Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3818 August 16-30 | Page 20

18
August 16-30, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 18
What’s Happening • What’s New
What’s
Hot!
Sponsered by:
Quantum Reels The Right Choice For The Delta and Rivers
than not. Plus, I
Fishing on the California Delta is heating up. There have
think it’s easier on
been many fantastic reports of striper fishing in the region
already and salmon are expected to show up in great numbers the reel when you
don’t have to tighten
very soon. In addition, fishing a frog for bass
your drag too tight.
has been phenomenal.
In this article we are going to breakdown four I believe the drags
will last longer
different reels by Quantum that will have you
which leads to the
prepared for whatever you decide to fish for on the
topic of durability.
delta.
I’ve been fishing
In my opinion, the most important features of a reel is the
the Smoke HD and
castability, drag, comfort, and durability.
Vapor 100 for two
As we know, baitcasting reels can be somewhat challenging at times.
years now and they
However, the technology in the Smoke Heavy Duty and the Vapor 100 make
have proved to be
it easy to cast a baitcasting reel. I’ve had a lot of experience
Abby Marlan shows off a nice striper caught last Fall on the
very durable. I’ve California Delta.  
casting a baitcasting reel, it is second nature for me. I can
Photo Courtesy of Ernie Marlan
caught salmon
make long casts with both the Smoke HD and Vapor 100 and
on the river
find them quite easy to use. However, because
and stripers on the delta with these reels. In fact, this past November and
of my experience, it may not be fair for
December we found some of the best striper fishing that I’ve found in years.
me to say that these reels cast
The size and numbers of fish was absolutely amazing. We put these reels to
extremely well. In light of that,
the test and they performed beautifully and still are. These two reels are built to
what I chose do to was spool 50
QUANTUM SMOKE
last and from my experience, they are doing just that.
lb braid on a Smoke Heavy Duty
HEAVY DUTY
The other consideration when deciding on a reel
teamed it up with a InShore Smoke 7ft
Rod and put a Livingston topwater bait on it and gave it to is how comfortable is it in your hand and whether or not
QUANTUM
you can you fish it all day without it wearing you out. The
my 13 year old daughter. Yes, she has been fishing with
VAPOR 100
Smoke HD is a low profile reel that fits comfortably in
me for several years and has a few years of experience
your hand and only weighs 6.9 oz so you can fish it all
casting a baitcaster but I thought it would be great to see
day without feeling fatigue. It also is holds
how she did with the reels. I handed her the rod and reel
230 yards of 30 lb braid or 180 yards of 12
and said “let’s see what you got.” She is very competi-
lb mono. The Vapor 100 weighs 6.7 oz.
tive and those words got her competitive juices flowing
The bottom line is that these two reels have
so when she tried to cast, the bait flew about 30 feet and
great line capacity, don’t weigh much and are
the reel ended up with a slight “bird nest.” We laughed,
very comfortable to fish with all day long.
fixed her reel, and she made her second cast. This time, it
If you are considering a spinning reel here a couple different options.
was accurate and at a good distance. She made several
My favorite is the Smoke PT Saltwater 30 SZ spin reel. This reel is built for
other casts and in a short amount of time, she was casting
saltwater so you know that it’s durable and will last a long time. The 20 lb drag is
like a pro.
extremely smooth and has handled stripers up to 18 lbs with no problem for me. It
I then handed her the Quantum Vapor 100 baitcasting
has great line capacity with ability to hold 220 yards of 20 lb braid. It
reel. It was also spooled with 50 lb braid with the Inshore
weighs 8.3 oz and has a gear ratio of 6.0:1.
Smoke 7ft Rod. She picked up where she left off with the
Another favorite spinning reel is the VAPOR PT 25SZ. It has 18 lbs of
Smoke HD. She had fantastic distance when casting this
amazing drag and can hold 160 yds of 20 lb braid or 150 yards of 8 lb
reel and it performed beautifully.
test monofilament.
We know that these reels can cast but the most
Fishing in Northern California is starting to heat up. Stripers
important thing is can it handle a big fish? The
and Salmon will be here in huge numbers soon. Do you have
Smoke HD has 25 lbs of drag. The Vapor 100
the right gear? Make sure to shop your local dealers for
has 18 lbs of drag. I will add that these drags
Quantum reels and if they don’t carry Quantum ask them to
are smooth especially when you have a big fish
consider bringing them in. You can also visit www.quan-
on. The truth is that you will probably never need
VAPOR
tumfishing.com.
25 lbs or 18 lbs of drag but it’s better to have it
SMOKE PT
SALTWATER
30SZ
SPIN
REEL
PT 25SZ
SPINNING REEL
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