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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 13 Apr 2007, 23:51 • #1 
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Joined: 07/05/05
Posts: 1154
Location: US-OH
What the general consensus on this reel? I don't see them that often, but that triangular shape and lever drag are just the bee's knees afaiac ... Does anyone own or have experience with one?

Joe C.


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 14 Apr 2007, 02:39 • #2 
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Joined: 01/14/06
Posts: 720
Location: US-CA
I've been looking at those also. There appears to be a delta 5 with a drag system and a delta 3 that is click pawl.
-Russell


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 14 Apr 2007, 15:00 • #3 
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Joined: 05/31/06
Posts: 167
Location: US-OH
I have one, a Delta 5. I have never fished it, it is a very attractive paperweight on my desk. I think that may have been the problem, the weight. It would probably go on a 9 or 10 weight. The drag adjustment works well and it would have been a good drag in its day. I bought it primarily because it looks cool.


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 14 Apr 2007, 17:04 • #4 
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Joined: 07/05/05
Posts: 1154
Location: US-OH
Steve

What do you think the capacity is. Do you think it would hold a 9 or 10wt bug taper line and 50 to 100 yds of backing? Also, what's your guess on the diameter, such as it is for a triangle ...

Joe


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 16 Apr 2007, 04:59 • #5 
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Joined: 05/31/06
Posts: 167
Location: US-OH
On a postage scale it weighs in at 9 oz vs 6.7 for a Medalist 1495 1/2.

The spool is almost 1 inch across in width. The reel is almost 3 inches at its narrowest line holding diameter. The spool is deep, however, with a thin spindle. The depth is a little over one inch. I think 50-75 yds of 20 lb backing, plus a 9wt wf would fit, but not much more than that.


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 16 Apr 2007, 11:37 • #6 
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Joined: 07/05/05
Posts: 1154
Location: US-OH
Well I bought one ;) so I guess we'll see. That certainly is one heavy little piglet at 1/2 pound! Of course, the 8.5' glass 9wt Fenwick that Aaron is building for me isn't likely to come out being a lightweight either. For a catfish/muskie/pike/largemouth outfit I think this might be. .. well let's just call it unusual, shall we? :hat

Joe C.


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 15 Oct 2009, 15:32 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/05/09
Posts: 481
Location: liverpool NY
I have posted an inquiry on these reels earlier this month. Back in the early 70's I'd seen them in a tackle store.I read all the literature I could find on them thru the years.Good to here how they handle. Keep it going!


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Abu Garcia Delta Reels
Post 16 Oct 2009, 04:40 • #8 
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Joined: 07/05/05
Posts: 1154
Location: US-OH
The Deltas come up frequently on eBay and they get very little love. Typically available for around $50. I've actually ended up using mine on a graphite Redington 10.5' 6/7 wt rod and it balances excellently and holds a WF7 line and about 75 to 100 yards of 20lb backing. The reel is an absolute tank. It doesn't look good on a fly rod, IMHO, unless the rod has a short fighting butt - Jim S. calls it a "battle ax". It does look like a weapon, especially when mounted on a rod with a downlocking seat and no butt.

Anyone fish a Delta 3 or have pics they can post of the mechanism? I might buy one out of idle curiosity one day. I'll post pics of mine over the weekend. I think it's a good reel, especially for heavy glass and warmwater fish where extensive backing isn't a necessity. Excellent drag, smooth and very strong. The smallish spool does mean it has a pretty meager retrieve rate, though.

Joe C.


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Post 25 Jun 2022, 09:50 • #9 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
I wonder how this would work on a B&W The Borders “wet fly” rod for swinging soft hackles … I think the weight of the Delta would balance the rod very well and help you pick up line quickly which might be useful after some long drifts and looks like it can comfortably accommodate a 5-6 wt line.


