Brandwave

Abu Garcia vs Shimano Fishing:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Abu Garcia had more branded searches than Shimano Fishing among fishing rod brands worldwide. Abu Garcia had about 74,000 branded searches, while Shimano Fishing had 71,700. Abu Garcia made up 16.8% of all fishing rod brand searches we track, and Shimano Fishing accounted for 16.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fishing rod brands, Shimano Fishing appeared in three of the five answers and Abu Garcia in two. Shimano Fishing was mentioned before Abu Garcia in three out of four answers that named either.

Among fishing rod brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Abu Garcia and Shimano Fishing are searched for about as often as each other.

Abu Garcia 74K searchesShimano Fishing 71.7K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Shimano Fishing, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Abu Garcia in 2

Shimano Fishing in 3 of 5Abu Garcia in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Shimano Fishing, named ahead of Abu Garcia in 3 of 4 answers

Shimano Fishing first in 3Abu Garcia first in 1

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Top fishing rod brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Shimano Fishing was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Abu Garcia was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Shimano Fishing was listed before Abu Garcia in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Ugly Stik1st
  2. Daiwa2nd
  3. Shimano Fishing3rd
  4. St. Croix4th
  5. Penn5th
  6. Abu Garcia6th
  7. Fenwick7th
  8. G. Loomis8th
  9. Okuma–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Ugly Stik5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Daiwa4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • St. Croix4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Shimano Fishing3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Penn3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Abu Garcia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • G. Loomis2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fenwick2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Okuma0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about fishing rod brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Abu Garcia or Shimano Fishing more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Abu Garcia and Shimano Fishing by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine fishing rod brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Abu Garcia and Shimano Fishing among fishing rod brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Abu Garcia, Shimano Fishing. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDaiwaAbu GarciaShimano FishingOkumaUgly StikSt. CroixG. LoomisFenwickPenn
Oct 202531.5%17.3%16.7%14.1%9.5%6.3%2.8%1%0.68%
Nov 202533.1%14.9%17.6%14.9%8.1%6.7%3%1.1%0.71%
Dec 202531.8%17.4%15.9%14.3%9.5%6.4%2.9%1%0.68%
Jan 202632.8%14.7%17.4%14.7%8.1%6.6%3.6%1.3%0.71%
Feb 202634.3%12.6%17.2%15.4%8.4%6.9%3.1%1.7%0.61%
Mar 202629.3%16.1%15.6%13.1%10.7%8.8%3.9%1.8%0.78%
Apr 202625.1%16.8%15.4%11.2%16.8%9.2%3.4%1.5%0.67%
May 202628.9%15.8%14.5%10.6%15.8%8.7%3.2%1.7%0.77%
Jun 202624.2%19.7%14.8%10.8%16.2%8.9%3.2%1.4%0.79%
Jul 202626.3%17.6%16.1%11.8%14.4%7.9%3.5%1.6%0.86%
Aug 202627.6%15.2%16.9%12.4%15.2%6.8%3.7%1.4%0.9%
Sep 202630.6%16.8%16.3%13.7%11.2%6.2%3.4%1%0.82%

How has the Abu Garcia and Shimano Fishing comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 6 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Shimano Fishing took it in November 2025, Abu Garcia took it in December 2025, Shimano Fishing took it in January 2026, Abu Garcia took it in March 2026, Shimano Fishing took it in August 2026, Abu Garcia took it in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Abu Garcia’s share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide moved from 17.3% to 16.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 74K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shimano Fishing’s share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide moved from 16.7% to 16.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 71.7K.

How did search popularity change for fishing rod brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Abu Garcia overtook Shimano Fishing to rank 2nd among fishing rod brands worldwide, with 16.8% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Shimano Fishing lost share of searches among fishing rod brands worldwide, from 16.9% to 16.3%.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Abu Garcia’s and Shimano Fishing’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Abu Garcia

1 branded search term

  • abugarcia

Shimano Fishing

3 branded search terms

  • shimano fishing
  • shimano reel
  • shimanofishing

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among fishing rod brands

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