At the Backwater Angler fly shop we get a chance to look at and demo tons of reels, lines and rods from the top manufacturers in the fly fishing industry. We all have our own personal tastes in gear, and either gravitate from a purely functional point of view to something beyond eye catching that we just have to own. It’s no surprise when Abel started producing the fish graphic series at pro-deal prices, that I coughed up the cash for a new trout reel in the brown trout finish. The purchase was more fueled by the past experiences I’ve had using Abels than the fancy fish colors. I used an Abel reel when I caught my first Bonefish in Hawaii, my first Atlantic Salmon in Quebec, my first Permit in the Bahamas, and has survived years of both warm and cold saltwater use. I figured based on the performance and durability in the corrosive saltwater applications, I’d have this Abel Super 4 for trout fishing for the rest of my life. It’s a good thing too, because Abel will no longer make this size reel in this series, and is offering a heavy 25% discount on Super Series size 2, 4, 6 and 12 reels. I pulled this information below from Abel’s website:

In an effort to constantly improve products, we continuously evaluate our line. The newer designed reels which include the Super Series 3N and 5N have replaced some of the classic reels due to their narrow profile, increased arbor for better pickup and reduced weight.
The latest Super Series reel to be discontinued is the Super 4 large arbor, excellent for 4-5 weight applications and designed for trout fishing. The standard arbor version of the Super 4, (formally the Big Game 1 model) was once our most popular selling saltwater reel. The width of the reel is at .800, one of the narrowest Super Series in our lineup and had excellent line pickup due to its narrow profile.

Backwater Angler currently has a Super Series 4 brown trout reel in stock, which retails for $700.00, but is currently available for $490.00.