbon Graphite
The Abu Garcia Seacaster II rod battling hard with a hard fighting gladiator.
Casting Abilities
To interest the gladiators to fight we had to use a bait that they like. In this case we used chicken innards; a protein packed meal for the heavy fighting gladiators. We had to get our baits out rather far thus why we decided to go with an 8 feet rod.
When it comes to casting, the tip of the Abu Garcia Sea Caster II rod flexes well enough to shoot out our baits into the intended fishing zones. The Fuji O-ring guides certainly helped. The ceramics used by Fuji dissipates heat faster and allows for smoother line flow as the lines past through them giving better casting distances.
The Abu Garcia Seacaster II has plenty of power.
Taking On The Punches
These gladiators throw punch after punch after punch and if you’re not ready; you will literally go down. We have had field testers give up halfway through the fight, surrendering and asking to be taken “off duty. ” It does not happen often but once in a while shit hits the fan. Well, back to the fight.
With the gladiator running the other way, the Abu Garcia Sea Caster II bowed absorbing the sudden pressure exerted, helping to relieve some of the pressure off the angler while retaining heavy pressure on the fish. Penn Conquer 5000 reel used during the test had its drag pushed up to a very high level ensuring that heavy pressures were exerted on the fishes to tire them out as fast as possible.
The power of the Abu Garcia Sea Caster II really kicks in when the bend reaches about 40% to 45% of the rod blank from the tip. The further down the blank it goes, the higher the pressure exerted on the fish (and angler). It didn’t take long before the hard fighting gladiators were brought to the side, and up to have their photos taken before being released to fight again some other day.
A hard fight gladiator about to be landed.
Performance Wise
The Abu Garcia Sea Caster II being a rod built to tackle the hard fighting sea fishes, had no issues handling the brutes here. Despite having to take on the heavy runs here, the Abu Garcia Sea Caster II remained poised and handled them well. The Fuji reel seat provided a very good grip onto the reel without going loose during the entire test period. The Fuji guides were amazing allowing for good casting distances and smoother line retrievals. The Abu Garcia Sea Caster II is indeed a capable rod.
A hard fighting Amazone Red Tail catfish subdued by the Abu Garcia Seacaster II.
One of our testers asked this question and I believe that many an angler would too. The question is “if Fuji guides are so bloody good, then why the hell do fishing rod manufacturers bother using cheaper alternatives?” Simple really. The cheaper alternatives still allows anglers to fish and catch fish. Casting distances may not be as good. They may not be as tough. Some may be heavier. But they help keep rod prices lower. There is another benefit too. The angler has the option should he or she feels the need to upgrade the standard guides to Fuji guides, they can do so as and when they want to giving them the flexibility of buying a quality rod at a lower price and upgrading the component when they are ready to.
Tackle Used During Test
Rod: Abu Garcia Sea Caster II
Rod Action: Extra Heavy
Reel: Penn Conquer 5000
Reel Model: 5000
Reel Size: 5000
Main Line: Berkley Fireline Fused
Line lb: 30lb
Leader Line: Berkley Vanish
Line lb: 40lb
Baits / Lures: Fish Meat / Chicken Innards
Size: N/A
Hooks / Jig-heads: Owner
Size: 7
Test Conditions: Sunny with slight wind
Rod Features At A Glance
Tough with good backbone
High quality EVA handles
Split back EVA grip (two section grips)
Tapered rear EVA grip (both back and mid grips)
High quality graphite blank
High quality Fuji O-Ring guides
High quality Fuji reel seats
Contact us
For more information or should your have enquiries, do drop us an email.
