The Big 3 Showdown 2025

Brett's_daddy reply :

Okay, now that I have my rod taken care of (at least my initial rod thanks to the extreme generosity of a fellow member) I am free to focus on the reel. Here are the top 3 reels I'm looking at: Lew's Tournament Pro, Daiwa Tatula 100 and the Shimano Curado I. All seem like excellent reels but each have their detractors as well. For the Tatula people say it's big and heavy which doesn't necessarily bother me as much but it limits the amount of rods to choose from as only so many are meant for bigger, heavier reels. The Curado has long been an industry standard bearer but I've heard of people complaining that this new model develops a whining noise when reeling (one poster thought he had a lemon and returned his initial reel and got another but after 1 hour it started doing the same thing)...don't know how this can be fixed. As for the Lew's...I honestly am having a hard time finding anyone with a legitimate gripe about it...everyone seems to love them, even if they are brand loyal to another reel they can't find many faults with the TP. This is the last post about reel selection for me (I promise...lol) so if the people with experience (especially with the new Shimano Curado 201i since that is a late entrant into my decision process) with these reels would chime in that would be awesome!!!

stkbassn reply :

I like the Curado I and the Tatula. The Tatula is bigger than the Curado but by no means a big,heavy reel. I feel like the weight and size of the Tatula are heavily over dramatized. They are both great casting reels.I lobe both. It seems the Curado is over-greased from the factory in most cases from what I've heard. The one I had did not have those issues you mentioned. I will be getting another for sure. I don't own any Lews but I've had some and will not go back to them for any reason. Just not my cup of tea.

deep reply :

I got a few Curado I's, along with a couple G's and a D. What specifically do you want to know about them?

BassinLou reply :

I have 3 Curado I's and love them. As far as the whining noise, I would not let the experience of 1 person detract you from purchasing a good reel. I have been observing that many individuals have not been following the directions that specifically come with this reel. The directions are simple. Every other trip lightly oil the brake drum and the whining will go away. Other than that, these reels are awesome imho.

I also have a Lews TT Pro, good reel. However, given the choice. The Curado receives my vote. Hence why I have 3 vs 1 LEWS.

Big Bait Fishing reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 1:50 AM, BassinLou said:

I have 3 Curado I's and love them. As far as the whining noise, I would not let the experience of 1 person detract you from purchasing a good reel. I have been observing that many individuals have not been following the directions that specifically come with this reel. The directions are simple. Every other trip lightly oil the brake drum and the whining will go away. Other than that, these reels are awesome imho.

I also have a Lews TT Pro, good reel. However, given the choice. The Curado receives my vote. Hence why I have 3 vs 1 LEWS.

what the heck !! oiling it every other trip ????

kickerfish1 reply :

I really like the Tatula series. I feel the performance is right up there with a lot of reels I have that cost far more. Haven't fished the Curado I but it is on my short list of reels to buy this off season. Lews makes great reels with good ergonomics. IMO you have 3 very good options to choose from.

Capt.Bob reply :

I started sceptical as well When they first came out, owning Calcuta GTB's, Curados, Castiac's, and Chronarchs. So I got a Tournament,,, by by curados,,, and bought a Tournament Pro,,, By By Castiac's and GTB's,,,,, then I made the biggest mistake,,,, I bought a then Lew's Team, to he!! with Shimano Low Profiles all together!! I kept one Calcutta 400B for Musky, and today own only Shimano Spinning reels.

The Tournament Pro is a great real,,, But today aside from a BB1 and a Super Duty I would Choose a Team Gold over any reel costing 4 times as much, for a few bucks more the Team Gold is my favorite, but the Tournament Pro was a fine real also and what had me part company with Shimano, that decision is even more affirmed today!

WRB reply :

The big 3 showdown should include Quantum Smoke 100, Shimano Chronarch Ci4 150 and Tatula R 100 series reels, IMO......choose the brand you trust.

Tom

MidwestF1sh reply :

I really like my tournament pro. Haven't tried any of the other two but have held both. I liked the feel of the shimano compared to the daiwa but still think the Lew's is the most comfortable in my hands.

desmobob reply :

I have four Lew's Tournament Pros and two Daiwa Tatulas. I think they are both excellent reels for the money. The Lew's TP is is lighter and smaller and offers dual (centrifugal and magnetic) braking. The Tatula has the MagForceZ braking, which is wonderful. I've never had a Curado...

Between the TP and Tatula, I'd pick the TP, but it costs more. I really enjoy both of these reels and have lots of trouble-free fishing with them. I don't think you could go wrong no matter which of the three reels you pick. You've got to start somewhere; then you can start finding out what your preferences are... you really need to fish with all three to see which one YOU really prefer.

