Abu Garcia released a completely revamped line of spinning reels last season. And this season the released the completely retooled flagship reel in their baitcasting lineup, the new Abu Garcia REVO MGXTREME2Â casting reel. The top-of-the-line reel in the REVO low profile baitcasting family, the MGXTREME2 offers the enthusiast angler all of their latest technologies and advancements in low profile, smooth casting and light weight at an amazing 4.5 ounces in an extremely durable frame.
Abu Garcia set a new bar with their original REVO lineup for a new smaller low profile baitcaster reel that was more palmable and comfortable to fish all day. These new reels extend on that barrier breaking mentality incorporating some really awesome technology into this flagship reel.
State of the art features
The reels feature a one-piece X-Mag alloy frame that gives the reel a lightweight rigidity that adds to the fluidness of its operation while making it feel solid in your hand. The side plates are C6 Carbon to further reduce the weight while maintaining structural integrity.
The real showstopper feature on this reel is an hybrid ball bearing system that combines 8 stainless steel HPCR bearings with 2 CeramiLite Spool Bearings that give the reel an uncanny casting ability. I’ve not seen a reel that combined ceramic and stainless bearings in its operation before. The casting on this reel is just simply amazing, even with the lightest fishing lures.
The variable braking on this reel is top notch. The IVCB-4 technology has really been fine tuned on this reel giving the angler such ease of control and precise adjustment for light lures. It’s sometimes hard to get a reel dialed in perfectly with little baits, but that’s been one of my favorite things about this reel.
I wasn’t sure about the light cork knobs on the handle but that was quickly put to bed. Now I’m wishing more of my reels had those cork knobs on them. They are actually easier to grip with a lot less slip in my opinion.
The Ti coating on the line guide probably factors into the effortless casting and smooth retrieve of this reel. But I think the bigger impact probably comes from that Super Lightweight Concept spool design. The spool is wiffle-crafted to give it a floating sensation on the cast.
My experiences
I’ve had the reel since early summer and have fished everything from very light finesse lures to oversized big baits like giant topwaters and deep diving crankbaits. I’ve fished a 1/4-ounce under spin with a Zoom Super Fluke Jr. on schooling fish with this reel on a Abu Garcia 7-foot medium-heavy Fantasista rod a lot and been super impressed with the performance and long casting with such a lightweight rig.
It’s actually taken me a little time to adjust to how good this reel fishes. I think a lot of it has to do with how small and how light it is in your hand. I don’t fish many sub-5-ounce reels. It’s so light you start questioning what you are holding. Then you rear back and fire a cast and often have to crack a smile.
The drag is solid. I think that’s where you start questioning light reels. Will it hold up? Does it have power, especially stopping power when winching on a fish, say around shallow cover? I was super impressed on how I could really lean on fish, lock the drag down and snatch on fish. It’s a fun reel to flip with too because it’s so light. It makes a big flipping combo feel more like a topwater rod in your hands.
I don’t know if that improves my fishing, but it makes fishing like that all day a lot more enjoyable. I feel confident with this reel even with it feeling so light. So I guess that’s the bottom line. I expect a lot from the flagship reel in any manufacturers lineup. The Abu Garcia REVO MGXTREME2 certainly did not disappoint. I would happily recommend this reel to any avid enthusiast angler.
Check out the new Abu Garcia REVO MGXTREME2 baitcasting reel at these online fishing retailers:
