Abu Garcia Fishing Tackle

Abu Garcia is the Swedish brand that has long been established in the European fishing scene. Carl August Borgstӧrm founded AB Urfabriken in 1921. Skilled in light precision engineering after working for most of his life till that point in the Halda watch factory, the company began life producing pocket watches, telephone timers, and taxi meters. However, due to a significant drop in demand for this kind of equipment thanks to the Second World War, the company redirected their production interests into fishing tackle. A world class fishing tackle company was born and soon gained a reputation for having the ability to produce outstanding tackle for sea fishing and predator angling.

In 1952, a decade after ABU produced its first fishing reel, the Ambassadeur reel was released. This was a reel that was to firmly place ABU on the angling map. It is still one of the most precise sea fishing reels to have ever been manufactured, and an upgraded version of the reel is still on sale today. The upgraded reel features Carbon Matrix Drag technology, which is the most durable drag system on the market.

In 1977 the ABU museum was opened in Svangta, Sweden, to celebrate the life of this innovative company. ABU was later awarded the honour of being ‘Purveyor to the Royal Swedish Court’ – a title presented to those distinguished manufacturers who consistently exceed expectations in quality and craftsmanship. In 1984 the company merged with American distribution firm Garcia, and gave the company its present name of Abu Garcia.

The launch of the Revo reel in 2006 once again changed the face of reel production as we know it. This reel is the finest and fastest low profile reel that Abu Garcia has ever made, and it continues to be a best seller with thousands of anglers worldwide trusting it to help them bring in their catches. All Revo reels are manufactured with X-Craftic aluminium alloy. This alloy provides the highest quality corrosion resistance seen on the market, and is unsurpassed across the reel production industry. The Orra reel was born from the Revo and uses the same technology, but in a sleek package that provides excellent value for money.

In 2013, Abu Garcia published a 45 minute long documentary title ‘For Life: the Abu Garcia Story’. This documentary chronicled the history of one of the most iconic brands in fishing, and gave the company its new slogan. The documentary begins with a powerful idea: the thing that makes fishing special is that whether you’re an executive or a garbage man, on the river you’re equals. It also features stories from Henning Karlson, an employee of Abu Garcia’s from 1940 during their last year of watch production. Karlson still volunteers at the ABU museum, showing his loyalty and dedication to the company. You can watch the whole documentary on the Abu Garcia YouTube channel, which also showcases products demonstrated by Abu Garcia’s team of experts.

Abu Garcia’s mission is to create fishing tackle that is the most precise and durable on the market, and with reels like the Ambassadeur, Revo, and Orra, and now with an impressive range of lures to complement its range of spinning rods and reels, Abu Garcia succeeds each time.