Are Curados Really That Good? 2025
CYP reply :
It seems like a bunch of you guys gush like school girls over Justin Bieber about these reels. Im brand new to baitcasters I have never held one (Curado), never fished one (Curado). I have looked at tons of review and tons of articles and only one thing really sticks out to me. The plastic drag star. It bothers me a lot. I don't know why but does it make a difference to you guys? Do they break? Are there other plastic components? Yes I will get out to actually touch one but I'm just curious as to exactly why these reels are so good that it seems like a bunch of you would throw your lures at it on stage.
Thanks!
CYP
Wbeadlescomb reply :
In my experience any shimano from the citica on up will last you a looooong time before it needs any work. In my experience a shimano might not feel as smooth as other reels in the store but once you are actually fishing with it the reel is hard to beat.
Jig Man reply :
I like them because of their dependability. I used my old ones hard for 15 years, cleaned them up and sold them for nearly what I gave for them. Not one of them ever had to have a part replaced.
I switched to new ones when the Es came out. I may never buy another reel because they seem to be as dependable as the old ones that I had.
I never found that with the D and G brands.
MarkH024 reply :
They are solid, proven work horse reels. They're smooth and you can upgrade them easily for little cost. Fish one and in time you'll understand why guys love them.
The thing about plastic drag star is that if you break one you're way too rough on your gear. If you're that rough on your stuff, you might as well buy $30 bait casters and throw them out each season. I treat my gear very good and I have Curados over 4 years old that look brand new and perform flawlessly. They both do not have the plastic drag star but wouldn't really bother me to be honest if they did. The plastic drag star is a bit blown out of proportion in my eyes. I have other brands with plastic stars and have never had issues with them.
If you're fishing a reel below Curado price point, you're more than likely fishing with more plastic than Curado users anyway.
lmbfisherman reply :
A lot of people still use the Curado CU200B and it is still part of my rotation. I can still sell them for a decent price (80) one guy wanted to buy it from me right then and there... but I refused. The thing is a tank!
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
Doesnt bother me a bit i love my,curado awesome,reel on the water. Hasnt gave me any trouble. Im not a loyal shimano guy i,use,lews sp33d spools and revos. Love them all. Treat your reels right,theyll last and dependable for years.
john81 reply :
I have used the G series(most people hate) for a while now all in saltwater and haven't had any issue's. Mostly used to vertical jig striped bass and seabass. Have caught fish to 40lbs on it. Still works great after hundreds of fish and abuse
B@ssCrzy reply :
Yes. They are that good. I am speaking of the E series. Buy one and fish with it. If you don't like it you can sell it on this forum for about the same amount of money that you paid for it. Looks like the new I series is back to the quality of the E series, but only time will tell that.
tomustang reply :
Touch one, play with one and find out. If you say you read about them a lot, even a thread you started isn't going to make a difference.
The whole plastic drag star complaint is a joke, there's nothing wrong with it.
roadwarrior reply :
A long history of excellence and innovation.
Chris186 reply :
I will say that the old style green ones are hard to beat. Those things were bullet proof. I cant comment on the newer ones however, I stopped using Shimanos after I had 2 POS Citicas break on me. They were bought 4 months apart, 2 months after I bought the second one the first one broke. Then about 3 weeks later the second one broke. After that, I said no more Shimano reels.
Fishes in trees reply :
The short answer is "yes". Shimano reels are good reels. Should you purchase a reel that says "SHIMANO" on the side of it, your self esteem will improve and you will be a better person. .. .. for a while.
J Francho reply :
The "plastic" star drives a brass drag nut. The plastic they use is tougher than any soft aluminum alloy. It's funny, the old Curado B series had a plastic star - no one complained about that. There are Elite pros still fishing them.
CYP reply :
On 2/27/2014 at 12:30 AM, J Francho said:The "plastic" star drives a brass drag nut. The plastic they use is tougher than any soft aluminum alloy. It's funny, the old Curado B series had a plastic star - no one complained about that. There are Elite pros still fishing them.
Im not complaining, just stood out to me. You guys are making me feel much better about it.
rbreedi1 reply :
The reason I love my shimanos is the dependability. When I fish I know they are going to be ready to get through the day. Never once have I had any issues that deemed them unfishable. I cant say that for other manufacturers that I have used over the years.
Paulasaurus reply :
I have a Curado E7(metal drag star) and a Chronarch E5(plastic drag star). Both reels perform great and I don't think the plastic drag star on the Chronarch takes away from its performance or reliability one bit.
Raul reply :
On 2/26/2014 at 11:30 PM, CYP said:It seems like a bunch of you guys gush like school girls over Justin Bieber about these reels. Im brand new to baitcasters I have never held one (Curado), never fished one (Curado). I have looked at tons of review and tons of articles and only one thing really sticks out to me. The plastic drag star. It bothers me a lot. I don't know why but does it make a difference to you guys? Do they break? Are there other plastic components? Yes I will get out to actually touch one but I'm just curious as to exactly why these reels are so good that it seems like a bunch of you would throw your lures at it on stage.
Thanks!
