ABU Balanced Tackle and Reel/Rod Combos

 
ABU has long implemented the concept of matched or balanced fishing, rods, reels, lines, expected fish  and sometimes particular  lures as well as weights of lures.
Here  are some sample suggested combos over the decades of the 50's, 60's and 70's.

The first 2 catalog entries are from the Swedish Catalog..so best of luck deciphering

ABU was most particular from the earliest times, to include informative material about heir individual products  in their 40's Napp och Nytt catalogs and later English translated Tight Lines catalogs.

The education of anglers (covered in another Chapter) was always the prime goal of the company from around  the 50’s, to ensure success with combining their excellent products for the best possible results. I will draw some conclusions from each decade after 1949.

In 1949, A.B.Urfabriken was still finding its feet, concentrating on excellence in individual product lines, but still not  forgetting that anglers needed advice on matching their rods, reels, lines and lures, so we only saw distinct pages dedicated to reels,  rods etc.

After a decade they understood even more, the need to match the hatch so to speak, with all their wonderful products. So from the 50’s all catalogs had Balanced tackle or combo deals, way before the discount chains latched onto the concept, except there were no upgrades. Perfection was there in the first offering.

Specific sample pages follow.....

Napp och Nytt 1952



Napp och Nytt 1953



Now it gets a bit easier....

I was recently able to acquire this wonderful boxed ABU Set (or combo) by my good friend Uffe Edefuhr  in Sweden





Cardboard lid to package has been a little damaged but the 1965 Abumatic equipment is OK.

Tight Lines 1965



Tight Lines 1966



Tight Lines 1969



Tight Lines 1972



Tight Lines 1976 ( in two consecutive pages )






Tight Lines 1979 ( in three consecutive pages )









And still later in Tight lines 1981



The consideration of balance and matched outfits still persists today some 7 decades later in today's Napp och Nytt

Personally to date, my own collection of combos which ABU marketed as a pair of matched items in a boxed kit, initially to educate inexperienced users to fishing, has tried to cover casting, spinning and fly fishing

I have attempted to collect and combine various rod and reel combinations from the years in which they would have been released.

In future I hope to match more lines and lures to these combos (and also display and photograph them a little better, see below)

Here are displayed my personally put together combos from the 40's through to the 80's. I fish with some later combos as well!

Many find vintage-fishing a passion, but personally, give me my tricked up custom Ambassadeurs any day over the early Record casting reels. The lures are still as effective but rod technology has marched on like the reels.

 

 

 

Still occasionally re-visiting the past, ie doing some retro/vintage fishing,  can be a blast especially if done with kindred spirits. Pure Fishing has great roots in A.B.Urfabriken and will do well to revisit and continue to value the old goals instilled from 3 generations of the Borgstom family who knew the importance of educating the consumers of their products!

Failing to produce the full and complete English language Tight Lines catalogs after 2002, was a major step away from their heritage of being masters of the piscatorial universe for people of all major nations/languages. Please re-instate our English language catalogs.

 

 

In the 1989 catalog, we see the eye catching packaging come to a new level, though aimed more at the novices who always need help, and not containing their premium products. I guess it was thought the perfectionists had enough knowledge and could discern for themselves what they needed.

 

By 1999, this trend to market to the uninitiated or novice angler  was still continuing.

 

The current 2009 catalog has a myriad of different Combo’s including some premium products.

 

Back on a more personal historical note, I always found these images my favourites including the rare 70’s fold up flyer to be a favourite.

  

 

  Integrated balanced outfits not available on the general market to buy,  were generally bestowed on top championship casters

 

 

A friend John of UK has shared this info for us all to appreciate as it will be unlikemost of us will ever own one.

This must be every ABU collector's dream, being only 1 of about 40 EVER MADE, originally for the Swedish Casting Team to use in competition.
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Made by ABU as a "Special" in the early 1960's , this amazing ABU rod/reel was never catalogued, but used by the Champions of that period,and known to them as the "SPIDERCAST ROD".
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I understand these casting tournaments are primarily now held abroad, in America and Europe.
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I am showing this very rare specialist rod on behalf of a friend , who actually used it in INTERNATIONAL CASTING FEDERATION competitons, ( I.C.F.), at Scarborough in the U.K. between 1968-76.
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It is a tournament class COMBINED CASTING REEL/ROD, 65 inches long, 2 piece, brown fibreglass blank, with 4 Abu wire-coil rings and cork handle in excellent condition. It bears the maker's name "ABU SVANGSTA" just above the butt, and also the Owner's name, who was a previous world champion.The rod is joined together by a strong,tight ferrule grip to the handle section.

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You can see from the photos the reel is integral to the rod handle, and is made of steel and alloy with brass gears.
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It is put into free-spool mode for casting by pulling the twin handle bar out slightly.You then cast by holding the trigger with your index finger, thumb on the spool, cast and release the spool, then re-engage the twin handles to retrieve your casting weight.
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In competiton the spool contained over 200 yards of 1/4 lb breaking strain line, then attached to a length of heavier Salmon Line used for a Shock Leader, which was then attached to a tournament casting weight of 5/8 oz.(Original weight will be sold with the rod).
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The light line strength explains the name "SPIDERCAST" very well ! I feel sure that the older tournament casterswill recognise this unique item which will bring back a lot of memories of days gone by.

 

Thanks John for sharing

The rarest of them all is the one piece rod /reel combo made in very minted numbers by ABU to assist Swedish Casters win the World Championships! I have pics of two models here courtesy of Kjell and John.

My friend Kjell Johansson from Sweden, who may soon be parting with this lovely combo has advised me about its details. If it does not sell, I certainly hope one day I will be able to afford it and coax it to both my collection as well as my website.

 

"ABU Combo Casting Set prototype. Total length 168cm. On the rod spells "ICF game 9".
A very rare collectible. ABU Casting Set produced by the ABU in the 60´s in a limited edition of about 200 pieces.
The above pics show a completeprototype of the ABU Combo and is therefore even more rare!
This is probably  the only available sample, developed in the 60´s, and has belonged to the ABU´s former advertising executive Dan Åslund."

Regards

Kjell

I have attempted to collect and combine various rod and reel combinations from the years in which they would have been released.

In future I hope to match authentic lines when found, and lures to these combos (and also display and photograph them a little better)

 

If you are a person that has significantly had an effect on design/development/testing of ABU equipment over the years (or have a Tourney Caster to sell)  please contact me Wayne,  abuadmiral@gmail.com   if you wish your contribution documented for posterity and the immediate interest of the ABU fans worldwide!