Performance meets great value with the Quantum Incyte (continued)
 

Casting: Using an ultralight trout rod matched with the Incyte, casting Berkley’s Atomic trout tubes and small 1/12 ounce Kastmasters wasn't a problem as long as you make sure to use the proper line weight and rod.

Good overall casting performance with the Incyte

One thing that I concentrated on here in the casting tests is to try to cast in any way that could potentially cause the bail to close. Cast after cast, overhead, sidearm, soft and hard, I wasn’t able to cause the bail to flip back over during a cast. For some spinning reels the bail would close on a hard cast but this isn’t of a concern with the Quantum Incyte that I field tested.

A spare spool is included

Included with the Incyte spinning reel are two spools. The primary spool is well dressed with red highlights and is ported. It’s a three-piece design and has a Titanium lip. The spare spool is a one-piece aluminum spool that doesn’t have all the detailing you see on the main spool, but it is still pretty sweet. In our tests these two spools both produced smooth and good casting distances with the lures mentioned above.

Another look at the primary spool

The three piece spool with the Titanium lip and the spare spool have the same weight of 1.2 ounces. From the looks of it when you put both spools side by side, the main spool which is ported definitely looks lighter but in reality they both weigh the same. Structurally the spare spool seems to be more solid since there are no drilled out holes and it is interesting that the porting doesn't result in a lighter spool.

Retrieves are smooth and wobble-free

Retrieve: Out of the box and first time on the water the Quantum Incyte feels surprisingly smooth. Each turn of the handle is velvety and no matter what speed you crank, the spool and rotor remains balanced and uniform without the feel of distortion or wobbling. Months later and after working countless trout lures, the reel still performed as if it just came out of the box, even under the load of a fighting fish. Though the Incyte isn’t in Quantum’s PT series, its eleven bearing system along with rigid and precisely machined components add up to a quality package, and I have to say for $59.99 the reel is quite impressive.

A nicely machined aluminum handle

Quantum’s Anti-Reserve system does a good job at stopping the rotor from going backwards when switched on. On both retrieve and stop, the reel is very reassuring and there is no play to delay quick hooksets.

The main gear

Line twists are caused by various things and not just the reel itself. The rod, reel, lure, line, and user all contribute to the formula. There are reels that I’ve used that no matter what you do or change you’ll still experience line twists. The Incyte is an inspiring spinning reel with a familiar spool and line roller design that does a good job at mitigating against this issue. Trout lures are notorious at causing line twists but from the months I have used this reel on stocked trout in lakes, the Incyte never gave me any problems.

Components are made with precision