I Was Wrong About Shimano Reels (Maybe) 2025
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
I just gave Shimano reels, a final chance. Thus far I am beyond impressed. I sold off some stuff and bought another Curado e7, the previous one broke on the first day. 
I also bought a Calcutta. My gosh, these two reels are amazing. The Curado is smooth casting as all heck, and seems to have the power of my Abu round reels. It took me two minutes of playing around to get it set perfectly. I threw jigs for four hours yesterday and didnt have the first backlash. 
The Calcutta is a straight up hoss. That bad boy is smoother than the curado and has the power of a panzer tank. It reeled in one and two ounce swimbaits like they were nothing. The Calcutta I expected this kind of performance from. The Curado on the other hand completely blew my mind. I hate to say this but the Curado out performed my two Smoke reels. And up until yesterday they were my absolute favorite reels. If these two reels hold up like ive heard they will, then Shimano has just got a life long customer. The quality of the Calcutta is unmatched by anything ive used in its price range. Even the Curado seems to be good quality, which I have faulted it for in my previous post. Wow I had no intention of writing a full reel review, but im giddy as a school girl, about actually getting two Shimanos that are better than the previous ones I had.
Michael Passalacqua reply :
i actually just got my 1st curado e7 and man that thing is amazing i was out there about the same time as you 4hrs ish (only one fish sadly.. was throwing the crank baits) but only got 1 backlash was using only one weight and there was alott of wind so.. but i love it i would deff buy another one in my opinion.
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
On 5/23/2011 at 10:58 PM, Michael Passalacqua said:i actually just got my 1st curado e7 and man that thing is amazing i was out there about the same time as you 4hrs ish (only one fish sadly.. was throwing the crank baits) but only got 1 backlash was using only one weight and there was alott of wind so.. but i love it i would deff buy another one in my opinion.
I havent tried it on cranks yet. Hopefully I will get to, after work today. Ive been practicing with jigs alot lately. Cranks are my go to lures. I fish them everywhere: grass, weeds, laydowns, rip rap, lily pads, any and everywhere. If it preforms like it did with the jigs, I might sell one of my beloved Smokes and buy another one primarily for my cranks.
baluga reply :
wait till you get CTE 100 DC, you'll be in heaven. 
B@ssCrzy reply :
Curados are great!! Got my first one this year and love it! Won't go back to anything else!!
Gangley reply :
I agree, I didnt want to like shimano, but i tried one because they did so well on so many reviews. I now have 2 E7's and one E5 and could not be happier. I wont say that it will never happen, but its gonna take a whole lot for another reel brand to sway me.
JacobK reply :
yeah i hated my first e7 a few years back and sold it off, decided to try one of my friend's e7's and it cast like a dream so i picked up another one from www.americanbassoutlet.com and MAN sadly to say i'm picking up another one in a few days!
Hooligan reply :
On 5/24/2011 at 2:23 AM, baluga said:wait till you get CTE 100 DC, you'll be in heaven.
CTE200GT makes the TE100 look like gold anodized junk. It's my most favorite reel of all time, bar none. I consider it a bargain at the $349 price tag, without a doubt. It will outlast reels that cost much more. It's the only casting reel that I would consider to be heirloom quality.
RoLo reply :
Shimano = Good Stuff (rods & reels)
SirSnookalot reply :
I would consider a Shimano offshore conventional reel, not low end, but have become cold on their spinning gear. I do enjoy my 6'6 clarus med 6/12 spinning rod, but I am not thrilled with my tallus blue water with a spheros 8000 mounted on it, it now collects dust. For about the same money I have an outfit that totally outclasses it.
Catt reply :
Calcutta: solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of Channellocks®, & dependable as a 30/30
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
Went fishing with the Curado again yesterday. I'm stuck on it now. It blew my Smoke out of the water with my cranks. Im going to sell off or trade the Smokes in today for another Curado or two. These things are awesome. Even throwing cranks in the wind it never backlashed the first time.
Fishes in trees reply :
Don't sell the Smokes. But do go ahead and buy several more Shimano reels. The Smokes will make good loaner reels.
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
On 5/24/2011 at 8:50 PM, Fishes in trees said:Don't sell the Smokes. But do go ahead and buy several more Shimano reels. The Smokes will make good loaner reels.
That is hilarious. Up until a few days ago, the smokes were my go to reels. Wow things sure did change fast. I am definately getting another curado. Im thinking an e5 this go around. And I really want another calcutta, however that ones going to be put on hold for awhile.
