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The reels are not made in Sweeden though. They are "engineered" in Sweden. But I think they are actually made in China. Not that it really matters or impacts the reel. But I just always found it a little misleading. Now wether "engineered" just means designed in sweeden? Im not 100% sure. But I cant see them machining the gears in sweeden just to ship the parts to China for assembly. Vic

Agreed! The articles on your website has helped me immensely especially the one on baitcasters. Thank you Vic

I see that many of the people who have qualms with quantum reels have tried them about 14-15 years ago. At least that is what I have read here. Honestly for me, 15 years is a long time and from that time a lot of changes can happen. But I can also understand how people wouldnt want to be burned 2x by the same company. But a lot of changes can be made in a decade and a half I would think. Vic

Hey all! I just wanted to give everyone an update. Thanks to all your help and suggestions, I tried out a few rods and decided on a 6wt Temple fork outfitters Lefty kreh TiCr-X rod. I also got an Okuma integrity reel and some scientific angler Ultra 4 line (6wt). It casts sooooo nicely! I havent attached a fly on it yet. Just been practicing but I will post up the first bass I catch with it. Also I actually went with a 7'6 rod rather than the 9 foot. I planned on fishing some tight spots and the 9 footer seemed to much for me to get into some tight areas. I love it so far. Thanks everyone again! This forum really is great Victor

Quantum isnt even listed on the poll one the homepage for best reels I noticed. Not that it would have been my first vote... but still. Vic

A lot of people have a bad impression of Quantum. From what I hear it was much deserved and they put out a lot of junk for a while. That stigma sticks for a while. The company changed hands since then but still unable to throw out the stigma. I myself like the new quantums and I have purchased them at the suggestion of my rod and reel shop and I havent been dissappointed since. Vic

Hey all, Again thanks for the great advice. Im about to head to the rod shop this weekend. Also, one thing I just thought about in regards to lures and flys; Will I still be able to cast the larger lures such as foam poppers and frogs using a 5-6 wt rod/line? Or would it be better to go with the 7-8wt to throw these larger lures? Vic

Hey I just tried the site and it is no longer availble. Is it out of commission? Thanks Vic

This is great advice from everyone and I really appreciate it I think im going to head for a 5-6 wt rod. Most of the bass I catch are within the 3-6 pound range. A few 8-9's when Im lucky. The only issue is finding the right lures to match the rod and line. But will a 5 wt rod handle an 8 pound bass ok? Or should I stick with the 6wt? I pretty much ruling out the 8wt rod at this point. Im sure the rod shop will help me also choose somethign good but I like to get better informed before going in there and save some of their time. Vic

Hey Ghoti, This is exactly the kinda info that I was looking for. Can I ask why you prefer the 6wt to the 8wt? I was reading about the 8t also but was wondering if a 6wt or 7 wt wouldnt be better for a beginer. I do plan on going to a rod and reel arround here for the rod. I just like the way they take the time to help me out always and I like to support the local businesses. Thanks for all the tips so far everyone! This is great stuff. Vic

Hey thanks for the advice guys. I really think that I am going to give this a shot. Its an investment into the rod and line but it really does look like fun when I watch it on TV and read about it. Nothing like giving it a shot on my own. What kind of action do you guys recommend? A medium action for a beginer? I cant wait to try this out over the summer. Vic

Hey everyone, I just read a pretty interesting article in Field and Stream about fly fishing for largemouth. It recommended some gear and a 8wt rod. I wanted to see if anyone else here has flyfished for largemouth and what equiptment they used. It seems like a lot of fun and something to really practice and get into. Thanks for any info Vic

What stuff did you try so far? Did you try Magic Eraser with denatured alcohol? It might be dyed though. I don't know what would be a good way to get dye off. Vic

For me its more about cleaning off all the dead skin cells and oils that build up on the rod. Im by no means a clean freak or a germ-a-phobe. But the thought of having a thick buildup of dead skin cells and oil is kind of gross to me. Vic

Anytime! I am so glad I found these message boards and they helped me a lot. Have fun! Vic

Im also pretty new to baitcasters myself but I find it to be a lot more accurate than a spin caster. I find that I am able to toss at angles that I can never throw with my spinner. The best way to compare it I think is with a baseball/softball analogy. For me a spinning reel is like lobbing a softball. A baitcaster is more like throwing a fastball down the pipe. At least thats just my personal observations. Vic

Hey Ok heres the deal on the dropping to the floor thing. I was confused at first also but after doing it a few times and re-reading the articles I finally got it. First turn the knob as loose as you can (this is experiment only so you can see what your looking for). THen drop your plug free and let it drop to the floor. Now while your dropping, pay attention to your spool. Dont look at the plug. When the plug hits the floor, notice how your spool keeps spinning and causing a backlash? This is what you want to adjust. Now get rid of that backlash and adjust the knob tighter. Now you want it tight enough that when the plug hits the floor, that reel only slightly turns (thus not backlashing). The plug should fall slowly to the ground. This is the 1/4 turn your looking for. As far as casting a mile, once its set right and you practice with a looser setting and training your thumb better, you will notice the increase in distance and accuracy. Some tips that were extremely helpful to me is to release the spool SOONER than you would a spinner gear. Otherwise you get a short cast that goes down at an angle like your spiking a football or something. Another thing is in the articles that shows you where your thumb position should be at the end of your followthrough. Baitcasting gave my fishing a whole new meaning. But it took a little figuring out to get used to it. Good luck and enjoy Victor

Hey thanks for the insight It was something I was always curious about. I like the look of the split grip also, but I cast a lot using the middle section of the handle where the split would be so it was always impractical for me to get one. Thanks again Vic

Hey everyone, Im trying to learn more about rods and rod options. Can anyone fill me in on the benifits of having a split grip handle? Is it for weight reduction and better balance? Thanks for any info! Vic

I carve the depth and other information on the lip of the lure with an exacto knife. Be careful though! But that never rubs off no matter how hard you try.

Hey everyone, I have been reading a lot about balancing your rod. How does this help? I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but I want to see if balancing my rod will actually help me in my casting and fishing. I usually only throw soft plastics or crank baits. I usually cast side arm or underhanded. Will balancing my rod help me reduce fatigue or something? In other words, what are the benefits? Thanks for any help! Vic

From what I heard they were really hitting the gutter. But they were bought by another company that turned it arround. Again just something I heard from my local rod and reel.

You know, After thinking about it and reading the article from tackletours. I think im going to give this line a shot and decide for myself. Partly what heled was seeing that the line that I thought looked the best according to that site cost 40$ a roll haha. Thanks for the help everyone Vic

Hey thanks for the tip. Im going to return it to the store right now and change it for something else

hey thanks for the advice I had no idea what the difference was between the two. Vic