I bought this reel to use on a trip to Lake Hatchineha in Florida. My best friend and I were meeting another friend who had moved to the area. We fished with live shiners and I caught my biggest bass at the time – an 8 1/4-pounder. I had it mounted and remember that trip as my most enjoyable fishing experience.

A few years later my buddy passed away. This made the time we spent together even more special. Since that time I've used this reel for all types of bass fishing, from unweighted lizards to Carolina-rig worms. It's still my favorite.

A couple years ago I lost it when a canoe tipped over in a lake. A friend of mine made a grapple hook and fished it out of the lake. Since that time another buddy gave me the reel in the background, which has a push button instead of thumb bar. I use them both today in tournaments and for pleasure fishing.

Thank you Abu Garcia for helping me enjoy many years of fishing.

Dick DeWiggins
St. Augustine, FL

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.