Tight lines,

Bob

WPCfishing reply :

They're all good, buy the reel you're most comfortable with.

zachb34 reply :

Highly biased opinion here, but I'll share anyway. I currently own 8 shimano baitcasters and no other brands. I have owned 1 tournament speed spool along with a tournament pro. The Tournament Pro was a lemon. I posted about it on this forum maybe 2 and a half years ago. Whenever I would make a cast, more centrifugal brakes would engage, and I couldn't make a far cast at all. I eventually had to return it since I would need a new spool and bought it new off ebay with no warranty. I own 2 curado 200iHG reels now, and they're solid. Occasional oil to brakes and they will hang with the best of them (this is the usual cause of the squeak from the SVS infinity).

shaggydog reply :

I bought the new curado and returned it the next day. something about it just didnt feel right so I bought a 50e. Given your choices I would say lews. Tournament pros are every bit as good if not better than the chonarch 50e, I fished em both all weekend. No expierence wit daiwa.

BassinLou reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 2:27 AM, pgersumky said:
what the heck !! oiling it every other trip ????

Yes... not a big deal. I oil it every other trip. Takes 3 seconds.

Big Bait Fishing reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 11:00 AM, BassinLou said:
Yes... not a big deal. I oil it every other trip. Takes 3 seconds.

never thought some one would want a reel you had to oil every other trip or it would make noise , good luck with it .

Brett's_daddy reply :

Okay, here are the prices for these reels that I'm looking at if that helps people justify one over the others...

Shimano Curado 201i = $179 - $25 gift card...Total: $154

Lew's Tournament Pro = $129 (on sale)...Total: $129

Daiwa Tatula 100HL = $93 (he's matching one of his eBay auctions)...Total: $93

That's why no Chronarch's or Team Golds...those are $200+ reels so we're not talking apples to apples when compared to the others I listed. I'm not sure about the Tatula 100 Type R, what's different on it from the 100HL besides color scheme?

WRB reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 11:47 AM, Brett said:

Okay, here are the prices for these reels that I'm looking at if that helps people justify one over the others...

Shimano Curado 201i = $179 - $25 gift card...Total: $154

Lew's Tournament Pro = $129 (on sale)...Total: $129

Daiwa Tatula 100HL = $93 (he's matching one of his eBay auctions)...Total: $93

That's why no Chronarch's or Team Golds...those are $200+ reels so we're not talking apples to apples when compared to the others I listed. I'm not sure about the Tatula 100 Type R, what's different on it from the 100HL besides color scheme?

Lighter spool, better bearings, dual braking system and 8.1:1 ratio if that makes any difference,you can get the R for about $135.

Tom

PitchinJigz reply :

Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with Shimano or Daiwa reels. You could go with the Curado I or the Citica I (which I own) and I think you'd love it. I have a new Daiwa Fuego and from what I can tell so far, it's a great reel. If it's anything like the Tatula that should be a good choice.

As for the Lew's, there isn't a whole lot wrong with their reels, other than the fact that they don't have a top-of-the-line feeling to them. Not saying that's terrible or anything, they're good workhorse reels but if it was my money I'd get the Tatula or Curado.

Jrob78 reply :

So we're calling Daiwa, Shimano and Lew's the big 3 now? lol

Molay1292 reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 11:52 AM, WRB said:

Lighter spool, better bearings, dual braking system and 8.1:1 ratio if that makes any difference,you can get the R for about $135.

Tom

The Tatula and Tatula Type R both use Daiwa's Magforce Z braking system. The Type R spool is just a hair lighter. Just wanted the O.P. to have correct info.

BassinLou reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 11:40 AM, pgersumky said:
never thought some one would want a reel you had to oil every other trip or it would make noise , good luck with it .

Thank you, I will continue to enjoy them as I have been for couple of seasons already.

Brett's_daddy reply :

Thanks for the Type R info. Not crazy about the 8.1:1 ratio as I'm looking for something more of an all-around ratio like maybe a 6.3 or 6.5:1 range.

UKCATSBASSER reply :

I've sold all my lews and abus and moved to Shimano. I held out for a long time. I feel like everyone has Shimano around here. I wanted something different. Tried a Shimano and the rest was history. I would put lews a close second.

Have 4 curado i's and 2 chronarch ci4's.

PitchinJigz reply :

On 10/12/2015 at 1:14 PM, Jrob78 said:
So we're calling Daiwa, Shimano and Lew's the big 3 now? lol

I don't think that's what he meant but they kinda are. lol.

Jaw1 reply :

I own multiple curados the I included and 3 tatulas one of which is an R also have 2 lews tourney mg and they all work great. I'm a shimano fan myself so I would have to rank them all as follows curado, lews, tatula but their so close to me it doesn't matter. Go to a shop with your rod and try all three reels out on it to see which feels the best to you.

ogbfishing reply :

all of Lews' reels are great products, how not my favorite by any means. I have personally never used any Shimano baitcasters, but have heard mixed reviews about them. That being said I explicitly use Shimano for spinning reels. You can however find a Daiwa Tatula 100 TYPE R on Amazon right hand for $100 which is a hell of a good deal.

In a nutshell, go on Amazon, find it for $100, buy the 100 Type R

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