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A small Scandinavian reel maker is set to take on the musky world in the US following a distribution deal with the world’s largest retailer of its kind.
Swedish brand Svivlo will have its reels on the shelves of the Musky Shop, a business-based in Minocqua, Minnesota, which has been supplying ‘everything musky’ since 1989.
At the core of the deal is Svivlo’s CastGuard feature on its reel which totally eliminates the age-old problem of backlash as well as removes all the needs of constant adjustments based on the casting situation, and forced use of thumb. Shop owner Jim Stewart (left) told Angling International: “The anti-backlash feature is awesome and a gamechanger for us.”
Svivlo came onto the company’s radar following a conversation between Stewart and well-known musky guide and blogger Steven Paul who recommended the reels and its CastGuard feature. Paul had met Svivlo owner Patrik Zander at the Angling International LIVE show in Budapest and immediately spotted the invention’s potential.
“The reel we tested – Genesis ONE – pretty much had everything you need for musky fishing. As the world’s largest musky shop, we are very excited to be carrying the Svivlo reels. Bringing them in is a no-brainer.”
Stewart added that he can’t wait for the musky season to start, but pointed out that the reels are also a great size for tackling Northern pike.
Zander added: “It is hugely important for us to get our first authorised dealer and demo centre in the USA. Having the world’s largest musky shop is a quality stamp of approval and a bridgehead into the market.
“The US is strange as its anglers love innovation but at the same time are very conservative unless the innovation comes from a well known brand. There are a lot of brand-loyal fishermen over there.
“We need to find resellers like the Musky Shop, be persistent at ICAST, sponsor second-tier anglers and work hard to be successful in the US. We would never approach the market without a disruptive technology like CastGuard.”
Zander added that Europe remains Svivlo’s major market where it is building a stronghold. “Sweden has finally accepted our technology and this point was underlined at the recent Sportfiskemässan show. We no longer have to chase influencers – they come to us.”
Zander added that Svivlo has overcome the credibility barrier. “Our biggest challenge was that no one believed us. It has changed in Sweden as anglers have bought the reels and say that we have delivered on our promises.
“Over the years anglers have been promised backlash-free reels, but no one has been able to deliver. Now we have, and people have questioned how a small company in Sweden has been able to do that when none of the larger vendors can.”