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Post 28 Jun 2022, 07:42 • #10 
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Joined: 02/08/13
Posts: 156
Location: Nomadic
I was planning to buy a Delta as my first fly reel, back in 1981 but was warned off by my mentor, who had stopped using his. It seems that unless you are very careful in stripping line from the spool, the edge of the frame will quickly damage the fly line coating.

Bought a Marquis instead, which is still going strong. The Delta does look funky though...


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Post 28 Jun 2022, 07:57 • #11 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19079
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
that was an opportune call

Noteworthy, Garcia imported and marked Beaudex to match their Conolon fly rods.


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Post 29 Jun 2022, 11:46 • #12 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
Mahseer wrote:
It seems that unless you are very careful in stripping line from the spool, the edge of the frame will quickly damage the fly line coating.


been fishing mine for several months now, I'm a careless stripper ;-) and don't see any problems..
Seems like to get the line in contact with the edge of the frame would require pulling at right angles to the reel or nearly so, I don't do that..

mine has 7wf on it which it holds easily, probably 150yd of backing and it's not quite full.

first fish on the new-to-me reel was a goldfish on the fly ;-)
there are also big white goldfish in this suburban pond, they are spooky though.. feel like Ahab pursuing my big white fish..



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Post 29 Jun 2022, 12:07 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Yup. Many anglers strip line carelessly by pulling down or even back (sometimes with palm facing down) or sideways. Well OK. You see line guards and frames worn to these patterns. And even if the line guard or frame doesn't grove, the line wears quicker. No big deal. Nevertheless, if there is a "correct" and ergonomically most efficient way, it is with palm up, forefingers gripping the line and flicking forward, as if tossing seeds from a bag. Mostly wrist movement, a little of forearm. Five quick flicks outward from the feel along the line of the rod, vs. one or two downward yanks. This stripping motion also keeps the line control hand in position for all the other motions that result in good line control in casting, mending line, and so on.


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Post 29 Jun 2022, 13:17 • #14 
Sport
Joined: 05/03/14
Posts: 38
Location: Jämtland - Sweden
Deltas are quite abundant here in Sweden, and cheap, about $15. I've owned one. Didn't try it on as it feels like a brick. The triangular shape is meant to hinder the line from coming on the wrong side of the reel, if that makes sense.


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Post 30 Jun 2022, 20:51 • #15 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Well I picked a Delta 5 up in like new condition and it has a Cortland 6WT DT on it that looks in very good shape also. Lot of room left on the reel though so I would think a 7WT WF would be about right. I’ll try it out on my FF85 this weekend. Very cool looking reel, gotta give credit to Abu for thinking outside the box on the design.


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Post 01 Jul 2022, 16:14 • #16 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
excellent, post some Delta pics with the Bruce and Walker too..
my neighbor who likes to fish with the latest tech, said about my Delta, "nice reel George Jetson !"


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Post 01 Jul 2022, 20:19 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Have never seen one of the Abu Delta reels...very cool


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Post 02 Jul 2022, 02:25 • #18 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/12/17
Posts: 390
Location: SW B.C.
Function should trump form, or at least inform it. These were a silly gimmick, with at least functional guts.


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Post 02 Jul 2022, 10:56 • #19 
Sport
Joined: 05/03/14
Posts: 38
Location: Jämtland - Sweden
I wouldn't go so far as calling the Delta series a gimmick; it was an attempt at innovation. The reels were designed to solve a specific problem in fly fishing, the problem identified was line getting stuck behind the reel. With lighter materials the triangular shape might have been a success.


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Post 02 Jul 2022, 11:53 • #20 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Seems like line wrapping more around the butt of the rod when casting is more of a problem with uplocking reel seats than with downlocking...but we the industry might have decided to do away with the downlocking.

Perhaps the force pushing down on the reel foot had something to do with it, as the butt cap pops off at times with the downlocking reel seats.

I look at them as kind of a nice throwback to earlier days, like reels that are not large arbor...more traditional


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