CYP
As anything in this world, s*t can happen and some of the graphite parts can break, the same goes to aluminum, it can bend and break, however, I don´t know about the latest Curados series, but until the G series Curados are THAT good at an affordable price. If wanted something better and had the money the next step was the Chronarch but it cost at least 50% more than the Curado.
Teal reply :
I'm a Lews guys, but in my opinion, the curado has set the bar industry wide for durable work horse reels that perform well. No frills and bells just flat out performance where it counts. I've had a couple of the Bs and I still have one .. right now with the sales on them. It would be a good reel to have. Can't go wrong with Shimano. Especially when Curado is available for 100 or less.
Smallmouth Hunter reply :
The thing about a curado is you can grind and grind day after day fishing with it and it will not fail you. That goes for any shimano. You can put hours upon hours on a single reel and no problems.
Alonerankin2 reply :
Fish one hard for a year..... Breaks in... Smooth like butter... The harder I fish them... The better they get! I like a alloy drag star better... But I have both and never ever have broke a graphite one..
I have bent a alloy one for sure.
Best reel for the money.. You bet !
Shimano has a very long list of awesome fishing reels at just about any price
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
Plastic isn't such a dirty word word any more. There has been a lot of advancement in materials technology that has helped achieve the light weights we all like. I see a lot of reels and each manufacturer has features I like that would make the ultimate hybrid if it were possible to mix them together. You almost can't go wrong at the $150>price point. The Curado (including the G) is a work horse reel that performs well and best of all IMO is the simple Shimano design and user friendliness.
Hooked_On_Bass reply :
Yup.On 2/26/2014 at 11:38 PM, MarkH024 said:They are solid, proven work horse reels. They're smooth and you can upgrade them easily for little cost. Fish one and in time you'll understand why guys love them.
Another vote for the Curado! Great reels.
ww2farmer reply :
I like them. I have beat on my 51E's for several years now with nothing more than a wipe down/back off of the drag at the end of the year, and spool bearing cleaning/re-lube,plus occasional lube on the level wind gear during the season The finish is pretty durable on them too. These reels always seem to be on the deck of my boat, and not hidden away in the locker, and they still look great...................but I don't even know what they weigh down to the last fraction of an ounce..........LMAO.......so I am probably not to be trusted.
War Eagle 44 reply :
On 2/26/2014 at 11:37 PM, Jig Man said:I like them because of their dependability. I used my old ones hard for 15 years, cleaned them up and sold them for nearly what I gave for them. Not one of them ever had to have a part replaced.
I switched to new ones when the Es came out. I may never buy another reel because they seem to be as dependable as the old ones that I had.
I never found that with the D and G brands.
That last part surprises me, I think the D series is clearly the best all the way through the G series. Don't get me wrong here, I prefer to fish the E series reels on a day in day out basis but if I were given the ultimatum to pick one series of Curado's to fish for the rest of my life I'd go D series and wouldn't think twice. I'm fairly certain the E series would serve me just fine as well but I'm positive the D series would. This is, of course, assuming proper maintenance of both series when needed.
The new I series looks very very promising and I'm super excited to get my hands on one but I still have a little wait as the lefties won't be available until April.
roadwarrior reply :
The reels are worth additional investment. Consider supertuning your Curado.
rbreedi1 reply :
On 2/27/2014 at 4:56 AM, roadwarrior said:The reels are worth additional investment. Consider supertuning your Curado.
What do you recommend?
roadwarrior reply :
Carbontex drag washers (pads) and Shimano Ceramic ABEC 7 bearings.
Mine were done by Mike at DVT. Some other additions would be bearings
in the handles and internal polishing.
ColdSVT reply :
There is a reason that when someone says " green reel" people know they are talkin about a curado
Many many many boats have a curado on the deck. From recreational anglers to the most seasoned pros. The curado has been a staple in bass fishing since its ***.
I love my one curado e7...i wish i had ten of em!
ROCbass reply :
It's funny this topic came up. I joined the forums around the same time the E series was getting ready to come out, and I remember having similar thoughts about everyone swooning over their Curados. I was just thinking the other day how it didn't seem like there was really that much hype about the new I series in comparison to how I remember it from back then. Back then it seemed like you just about got laughed off the forum for recommending anything but a Shimano. I think now there's a lot more choices for quality reels with other manufacturers emerging and stepping up their game. That combined with the perceived drop off in quality from the E to the G series when they tried to lower the price point maybe has caused some of the former die hard shimano guys to be a little more open minded about other brands and slowed the hype down somewhat, but they are great reels (I have a 200 e5), and they still have plenty of fans.
TrippyJai reply :
I'm one of those guys who hates the plastic drag star because I've broken one and I've seen people break theirs as well. More importantly, it's about the feel and the plastic star flexes a little bit which I don't like. I adjust my drag all the time so I want something that feels solid.
As for as duribility goes, all my Shimanos have held up great and I clean them once a year.
WhiteMike1018 reply :
I heard the new curados they announced at the classic expos are expected to be really good.
