Okuma Avenger ABF B Series Graphite Baitfeeder Saltwater Spinning Reel

When it comes to purchasing items usually my husband will send me the item to see and ask me to read the reviews and to give me my opinion of what I think. So this reel just so happened to be one that he had sent me. I read mixed reviews but decided for the price, why not give it a shot!We paired this with a rod we currently had laying around the house and a few days later took it out to give it a test run. When it came to performance this thing is a beast! It pulled in a 58” 100lb Black drum like nothing in a matter of 2 mins. We had read a lot of comments of it breaking or that the bearings went bad but to me, it’s like anything else, if you use the equipment the way it was intended to be used and perform proper maintenance to the equipment then it is going to last. We live in an area that is all saltwater and oil our reels every month and have not had an issue yet. We loved this one so much that we purchased a second one that is the next model below for my father as a Christmas gift. If you are looking for something that is durable and reasonably priced then you should definitely get one, you will not regret it!

I love Okuma and this real is super smooth line capacity is great. I have about 250 yards of8lb braided line. It cast really nice with no problems. The overall performance is great and the bait Runner performs very nice. I pair this with my Okuma Celilo Graphite Lightweight Ultra Light Freshwater Rods, CE-S-802ULb and he just looks great!!!

I'm a Florida saltwater fishomaniac, I'm out on the water at least once or twice a week, in all kinds of weather, for multiple species, Redfish, seatrout, black drum,pompano, bluefish, sheephead, spanish mackerel, snook, cobia, jack crevalle, snapper, Etc.With occasional dances with shark & tarpon. I've had a couple of these for nearly 5 years, and recently got 2 more for guests. Nice smooth action, great bait feeder function, I do wish the ratchet function was a lot louder for wave & surf use. You should get multi packs of line bearings, (uxcell SMR85ZZ Stainless Steel Ball Bearing 5x8x2.5mm Shielded MR85ZZ Bearings 5pcs ) as salt water kills them if you don't keep them lubed. But over all, a surprisingly well made and versatile reel for a great price. The bigger sizes are beefier if you want to throw down with monsters regularly, and you'll get lot's of miles out of these if you clean, strip down and re-lube every season or after immersion in salt water. Tight lines!!11/23/23 update,2 years and lots of fish later, I discovered that Okuma specifies these reels are for "light to medium duty FRESHWATER use" but Amazon advertises them as "saltwater spinning reels", which was my primary reason for buying multiples of the ABF 55b. I contacted Amazon recently about the inaccurate advertising, and am hoping they will correct the adds, for the sake of the folks who will buy them and assume they are totally unaffected by repeated exposure to saltwater. (even reels rated for saltwater need to be rinsed and maintained)That being said, I still think these are amazing reels for the price, and with attention to the vulnerable areas, will last for years! The 3 main areas to pay attention to are,1- The handle, at the inside of the 90 degree elbow, specifically where you can see the metal shaft at the pin/swivel point. This area has a recess that retains water. After rinsing, use compressed air or a can of computer duster, followed up with a squirt of WD40, or a drop of any light oil.2- The line roller bearing, It's inside the roller the line passes over right off the spool. Remove the screw, you can see the bearing inside what looks like a mini tire rim, keep it clean and oiled. If it starts seizing up, see the bearing number above for replacement.3- The secondary bait feeder drag. When the pole is in use, it's the lowest point of the reel, It also tends to collect water. It's accessed by first removing the rubber adjuster knob cover that snaps over the knob like a stocking cap. use a guitar pick or a butter knife inserted in the small gap between the cover and the body of the reel to pry back the rim of the cap out of the groove it's snapped into, then peel it off. If the cap is not too old or stiff you can sometimes squeeze it hard enough to get one edge out of the groove.Then remove the plastic cap that's immediately in front of the drag adjuster/wheel, there's 1 screw on the side, and one kind of hidden in a small hole in the front of the stem that attaches the reel to the pole, remove both, pull off the cap/cowl. there's a small slot that you can see right in front of the adjuster wheel, that you can squirt with WD40. Rotate the knob a turn or so back and forth to work the water displacing stuff into the vulnerable works. Wipe off the excess & replace the plastic cap & rubber knob cover. After you've done this once or twice you realize it's easier than it sounds!

I normally use a Daiwa BG 4000, wanted a second reel to play with so went with the Okuma Bait Feeder. First thing I noticed with a fish on was the handle felt kind of flimsy. Could just be that I'm spoiled with the Daiwa. Caught a couple dozen fish on it with no problems. The 2nd drag is a really neat feature. My only other complaint is the BF drag sound is very quiet.

The baitrunner works great, I just wish it was as loud as bait alerts on casting reels. With that being said, it casts and reels very smoothly. I’m probably getting 10% further casting. For the value, durability, and balance I highly recommend it.

I've had this about a year now and fish exclusively salt water. It looks and functions like new after a few hundred fish including a 59lb and 45lb fish. I had to max out the drag on both fish and it still functioned smoothly, eventually turning them around after nearly being spooled. Great reel for the money. I own almost 100 reels, some that cost ten to twenty times this one so I think I'm a qualified reviewer.

Helluva good BIG $100.00 reel for $40.00Holds 800 yds , 80lb braidReady for BIG fish in surf or boat 🤠