Abu 505 drag question

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MaggotDrowner
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Abu 505 drag question

Post by MaggotDrowner »

I have just bought myself a Abu 505 as I wanted to try fishing with a closed face reel.

It all seems okay, but the drag is set quite loose and I don't seem to be able to tighten it up. The star like drag adjuster barely moves in any direction.

Any hints?

:Confused: :Confused:
"I'd rather be fishing!"

MD

Paul D

Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by Paul D »

Good shout MD, I've fancied trying one as well, seems a good opportunity for someone to post a tutorial, how for instance does one load it with line? :Hat:

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Match Aerial
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by Match Aerial »

Its been years since I had a go with a 505 the drag is like you find on a multiplier reel. I think you would really need to strip it down and do a service

check the parts list on here mate

http://www.classicvintagefishingtackle. ... sparts.htm


MA

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MaggotDrowner
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by MaggotDrowner »

I think I have worked it out. Sort of. I seem to have to hold the drag wheel still and twist the handle. Turning the reel handle anti-clockwise however almost totally disengages it. It seems very peculiar indeed. I feel like if I accidentally knock it back during a fight with a fish it will disengage the drag and the fish will have found the snag before I set it again.

Are all closed face reels this unusual?
"I'd rather be fishing!"

MD

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BeechmereLake
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by BeechmereLake »

Known as the Syncro drag system the reel has a built in drag mechanism which allows RAPID alteration of line tension, your reel will be set to a tension to suit your rod and line, easily done by setting up your rod then putting the hook in one of the rod eyes then cranking on the handle, the rod will pull round like your playing a fish and you can allow the drag to be light or heavy by setting it to where you want it. Your line is cast and your reels drag is set and you hook a large fish and the fish bolts from you, all you do is wind the handle from its std position to half a turn backwards to allow the fish to run and not break the line, this is allowing Syncro to come into play over the clutch by reducing the strain on the line by 50%, with the big fish now under control you can release the handle forward back to its std position or "off syncro" and the reel will retrieve line on the pre-set tension on the drag you have set it to, hope this helps
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BeechmereLake
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by BeechmereLake »

Just to be sure your drag is working properly remove the cowling from the reel, this allows access to the winding bell. Now the winding bell has a pickup pin sticking out of it which is what winds the line onto the spool, remember the reel has no bail arm and the spool does not rotate or slip on a clutch system like a conventional fixed spool reel. OK so wind the star drag anti-clockwise (which is slackening off the drag) until it locks off, you can now spin the winding bell on the reel very easy, as you wind the star drag clock wise the drag on the winding bell should increase, you will also notice a clicking sound as the drag is working, you should be able to wind the star drag right in and the tension on the winding bell become heavy so its harder to pull line from the spool, if your reel is not doing this it really needs a total strip down and service. Parts maybe worn in the reel and if the reel is not working as it should do then you may encounter problems when your fishing. The half a turn backwards on the handle is built into the reel so dont worry about that, its almost like fishing with a shimano and hitting the baitrunner switch and allowing the reel total free motion of its spool.
" It is a sinister place yet powerfully fascinating"

"BB"

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Match Aerial
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by Match Aerial »

MaggotDrowner wrote:I think I have worked it out. Sort of. I seem to have to hold the drag wheel still and twist the handle. Turning the reel handle anti-clockwise however almost totally disengages it. It seems very peculiar indeed. I feel like if I accidentally knock it back during a fight with a fish it will disengage the drag and the fish will have found the snag before I set it again.

Are all closed face reels this unusual?

No mate the 501 has a back wind only, the 506 and the 506m and the 507 are fitted with a drag system on the handle but most have the anti reverse dogs removed so you can back wind.

The new mk2 506, the 706, 704 and the mk2 507 (with the drag system) have a drag fitted on the handle and also allow for back winding the reel these are fitted with the syncro drag.
Also there is a 504 and the 505 like yours, not good reels mate stick to the above in my opinion

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Olly
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by Olly »

Many anglers have removed the pin that prevents back winding on the 506/507/etc as back winding I find is easier with light - 3lb - lines & large fish.

The Mk1 507 is a beast and designed for salmon spinning - lovely for big fish trotting with 6-8lb line - but still not as good as a 'pin!

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SeanM
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Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by SeanM »

The 505 was the first of Abu's closed face reels and is fitted with what they call the Synchro drag. The star drag wheel adjusts the drag in the same way as the star drag on a multiplier ie turn it one way to tighten the drag and the other way to loosen the drag. The Synchro bit is the facility to slacken off the clutch quickly by turning the handle backwards by a quarter turn. The thinking behind this was that you could slacken off quickly if the fish made a lunge when you were netting it. The later models such as the 506 had Auto-Synchro which did the same thing only you just had to let go of the handle.

If the drag on your reel has been slackened off you will find it difficult to tighten as the drag will operate as you turn the star wheel. The solution to this is to do what you've just done (hold the star wheel and turn the handle) until the drag is a bit tighter then you should be able to adjust it by turning the star wheel.

The way to set up the drag is to turn the star wheel until you get the tension you require to play a fish as normal. If you then need to give line quickly, just turn the handle backwards and the drag will reduce significantly. I've got a 505 and I enjoy using it for trotting. It just takes a little practise to get used to how everything works.

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The General

Re: Abu 505 drag question

Post by The General »

SeanM is absolutely right. I was lucky enough to be able to buy a 505 within months of them appearing in 1962 in my local tackle shop. Using it over a 20 year period I found it a great reel, especially for trotting, being designed to allow the use of fine lines in adverse conditions and with powerful fish. The star drag and peddle-back clutch all came to hand very easily and worked really well. It was less prone to tangling and a very much better trotting reel than a Mitchell 300, with its tendency to get fine line trapped around the back of the spool. The Abu is a strong reel and well capable of handling good sized fish in powerful water. I had chub to 5 lbs on it.

It is probably wrong to describe the 505 as closed-face. Strictly speaking it is half-encapsulated, with a pin pick-up and push-button line release. A closed-faced reel has the line passing through a central hole and therefore cannot have a central push-button release. The 505 is very different to, say, the true closed-face Abumatic range. I seem to remember there was a lot of talk in the fishing media about this difference at the time, but I don't have access to back-numbers to enable the research. Still, the closed-face designation has stuck and is much less clumsy than half-encapsulated.

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