Tywithay

The Chronarch CI4+ isn't new, just a rerelease of the US Chronarch CI4+ overseas.

I would recommend looking at Gander Mountain. They have a lot of different GSX models that are discounted heavily. Rumor has it they were sued because GSX is too similar to GLX, so they have to discount those rods to get rid of them; or something to that affect. You can find some $70-$100 rods for under $50 pretty regularly.

That rod costs double the rod he was asking about. Not really comparable.

Haven't used one, but I felt one in store and thought it looked good. Honestly, I think it may be made in the same factory as the Lews Speed Spool reels. Seemed to have a lot of similarities.

It's not about catching more fish. It's about getting the most enjoyable experience as you can out on the water. Some people get a sense of excitement knowing they're using the best reel. The refinement, and smoothness, and all of that makes it a better experience for them. If it was solely about catching fish, everyone would be fine with ugly stiks and zebco 33s.

You can catch a fish on a string tied to a stick, not the point. I don't know if it's ***, or what, but it always seems people with the strongest opinions have never even used the reel.

Fluorocarbon has FAR better abrasion resistance than mono or braid when wet. Wouldn't consider PLine a premium mono either, to be honest.

I was referring to the new Steez, which has over 13lbs of drag. I like lots of reels, and I wouldn't say the Steez is even my favorite. I do recognize how great it is though. I like the Calais DC a lot too for certain techniques. Ended up selling it because I felt the Z2020 performed better. The Z2020 is probably the best overall reel I've ever used, wish they'd make a smaller version. Not counting flagship, enthusiast level reels, I'd say my favorite is the Chronarch CI4+, it's not as refined as those more expensive reels, but the performance blew me away. I also have 4 Tatula's, and they're great too for the money. To answer your final question, I wouldn't pay $600 for any reel, and never have. I don't think there's any reel I'd even pay retail for, to be honest. There's too many good deals and sales to pay the extra.

I was always a mono guy, but I've recently started using fluoro for some applications. Can't stand braid because it's noisy through the guides and offers no slack line sensitivity. For spinning gear I like a good 6lb or 8lb fluoro like Tatsu, or Sniper. I tend to stay away from the cheaper lines because they don't last as long and they usually have memory issues. I definitely have noticed better feel over the mono on some techniques.

The Steez has the highest quality bearings that Daiwa uses, and more of them. It has a stronger drag than the Calais DC, even though it weighs nearly 4oz. less. A much lighter spool than the Calais as well. You can cast a 1/4oz little jig with it, the Calais can't cast below 3/8oz worth a crap (I know because I've tried, having owned both). They're really two different reels with two different purposes. The Calais DC was meant to be a long casting powerhouse, the Steez was meant to be a lightweight, ultra-refined fishing machine. The Steez is still the best of the best when it comes to lightweight baitcasters. The Calais DC isn't the best when it comes to long casting anymore. The Z2020, or even the new Antares, can cast every bit as far; plus they weigh a lot less. I don't know about the Steez EX, but my Steez has a magnesium palm sideplate. If they went with zaion on the EX it was probably for weight savings, plus the fact that that particular sideplate has zero effect on the strength or integrity of the reel.

Steez can outcast a Calais all day with certain weights. A Calais DC can't cast very well under 1/2 oz. And I'd rather have a smooth drag than a strong drag. There's a lot of things that go into making a reel good, not just having the most of this or that.

Used Stradic FJ

Love Shooter Defier and Defier Armilo. I've tried just about everything and nothing compares, they're simply the best.

What makes the reel so expensive is the quality of materials and craftsmanship. Steez can be a bit of a wild child for people that don't have a good thumb. The spool is fast. Because of that, it's very versatile. You can cast light baits, or heavier baits. If you want a good rod that looks good and performs outside of its price range, check out the Tatula rods.

Can you anodize reel frames and/or sideplates if someone were to break the reel down and send it in? The parts look very nice, btw.

Already have my dream rod. An Edge Mag Bass 705 with a Chronarch CI4+. Unbelievable rod. My spinning dream rod would be a Stella 2500FE (already have the reel) and a Megabass Destroyer Phase III F4.5-73XS (maybe someday).

I have a 100P, 2 100H, and a R100H....might add more if the new Curado isn't as good as it appears to be. Tatula is one of my favorite reels. Casting is effortless, retrieve is effortless. I haven't found a better reel under $250, and I've used almost all of them. The TWS is the real deal, it just gives a different feel when you're casting; hard to explain.

If I remember right, I took off the non-handle sideplate, removed the spool, and used a qtip to push the bearing out of the cast control. After flushing the bearings thoroughly (they were PACKED with grease) and relubing with a lighter oil, the reel casts like a dream. It was no slouch, even with the greased bearings; now it's a beast.

Having had both an MGX and the CI4+, the CI4+ is a far better reel. The MGX felt a little sloppy to me, plus the braking system wasn't nearly as good as the Shimano. All of the Abu's I've had haven't felt as refined as a good Shimano/Daiwa, to me. I have yet to really find anything negative about it, other than the relatively short handle (84mm). That's more of a personal preference. The maintenance guide was a mistake. It wasn't the bearings, but the brake pipe. I used mine on probably 10-15 trips, for 5-6 hours at a time, and it never really needed oiled. I went ahead and oiled it, because I was tearing other reels down and decided to clean/relube them all. The oiling is done on an as-needed basis, just like any other reel. If you start to hear a little noise on the cast, add a couple drops of oil. We don't have much in the way of big bass in my parts, but I have used my CI4+ for wipers/stripers and it handled them like a champ. It's very smooth and feels extremely solid, even with a CI4+ frame. Even hooked a nice 9lb channel cat one morning and the reel dragged it in with no issue at all. I use mine mostly for weightless senkos, flukes, and 1/4oz jigheads with 3"-4" grubs. It can cast all those baits a mile. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the reel to anyone. If you have time to wait until the next sale, they're even better when you get them for 15-20% off.

The Exceler is a fine reel, especially for the on sale prices right now. It's far superior to the Orra, in my opinion. MagZ and a free floating spool, some of Daiwa's higher end features.

Aluminum is cheaper to machine than carbon composites. It also has less bearings. The CI4+ has high quality SARB, these are likely just run of the mill steel bearings in the Curado. Curado doesn't appear to have the lightweight A7075 aluminum spool either, and spools are quite expensive to machine. Spool alone is probably a $50+ upgrade.

They can't always use certain letters because of redundancy. As some have mentioned, HG or H are their acronyms for the higher gear ratios, so they don't want to have a Curado HH. Same thing happened with the spinning reels. They use the letter F, for freshwater, so they didn't make any Stradic FF, or Symetre FF.