Tackletour has sort of a "preview" review on them but they havent tested it on the water yet. They look great though
WdyCrankbait reply :
Curado was the first baitcaster for me that I could use well. I have a family of E series, supertuned by DVT. The VBS system is very foregiving to learn on. Once you get it adjusted, "Forget about it!" you're ready to catch some bass!!!
mjseverson24 reply :
The curado is one of the top reels on bang for your buck category. This new curado I seems like it is the first time in a while that Shimano is bringing some technology advancements to the curado line up with the X-ship and the SVS infinity breaking system. The previous models (before G) were designed to be bulletproof rock solid performers. This new one looks like they wanted to out do daiwa by placing higher end features on the curado. I am very impressed with this reels specs and am looking forward to the on the water performance reviews. I am also looking forward to seeing what kind of answer the other top reel manufacturers come up with for the I series. ( the drag star is a non factor for me)...
Mitch
John G reply :
If you don't like the drag star, you can replace it. I did what others have done and I replaced the graphite drag star on my 50E with a 200E aluminum drag star. I also added Scorpion XT1000 knob caps for a little more bling.
plumworm reply :
I have 8 Curado bantam 101's. Bought the 1st. in "97 and last '04. Other than a yearly cleaning, they have never seen a repair shop. Still work like the day I bought them. I would say I got my moneys worth considering how much I fish. Same with the Stradic, 2 100s-3 2500s and 1 4000. last one purchased in '06. By the way, all were $120.
thehooligan reply :
I've owned 3 201e7's, and 3 51e's. All amazing reels that led me to go higher in the chain to the core, conquests, and aldebarans. If I had a boat id probally have a few more curados rigged up, definitely the best workhorse reel for the money...
Nick49 reply :
It is fairly rare, but every so many years a reel comes along that even surprises the manufacturer. Once serious fishermen get their hands on it and the reputation is attained, the manufacturer realized that "actual value" was much higher than their initial price point. I think that is what happened in the case of the Curado E series. At the time, an outstanding reel at a great price. The Curados remain a fine reel, but now seem to be more in line with actual prices. On a smaller scale I think this phenomenon is occurring with the BPS Pro Qualifier which is one of the best reels for the dollar. IMO
down4ttown reply :
The short answer is simply..."does a bear **** in the woods?"
The new Curado I series is the ****. best reel I have felt in the $200 price range. I would even venture to say in the $300 price range, but I will reserve my judgement as I have not fished with the new Chronarch.
I own a Curado E series, a Chronarch E series, and a Curado I series. I have used them all for the same application at one point or the other. The I is by far superior to them all.
EvanT123 reply :
My first bait cast reel was an abu garcia orra s; my second was a chronarch 200e7 and too be honest there was not alot of difference in the overall functions of them.
They both cast the same, felt smooth, and had good drags. Where the shimano won me over was ease of operation. When people say it's set it and forget it that is the honest truth.
With the other brand I found myself putzing with the cast control, brake weights and side plate. Not a problem with the shimano. I might have to adjust the spool tension but only if there was a drastic change in lure weights say 1/4-3/4
I'd look for a used e series or if you got the coin get the new one; it does look very nice. Anyways I had the same questions as you op and the only way to answer that question was to buy one.
CYP reply :
Thanks for all the input. I guess in a few weeks ill pull the trigger on one each of the new I series.
frogflogger reply :
great reels - my only complaint was mine got stolen - other good reels right beside them but they went for the curados
Wbeadlescomb reply :
On 2/28/2014 at 3:21 AM, frogflogger said:great reels - my only complaint was mine got stolen - other good reels right beside them but they went for the curados
Can you blame them?
dam0007 reply :
Curados are rock solid, they simply work. No extra bells and whistles. Just a reel that does exactly what its intended to do. Another thing about Shimano alot of guys dont take into consideration, you can almost guarantee you can get parts for it 10, maybe even 15 years down the road. With exception of Daiwa, other brands parts dont come as easy just a year or two down the road.
J Francho reply :
Curado B, Curado E, Daiwa TD-A, Daiwa Zillion, Revo Premier Gen 1, are a few modern day reels that will always be a standouts. All are easy to maintain, bullet proof, and stood the test of time.
Smallmouth Hunter reply :
On 2/28/2014 at 10:37 PM, J Francho said:Curado B, Curado E, Daiwa TD-A, Daiwa Zillion, Revo Premier Gen 1, are a few modern day reels that will always be a standouts. All are easy to maintain, bullet proof, and stood the test of time.
Don't forget the all aluminum D series curado.
Drewski73 reply :
In a word NO! Theyre horrid. Everyone should immediately stop bidding on them on the auction site! Especially 50E's, those reels are a hazard to the poor fishermen using them. Stop buying CU50E's before its too late!
smr913 reply :
On 2/28/2014 at 11:58 PM, Drewski73 said:In a word NO! Theyre horrid. Everyone should immediately stop bidding on them on the auction site! Especially 50E's, those reels are a hazard to the poor fishermen using them. Stop buying CU50E's before its too late!
I was at my neighborhood Gander Mountain and they had a Curado 50e in box. The box look a little rough and had security wire around it so i didn't open it. Was a bit amazed that they could still be in a big box retail store.
buzzfrog reply :
def, not a one brand man but I love my chronarch, I am biding on several 50e, so yea stop bidding against me lol
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