Abel 3N, 3, and 3S

[Righty]

I understand that the 3N has a narrower spool than the 3, but what's this difference from the 3S and the 3?

Matt

[peregrines]

Righty,

The 3 is more of a beast.. It?s a little heavier (9.4 oz) and more of a tarpon reel as far as line wt and backing goes, designed to hold 10-12 wt WF lines and around 250 yds of 30 lb Dacron.

The 3N is 8.1 oz and more of a bonefish reel for 7-9 wt WF lines and around 250 yds of 20 lb.

The 3S is sort of in between, but closer to the 3N for 8-10 wt WF lines and 275-ish yds of 20, for permit, baby- medium tarpon, big salmon. Weighs in at 8.7 oz

What are you chasing and what rod are you looking to match it up with?


peregrines

[tailingloop]

Thats about it. All the nitty gritty is here

www.abelreels.com/pages/reelspec.htm

The 3 is also viable as a 9wt reel unless one is really worried about a half an oz compared to 3s or about 1 oz compared to Super 8 or Super 9. I don't find the wt diff significant.

[Righty]

Reel is for a 9 wt. Xi2 for stripers. I am just trying to find out what the physical difference is... Is the arbor on the 3S a little bigger than the 3? The reel width a little smaller? Basically, what makes the 3S hold less backing than the 3.

[Righty]

In other words, where is the weight difference, the half an ounce, made up?

[tailingloop]

Per the specs on the Abel link that I provided, the spool on the 3S is wider than the 3N and narrower than the 3, thus the difference in the weight of the reels. That also accounts for the difference in capacity. The 3S is a perfect 9wt reel I think.

[peregrines]

Rightie,

For what it?s worth, here is some more to smoke over?

I have a 3N on an 8 wt and like it for fishing from a boat, but?. if you wade for stripers in surf you may run into trouble with the drag if it gets wet. I had the drag go to zero on a good fish after the reel got hit with a wave, and have heard of others with the same problem with other Abels after a brief dunk. For comparison, I?ve got an old Pate Bonefish on a 9 and a Riptide on a 10 and have fished them underwater a couple of times with no problem, and they get dunked on a regular basis crossing cuts or getting out to rocks. Either the Pate (heavier and built like a tank), or the Tibor Everglades/Riptide might be worth a look too for your 9 wt. That being said, in fairness to the Abel, if you plan on wading on shallow flats without much wave action, it?s probably not an issue, and wouldn?t be an issue at all on a boat.

But, if I were you and in the market for a high end reel, I?d also look at the new Charlton Mako 4.5? reel with the smaller spool for the 9 wt. (they also make a larger capacity spool that fits the same reel for 12 wt lines, so you could use it on a bigger stick down the road.) Amazing engineering, sealed drag and excellent early reviews (after a year of hard testing) as well as very strong pedigree (check out prices on ebay for vintage Charltons). Don?t have one, but it seems like the best thing out there now for a bit more than the Abel.

Again, I don?t mean to imply that this level of reel is ?critical? for red fish and stripers. I also use a 30 year old Pfleuger 1498 and 20 year old Valentine 95 for bass a lot in surf, so I don?t have to worry about suspended sand gumming up tight tolerances on better machined reels. But I do switch to the Tibors or the Pate in the fall surf when Albacore are around or schools of big bass are passing through, or if I?m fishing back bays. And for other faster, stronger species the drags and machining are a real advantage.

For less money, and primarily stripers and reds, a Teton Tioga is a great value also, but IMHO drag is not in the same league as Abel, Pate, Tibor and Charleton.

Good luck.

Peregrines