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
On 5/24/2011 at 5:57 PM, Catt said:Calcutta: solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of Channellocks®, & dependable as a 30/30
I like that description. I believe I will be borrowing that for future use. Tell ya what ill even give you credit for it when I use it.
baluga reply :
On 5/24/2011 at 12:03 PM, Hooligan said:CTE200GT makes the TE100 look like gold anodized junk. It's my most favorite reel of all time, bar none. I consider it a bargain at the $349 price tag, without a doubt. It will outlast reels that cost much more. It's the only casting reel that I would consider to be heirloom quality.
Try out the model with DC as last two letter in Calcutta. Like the CTE 100 DC
RoLo reply :
On 5/24/2011 at 2:15 PM, SirSnookalot said:For about the same money I have an outfit that totally outclasses it.
Hmm..let me give it a wild stab:
ROD------Penn Torque
REEL-----Penn Conquer
Roger
RoLo reply :
On 5/24/2011 at 5:57 PM, Catt said:Calcutta: solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of Channellocks®, & dependable as a 30/30
30/30 over a 270?
Oh That's Right, Texas brush country 
Roger
SirSnookalot reply :
On 5/25/2011 at 2:11 AM, RoLo said:Hmm..let me give it a wild stab:
ROD------Penn Torque
REEL-----Penn Conquer
Roger
Close guess
Penn Conquer 7000 on a Redbone 30lb boat rod, I really like this rod. ( Rod sell for 90-130, the big box store had the wrong bar code on it, 19.95, made it even better )
In all fairness the Penn is about $90 more than the Spheros, but I checked out the Sargossa at the same time, equally priced but opted for the Penn, more drag and lighter, both pretty smooth. The Sargassa is a nice reel too.
Catt reply :
On 5/25/2011 at 2:18 AM, RoLo said:30/30 over a 270?
Oh That's Right, Texas brush country
Roger
Winchester Model 1894
Produced 1894-2006
Winchester Model 70
Produced1936-1963 (Pre ’64)
Nope older
skunked_again reply :
after someone like Delaware Valley Tackle services the reel and gets all the factory crap out of it thats when the bread meets butter. very smooth reels.
philsoreel reply :
I'm 31 and have been fishing Shimano reels since I was 11. Never the first dud. Nothing has ever broke or needed replacing. Sold a 16 or 17 year old Chronarch last summer that still felt better than most brand new $200-$250 reels. It was never serviced other than a couple of drops of oil a few times. Keep in mind though that all of my Shimanos have been mid to high end models. I bought a couple of Citicas once but all others have been Curados, Chronarchs, Calcuttas, Cores, Stradics, Saharas, and Saros models. I have used but never owned some of the lower end reels and they were junk. Not saying that a quality reel can't be bought in that price range but the difference isn't even comparable. You get what you pay for. I buy rods and reels that make combos weighing 10 or 11 ounces to give me the highest amount of sensitivity possible and to compensate for my lack of talent. It takes alot of dough to get one that weighs that but there are times when I'm in the back of the boat and my partner and I are fishing the exact same set-up except he's using a $100 rod and reel. I will be catching fish and he can't get a bite. My personal opinion is that he can't feel the subtle strike with his Snoopy combo. It's the only thing it can be because he is just as good if not a better angler than I am.
I think alot of times people buy cheap rods and reels, ride around with them in the back of their truck, and leave them outside all winter and are shocked that it didn't last two years. This is not just Shimano, I mean all brands and as someone else mentioned before most people just look for something wrong with a brand just because they don't use them.
Just my two cents
715eg6 reply :
Cumara with a core and Crucial with a sustain is my setup and i love them both
Sam reply :
Yes, another Shimano convert.
May I add that when you purchase a new reel you may want to consider checking the reel for its oil and grease it as it has been sitting on the shelf and may have lost some of its lubricants.
I have found that you can set up a Shimano Curado to have the spool stop when the bait hits the water.
WdyCrankbait reply :
yeah, Sam makes a good point, regardless of make of reel. I usually get my reels serviced right away just to ensure they have the proper amount of lube.
Raider, are you looking at a 50E? I love mine!!!
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
On 5/30/2011 at 8:12 PM, WdyCrankbait said:yeah, Sam makes a good point, regardless of make of reel. I usually get my reels serviced right away just to ensure they have the proper amount of lube.
Raider, are you looking at a 50E? I love mine!!!
I got a 50e on sunday. Havent fished it yet, but I will tonite after work.
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