Abu Revo vs. Penn Squall

[SPTOGFLUKEJIGR]

Hi Pete,
I hope all is well. Seeking your advice. I'm looking for a new fluke baitcaster, been looking at the Penn Squall Low Profile Baitcaster and some of the Abu Revo's. Ideally looking to stay below the $200 level, I was at one of the big box retailers last week and saw the Revo X- $120, also saw the Revo Winch which is over $200. I still have the Revo NACL 50 which you told me about many years ago, one of the best Abu Baitcasters I ever used. If there are any new factory made fluke rods in the $100-$200 range that can fish 2-3 oz with the new Abu or Penn I'd be curious of your opinion.
Thank you
Scott

 

[Leprechaun]

Hiya Scott - so first off, both the Abu Revo series and the Penn Squall/Fathom baitcasters come out of the Korean company "Doyo's" factory. Its Pure Fishing's way of consolidating production expenses, as they own both Abu and Penn. Not a bad thing, just wanted to put it out there.

I understand you are looking at those two reels, but can I suggests an alternative? Take a look at the Daiwa Tatula 150P instead. I "needed" a new small baitcaster last year and after evaluating all the alternatives, I thought this reel had the best overall features and quality. I did buy one myself and have recommended it several times to others - all who reported back that they really like it. The 5.5:1 gear ratio is perfect for our local fluking, inshore or off. Very smooth and solid in my use last season, I highly recommend it. Here's mine, all done up with various dress parts from some of my fav AliExpress vendors:

As far as a rod in the price range you're shopping - here's what I think. Wait for the Spring shows, either Ward Melville or the Jersey one (far, far larger and well worth the ride - only minutes from the Outer Bridge Crossing). Track down Dan Harley at his Palmarius booth - and look at his slow pitch rod line. They range in power from 0 to 7. I chose the 3-power for my offshore fluking - and I could not put it down the past two seasons. I have no shortage of quality rods that fit my purposes, but its my Palmarius that gets the most use, by far. The 3-Power is good to a 5oz jig, but can properly work jigs down to 2oz, so be guided accordingly.

As far as cost - the reason I said to wait for the shows is that Dan typically puts these $350 rods on sale in the $190-200 range at the shows - in my opinion the very best buy out there for fluke jigging.

Or if you just cannot wait, look into the new Shimano Trevala PX series. Very nice also. I've looked at and tip wiggled the new Jigging World slow pitch rods - "Onyx and/or Luminous" I think they're called. Right around $200 to $120 (again, wait for the show price), also quite nice for the money. Just not Palmarius nice.