Garcia Admiral

[Brian F.]

Just happened to run across this comment on Joe's re: the Garcia Admiral reel:

...this reel was made back in the 1950s for the Scandinavian market because of an influx of large tuna that began showing up in the eastern Baltic sea. To be competitive in the market, Abu imported a reel just like this one that had their name (ABU) on it. I would think that since Garcia was ABU's sole US distributor, this is the reason for the name "Garcia" Admiral. The tuna left the area a few short years later and so did ABU's offering of this reel. The sizes that I'm aware of are, 4/0, 6/0, and 7.5/0. I believe there were larger sizes offered. Contact Wayne at He has a nice collection of these type reels and can give you better info. on them.

I am interested in the story about tuna coming and going and will look into that.

[Dr. Rob]

Yes, that's about right. Who wrote it? (sorry; i don't read Joe's site)

Usually, anything on the internet about the Everol / ABU / Garcia Admirals has my name on it, including Wayne Real's site.

The bit about the giant bluefin tuna fishery is almost right. Really it is the Atlantic, along the Swedish coast from Norway and down between Denmark & Sweden, not the Baltic. Look up words like Öresund, Kattegatt and Skagerrak.

The tuna fishery was a huge bonanza, bringing all the greats... Kip Farrington, Mitchell Henry, Prince Edward, Hemingway they say, Zane Grey too. *

The fishing bonanza in the 40's-50's-60's proved too popular apparently, because the bonanza suddenly ended in 1963, when a giant bluefin was caught. It was the last one. Period.

AbuBo might know more.

Doc.



* or so they say


& PS, the reel was probably made very close to 1964.

[Brian F.]

Thanks Doc. Can't recall who wrote it. Unfortunately, Joe's site usually doesn't save more than a day's messages. I was intrigued by the statement that the tuna actually showed up one day in a place where you didn't normally see them and then eventually disappeared. Wondered what conditions (bait of course) lead up to the bonanza. If someone took the event out of reference and showed up in the middle of that period of plenty then witnessed a decline, they'd probably get the wrong idea.

[Dr. Rob]

Well, i think the tuna were there long before any fishermen. I don't know why; maybe it was part of an annual migratory pattern or breeding ground or vacation or something.

I have a book about it that i will look for later.

[ABU Freak]

The ABU Admiral reels are not from the 1950's but mid 1960's so far as I found out. Wayne Real has one of each size of them. I once found this advert in an old Hardy catalog dated 1966. The reel looks identically to the ABU / Garcia Admiral.

Regards Derrik

[Dr. Rob]

Some pics & info for Brian:

[Brian F.]

Thanks Doc!

[ABUBO]

Well, i think the tuna were there long before any fishermen. I don't know why; maybe it was part of an annual migratory pattern or breeding ground or vacation or something.

I have a book about it that i will look for later.

Hi Doc,

Right ... it was here long before. Back then and up into the early 1900's, nobody ate Tuna .. nobody (says a story on tuna-fishing from Scandinavian Tuna Club - in Danish).

Any new info/improvments on the tun story .. maybe from the book you mentioned, Doc?

AFAIK, and as I'm sure many of you know, back then the Atlantic Tuna went into the waters of Skagerrak and from there further into The Sound between Denmark and Sweden. They were chaseing wast schools of Mackarell's also gathering there (to spawn I guess).

One day some eager sportfisherman tried catching one on a reel and rod. He succeded in doing that, and many more followed - the rest is history.

Unfortunately, humans then caught too many of the latter - of the Mackarell's = soon there were too few of them to show up in the waters of The Sound and of Skagerrak. Too few for the Atlantic Tuna to eat, so they 'decided' NOT to follow them anymore. No Mackarell - no Tuna

Though . in short - the Atlantic Tuna are in fact back into the Scandinavian waters today, and have been so for 4-5 years now. Not that many, but enough to be fished scientificaly i.e. by C&R on reel/rod after assessing weight and length and some are/were tagged too. This to get enough knowledge to be able to find out if the tuna population can sustain commercial fishing a.w.a. some sportfishing - or not.

Some are caught by commercial fishermen and sold for human consumption, but it's still illegal to (try to) catch them on a reel & rod. The Environmental Agencies in Scandinavia (and/or EU?) have to decide what to allow and what not to allowwhenit comes to that, depending on what the assessments of the population/migration show.

Hope this helps.
Thx, Bo