abu cardinal C5

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Torridge Cane
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abu cardinal C5

Post by Torridge Cane »

Hi
do we consider this a vintage reel ,l have a couple , and do use them on my Richard Walker No 1 carp rod ,ImageImage 30 odd years old

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RBTraditional
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by RBTraditional »

More “old school” than vintage I’d say.... :Hat:
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BeechmereLake
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by BeechmereLake »

Definitely old skool, made around 1984, many anglers went for the Cardinal 55 and 57 back then for their carp fishing but the C4 and 5 did have a bit of a reputation for being well built and could handle most fish we have here in the UK, for me just not as good a 55.
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Wallys-Cast
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by Wallys-Cast »

I always thought ABU cardinals looked ultra modern but they are definitely looking vintage these days and I would say a perfect match for the glass rod user.

Wal.

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Duckett
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by Duckett »

It’s only a personal opinion but, as I said in not her post recently, I went off ABU when Garcia was “appended” in 1980 and build and design quality started to decline. As a young angler in the 1970s, ABU were the ultimate objects of desire for me. I still have my 506 bought new for me early in the decade and I only passed my 7000 on when I gave up bait fishing in the salty stuff.

In the last few years I’ve been lucky enough to acquire a Cardinal 44 and 66, which look wonderful on glass. However, I just can’t bring myself to like the later stuff. They always feel a bit like I’m looking at weathered and overgrown gravestones in a long abandoned graveyard.

That said, “Old Skool” is tomorrow’s “retro” and next month’s “antique” so I certainly would say that your reel fits in the traditional pool on which we choose to wet a line.
From "... the wilds of the Wirral, whose wayward people both God and good men have quite given up on ...".

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Cat
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by Cat »

The ultimate object of desire - remember the days of the glass case behind the counter with the Cardinals - out of reach physically and financially!
Out of interest, when did Abu Garcia switch production to (I assume) the far east?

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SeanM
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by SeanM »

I wore one out fishing for Pacific Salmon on Lake Huron. The gears just couldn't stand the repeated casting and retrieval of lures and after 3 one week visits I had to retire the reel. These visits were punctuated by a couple of Summers' barbel fishing in the UK though. I think that the Cardinal 3 to 7 series were the first of the Far East models with the C series being the next to be off-shored.
Quot homines, tot sententiae.

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Shaun Harrison
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Re: abu cardinal C5

Post by Shaun Harrison »

BeechmereLake wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:04 pm Definitely old skool, made around 1984, many anglers went for the Cardinal 55 and 57 back then for their carp fishing but the C4 and 5 did have a bit of a reputation for being well built and could handle most fish we have here in the UK, for me just not as good a 55.
This series was released after the 52, 54, 55 and 57 were finished. We really struggled to sell them and they caused the second hand value of the 55's etc to soar.

I found it a strange move on their part when reels were moving forward at a rapid rate attempting to move forward themselves with an old style/shape body. Possibly work to-day with plenty enjoying using older looking gear but in the 80's most wanted to move forward with everything.

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