Deciding on fishing equipment is important and often tricky because there are so many options to choose from. This review, by Simon Day, is the Abu Garcia "Ambassadeur" BG 7000 HS multiplier.

This is one seriously nice reel and is without a doubt the best multiplier I've bought to date.

I have only recently started to use multipliers again after a long gap. I had already bought two other multipliers in the £40 to £60 range but I wasn't happy with either of them. I decided to go beyond the £100 mark and see just how much better a multiplier reel can go. The difference was amazing!

Because I'm using a multiplier after a long gap I was having problems with back lashing on the other two, especially at night. I do not have the same problem with this one at all.

The Mag Brake system works really, really well. The backlash protection this reel gives is excellent. A high setting will limit the distance of your cast but if you're new to multipliers a high setting initially will help you get used to casting without the hassle of a backlash every cast. once you're more comfortable with casting you can start reducing the brake until you reach the setting which gives you the best distance with the least amount of backlash. At night is when I have problems with birds nests so I tend to add a couple of notches to help. The brake has 10 different settings so you have a lot of options depending on the conditions and time of day.

I do quite a lot of night fishing and will often be using multiple rods. The bite clicker on this reel is really loud and it's very hard to miss a fish taking your line. Out of all the reels I own this one rates as the best one.

The build quality is superb and it just seems obvious a lot of thought has gone into this reel. Without a doubt this is my most favorite reel. With a price tag of around the £100 to £130 price range it's quite expensive but for me the extra cost is well worth it!

Technical Info
(from worldseafishing.com)

The gears are precision brass and as tough as they come with a retrieve ratio of 4.1:1. The drag uses HT100 fibre type discs working between stainless steel washers. The drag is precise, has a long range of adjustment, and impossible to fault.

The reel sports a large free spool "push down to engage" button on the right side-plate that is easy to use when the hands are wet, cold and covered in slippery bait juices. There is also a free spool ratchet alarm situated on the left side-plate that gives excellent audible noise to signal a running fish when the reel is deliberately left in free spool mode to encourage shy biting fish like conger to run with the bait.

The 7000 series is easy to set up for peak casting performance. Until you get used to the reel, stick with the four medium sized brake blocks the reel is fitted with, but add some 30-grade motor oil to the bushes. This damps the speed of the spool down and makes casting easier.

More proficient casters will get away with just two medium blocks and flood the bushes with normal 20-50 motor oil. This is the combination that gives maximum distance with good braking performance using 5 to 6oz leads and big baits.

There is no need to tighten the spindle adjustment knobs on the side-plates. Ideally the spool should just move or "rock" slightly sideways inside the end caps. The brake blocks and oil give all the braking you'll need.

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