That was my first quality reel back in the 50's. I still have and use it. I have 20 lb line on it when going for redfish.Practiced for my upcoming shoot, ran some errands, and did some shopping. Stopped at a rummage sale because I saw fishing rods sticking out of a box. The rods were nothing special, but in the bottom of a box was a nice older red Abu Ambassadeur 5000 bait casting reel. The price tag was 15 bucks. I looked closely at the level wind shaft and it looked good. I offered 10 and was told, "Sure".
Got home later and tore it down for a good cleaning and lubing. This is a late 1950's vintage Ambassadeur and internally it looks like new. Likewise with the grime scrubbed off the exterior looks great also. Kind of made my day.
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It will work good for catfish.Ebay is full of them. I hunted for a long ultra light rod for years but eneryone made them 4.5-5.5ft long. My son found one on line that's 9 ft long. Love it! You can play large fish on 2 or 4 lbs test line if you have enough rod and it's soft enough.
I have more tackle than Carter's got little liver pills, but for 10 bucks? I really like Ambassadeur reels. I have several left from back when I Muskie fished hard in the 80's and 90's. Mostly 6000's and 6500's. Spooled with 36# braided dacron. I used a 5500 late in the season with 17# mono when I was fishing jigs and plastics for Muskies after Labor Day. I used to have a bunch of spare parts and with simple care and maintenance they gave years and years of service.It will work good for catfish.