This red Abu Garcia 5000 started out on a 9-foot Kingfisher rod with a 16-inch bottle float. We fished for channel cats at pay lakes and it's what we all used – it would cast a mile. Abu Garcia has been with me since I started fishing. I've bass-fished since 1982 and the red 5000 is still in my boat – it's a baitknocker now.

Gary Pearl
Georgetown, KY

Does your Abu Garcia reel have some mileage? Then why not enter it in the Abu Garcia For Life! contest? Show us your "classic" or well-used Abu and you might win a new one. Click here to submit a picture of the reel, as well as a detailed story or two about its history. Entries must include a photo of the reel and are judged each month based on content, detail and theme.

For technical questions or problems with entry submissions, send an email to editorial@bassfan.com.