The Abu 500 series reels are mistakenly called closed-face reels, but they are not. The 500 series are fixed-spool reels with a spool housing. The closed-face reels from Abu are, in fact, the Abumatics.
In 1960 Abu, always looking to introduce new models and improvements, decided that a close examination of the types of fixed spool reels on the market was required.
Now those of you who have used a fixed spool reel know the problems that can occur with them, particularly the bale arm. Line tangles, loops of line falling off the spool, the bale arm spring failing and the need to use two hands to operate it.
Improvements and innovations were made in the “normal” range of fixed spool reels, but it was with the 500 series that the real leap in technology occurred.
In 1962 the Abu 505, first of the series, was introduced. The most revolutionary feature of this reel was that the bale arm had been disposed of. The reel had evolved with a new method of spooling, line pick up and line guiding.
The heart of the new system was a rotating head, later called the winding cup, that had been fitted with line pick-up and release pins. These pins could be operated by simple finger pressure being applied to the release button. As the line flew out it could be “feathered” with the same finger that operated the release button. To engage the pins, the handle was simply wound in giving instant control of the line. Later the two pins would be dropped in favour of a single pin.
To ensure that the line was guided onto the pin a spool cover was added. The bonus that this provided was twofold; first it acted as a wind guard, eliminating another potential cause of line tangles; and secondly it helped in eliminating the ingress of dirt, grit and water onto the line.
The spool was truly fixed, not rotating but reciprocating and the line being guided onto it by the winding cup. This gave another advantage as the line could not twist while being retrieved. With the cup revolving around the reciprocating spool another problem, that of line “bunching” was eliminated.
To ensure that the line was picked up smoothly and would continue to do so, even after being used for hundreds of hours, hard chromed stainless steel was employed in the construction of the winding cup and pin.
The outer rim of the spool housing was made of the same material again, ensuring that it could not in normal operation get a nick in it and cause a line break. Additionally, it was constructed in a conical shape to improve distance casting.
Drag setting on reels at the time usually involved placing your fingers on the front of the spool and trying to adjust it, or using the Abu patented rear drag system.
For the 505, Abu applied their syncro drag system first introduced in 1959 on the Abumatic reels. These “American” style reels did not gain much popularity in England and consequently were not that well known.
Mounting the drag on the handle of the reel was a major departure from the thinking of the time. A further improvement was to fit a sealing ring to the shaft of the handle, again to keep out water and dirt.
The synchro drag was itself revolutionary. The drag was pre-set but could be finely adjusted using a star drag wheel. It was operated by turning the handle backwards to release the tension, turning the handle forward restored the original setting. One point to emphasise is that it only required a fraction of a turn backwards to release the tension, the reel handle would not revolve backwards. This “improvement” was to eliminate another possible cause of tangles. However, the majority of English fishermen did not like this idea and consequently, many tackle shops had the job of removing the backwind mechanism.
Another improvement in the drag system was the provision of an “emergency” drag reduction, by turning the handle backwards about ¼ turn to its stop position the drag was instantly set to the minimum.
With all these improvements the reel soon became a best seller. This model has a red spool housing, red star drag and red handle and apart from the handle, this never changed during the life of the reel. There were, as in common with most Abu reels, slight variations in the colour due to the production methods. The body and foot of the reel were made from a corrosion-resistant steel casting. This black bobble finish was changed in later years to a smooth finish. The handles were either red, black or chrome. The spool of the reel came fitted with a 7 lbs. test of ABULON line.
In 1967 Abu introduced another reel in the series the 503. This was a cheaper version of the 505, the savings being made with the syncro drag. This model had no star drag adjustment, the drag was factory pre-set. If you wanted to use a different line the drag could be changed using a screwdriver.
The other difference was that the spool housing was in anodised Coppertone.
This reel was sold in America but for some unknown reason was called the 520, it was fitted with 6 lbs. test line whereas the British sold reels had 9 lbs. test line.
