ABU Garcia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2007)

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Fishing or the Fishing Portal may be able to help recruit one. If a more appropriate WikiProject or portal exists, please adjust this template accordingly.

ABU Garcia, originally A B Urfabriken,^[1] then ABU Svängsta, is a fishing reel and fishing equipment company from Svängsta, Sweden, and is best known the manufacturer of the famous Ambassadeur bait casting (overhead) reel.

[edit] Early history

The factory in Svängsta where there still is production. Photo taken from the north.

Still one of the most recognizable names in fishing technology, A B Urfabriken began at a factory located near the Mörrum river, in Blekinge, Sweden. The company, founded in 1921, originally manufactured watches, telephone timers and taximeters. However, the founder's son, Göte Borgström, a fishing enthusiast, soon redirected its focus towards fishing reels during World War II, when demand for those products grew scarce. In 1980, ABU AB acquired New York based fishing tackle manufacturer and importer Charles Garcia and Co. and changed their name to ABU Garcia.

[edit] Modern developments

A pair of ABU reels from the late 1960s, the smaller is the Cardinal 33, the larger is the Cardinal, 66, and the Swedish royal coat of arms can be seen clearly

ABU Garcia introduced a series of fishing reels and related products in the early 1950s. The Swedish-built ABU 444, the company's first spinning reel, was introduced in 1955, followed in 1965 by the first model of the Cardinal series of spinning reels.

Beginning in 1957, the company also became known for its advanced spin cast reels (Abumatic) featuring several engineering innovations such as level-wind mechanisms (oscillating spools), under-rod spin cast reel designs (the Abu 500 series) and improved drags for fighting larger gamefish. The famous Ambassadeur series of bait casting reels, which utilized advanced metal alloys, ball-bearing friction interfaces, and precisely-cut gears, was introduced at the New York World's Fair in 1964, and subsequent Ambassadeur models are still produced by the company.

The professional angler Paul Gustafson worked for seven years as chief angling consultant for ABU Garcia.

[edit] Collections

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

There are collectors of ABU equipment.^[2]

[edit] See also

• Fishing reel

[edit] Notes