Al Lindner’s Been Spinning for 56 years

You know, it’s kind of amazing to remember back that far, but it’s true, my older brother Ron sent me a spinning reel from Europe during his time in the U.S. Army back in 1955. I was 10-years old, and literally, they’ve been a part of my life ever since.

As I sit here at my desk looking over a spreadsheet detailing the TV shows we’re about to shoot, I realize that a good 60-percent of the upcoming trips will require Quantum spinning tackle. Whether it’s walleye, panfish, or big water smallmouth, spinning reels will fit the bill best in our Angling Edge pursuits.

In fact, I did an informal survey with my angling obsessed co-workers, and they confirmed that they use a spinning reel to make at least half of the casts in a given year.

But I will tell ya’ — my spinning reels and I haven’t always been in the majority crowd. Back in the early 1970s when I was fishing in B.A.S.S. events, legendary pro angler Billy Westmoreland and I were about the only two guys that competed largely with spinning reels.

Westmoreland and I faired well – largely because we had a niche advantage over the baitcasting crowd back then. We were able to use lighter lines, and essentially compete with finesses tactics long-before they were seen as a viable way to catch a heavy limit under tough conditions.

In the early 1970s however, the reels weren’t nearly the quality they are today. We actually carried spare bail springs just to keep them running, and the drag systems were infamous for failing, sticking, and causing lines to break on big fish.

The Quantum Tour Edition and Energy reels that I’m using today have ceramic heat-resistant drag systems that are flawless, and magnetic trip bail systems that are fail-proof too. It’s truly a privilege to fish with such quality equipment.

To me, spinning reels offer a lot of advantages. From the ability to fish lighter lines with them, to the simple fact they are more intuitive to learn how to use, and even the fact that they function more ergonomically friendly in your hand. They are a part of me. And they have been for 56 years.

This article originally appeared on http://www.quantumfishing.com.

Quantum Fishing

Dedication, intensity, continual learning and improvement – the same elements that put Quantum pros at the top in professional angling drive the Performance Tuned philosophy. It's a deep-down committment to be the best.

But Performance Tuned is much more than a mindset. It is a rigorous process realized in one of the most advanced tackle testing facilities in the U.S. Stop by the Quantum lab and you'll see we're literally millions of casts, hooksets and drag-burning runs ahead of the competition. Clutch systems are placed in a medical-grade laboratory freezer to ensure your anti-reverse is rock-solid no matter how cold it gets. Saltwater products are tested for corrosion resistance in a super-humid salt chamber more sweltering than any day you'll ever spend on deck. And rods have every fiber of their backbone placed under extreme weight load inside a Plexiglas chamber. Sometimes they shatter. It only helps us make a better product in the end.

These accelerated torture tests help us pinpoint weaknesses and eliminate them one by one until you're left with a superior breed – highly evolved, and constantly improving. Just like the skills of Kevin VanDam, Gary Klein, Gerald Swindle and anyone who takes fishing as seriously as we do.

That's Performance Tuned. That's testing and fishing at a Quantum level.