In 1969 the most successful of the series was introduced, the 506. The 505 besides being used for light spinning, had been taken up by the English match fishermen. Despite its shortcomings, it proved superior to other reels available. With famous fishermen like Kevin Ashurst winning with the 505 many soon followed his example. These matchmen in, consultation with Abu helped in the development of the 506.
The first requirement was for a faster retrieve, vital when you only have four hours to fish a contest. Time spent retrieving the line to re-bait and the cast was time not fishing. The ratio of this reel was improved from 1: 3.2 to 1: 3.92
The second improvement was in the drag system. Matchmen use fine line and the chance of a breakage increases the finer the line used. Abu introduced it’s new drag, the Auto- Syncro Drag. As soon as the handle is released the drag operates automatically by reducing the pre-set drag to the absolute minimum.
The drag tension could also adjusted with the simple turning of a milled nut on the handle. This could be easily carried out, even when playing a fish. The finish on this reel was changed from black bobble to smooth matt with a chrome handle. The spool housing was a dark smoke grey.
This reel proved even more popular with the matchmen and resulted in many championships being won, notably the All England by Robin Harris World Champion.
The 500 series were fine reels but there was a problem, they were unsuitable for fishing for larger species due to lack of line capacity. This gap particularly in the salmon spinning size was filled in 1972 when the larger model 507 was introduced.
Capable of holding 220 yards of 9 lbs. test line (as opposed to the 110 yards of 7 lbs. test of the 505) it quickly became a firm favourite with salmon fishermen.
The weight of the reel was 12 ounces compared to the 10½ of the other reels in the series. The reel was the same colour as the 506, smooth matt black finish with charcoal grey spool housing, it also employed the same Auto Syncro Drag.
In 1973 Abu introduced a right hand version of the 507 and designated it the 508. Strangely this was the only reel in the series to be offered in left or right hand versions.
All reels in the series could be supplied with preloaded lines in capacities from 3 lbs. to 19 lbs.
Techniques for match fishing continued to improve and finer lines were used. This presented a problem as the tiny gap between the spool and the housing was a potential tangle point. To overcome this special match spools were introduced for the British market. These plastic spools, as opposed to the normal aluminium ones, had a nylon collar fitted to the front and rear and thus completely closed the gap. Additionally, the capacity of this spool was reduced as 100 yards of fine line was sufficient for most matchmen.
These spools supplied as standard for the 506 also fitted the 505 and the 503 reels but were an optional extra.
I have, during many years of handling these reels, seen some weird and wonderful spare spools. All were homemade in an attempt to overcome the problem of fishing with fine line. Even with the introduction of the match spool in 1974, there were still some problems with it. However, it was the dominant reel on the match fishing circuit. The 1974 All-England Championship was won by the Likely Lads of Leicester with nine of the twelve-man team using the 506.
1978 Abu introduced another model, the 501. This reel was aimed at the matchmen and was a simpler cheaper version of the 506. Without doubt, the majority of 500 series reels that I handled have had the backwind removed. Abu must have taken note of this and the 501 was the result. It had backwind, play-of-the-handle drag as opposed to the syncro drag of the other reels.
It also had a new match spool the nylon collar giving way to a chenille one. The gear ratio had been steeped up to 1 : 4 and the price had been reduced.
In 1979 the last change to the series was made when the 506 was re-designated the 506M. This reel was only available in Britain, with the 506 still being available in the rest of the world.
Although Abu claimed the 506M was a new improved version of the 506, it only had a cosmetic change. Two silver lines were engraved around the spool housing.
Gradually the 500 series were dropped with the 505 the first to go in 1982. By 1984 the whole range had been dropped, with the 600 series Diplomats replacing them.
Dave Harrell, the international match fisherman, had a small sideline to his main business, buying and selling the 507 model. Abu realised that they had let a winner go and together with Dave Harrell developed the new 507. This resulted in the reintroduction of the 507 as the Gold Max 507 Syncro, quickly called the 507 Mk. II by most anglers.
This sold well initially, but experience showed that the model failed to meet the needs of anglers. It was dropped from the product range after a short selling period.
Today the original 500 series reels are very much sought after by collectors and usurers, ensuring that the price remains keen.