I was wondering if anyone out there has this reel and what they think of it. I was thinking on picking up the smaller one and using it for steelhead fishing. Thanks
Mark

Good luck on getting a left handed one if that is what you want. I have one on back order siince the 9 th. of Jan.

When the Eon reel first came out in Basspro catalogs last October I ordered one mainly out of curiosity. At the time they said it was back ordered and would be available in time for Christmas, then Feb., then the end of March. A couple of weeks ago I sent Abu-Garcia an e-mail just wondering what the heck was going on. It seemed kind of odd they would start the marketing hype so far in advance of the availbility of the product. Anyway here is the reply I got.

Dear Angler,

Last summer, Abu Garcia unveiled the EON, a revolutionary new bait casting
reel that captured the attention of anglers everywhere.

When the EON was initially introduced, we fully anticipated that reels would
be widely available for the 2000 holiday season. However, as we geared up
to build EON reels in the quantities necessary to satisfy the huge demand,
we came to the difficult realization that a delay in production would be
necessary. In a "start-up" mode, we were unable to manufacture large
quantities of reels while still meeting the stringent design criteria and
high performance standards for which Abu Garcia is famous.

Production issues have now been resolved and raw materials and components of
desired quality will soon be available in ample supply to meet our
manufacturing needs. EON E3600 and E5600 reels will begin shipping again
from Sweden by early May. Left- handed models will follow soon thereafter
and the E6600 models will be available later this summer.

A relatively small number of EONs were shipped last year. These reels were
all hand assembled and passed several intense quality inspections before
they left our facility. To our knowledge, no "questionable" reels were
shipped to our customers. There was no product recall. Any rumors
concerning manufacturing or quality problems are directly attributable to
our decision to delay volume production which, unfortunately, resulted in
some very disappointed retailers and consumers.

We apologize for this delay and the resulting confusion and frustration.
The decision was difficult . . . . . but necessary. It will always be our
goal to design and build the world's best fishing reels. We take this
responsibility very seriously because that's what you expect from Abu
Garcia.

Thanks for your interest and watch for EONs soon at your favorite tackle
retailer.
Good Fishing!

Michelle