By John Geiger
Special to BassFan

Until now, the Premier was Abu Garcia's top-of-the-line spinning reel in its Revo lineup. Now, like its bait casters, Abu Garcia has upped the quality (and price) of the top-shelf spinning reel, called the MGX.

I was impressed by the smooth gear system of the MGX right off the bat. Game & Fish Magazine had recently published a spinning-rod and -reel review (June 2015, pg. 12), so I took those 2014 reels to compare. The MGX was the smoothest of the bunch, by far, and extremely light compared to the others.

“That’s the difference you feel when you’re turning the handle,” said Andrew Wheeler, product manager for Abu Garcia. “The precision gearing is cut by CNC machine as opposed to being stamped like others do.”

That may not seem like a great reason to drop – gulp – $299.99 on a spinning reel, but it’s just one of a several features that make this reel tough to pass up.

After some first impressions, the pre-spawn smallmouth bass at Sturgeon Bay were our first targets with the new reels. The drags gave up line in a consistent way when a big smallie refused to come to the boat. Even when tightened down, line didn’t come off in a herky-jerky way.

The reel also has a redesigned spool lip and a new bail angle for better distance casting. Even the handle, a slick, stout carbon-fiber number, screams quality and style.

If you are still wary about a nearly $300 price tag, Abu made it easy to back off on a few features but still get a lot of quality in its previous flagship spinning reel, the Premier.

The reel has been updated for 2015 with features nearly identical to the MGX, but not as light (6.8 ounces versus 7.2 ounces for 30-sized reels). The Premier will sell for about $249. Revo will also offer still others, down to the basic Revo SX, which will have a street price of less than $150.

The stylish MGX might not be the reel you’d buy if you occasionally use a spinning reel in your fishing arsenal. If you do a lot of finesse fishing, cast-and-retrieve from dawn to dusk and value the latest technology, then the MGX is worth a spin.

Geiger is the Senior Editor for Game & Fish/Sportsman Magazines.