jtj0026

Just curious, do you own a Smoke? If not how do you justify your statement???

Shimano makes excellent higher end products but they down graded some product in recent years... for example, Crucial and Clarus rods and Curado 200 reels. But keep in mind that there are a lot of excellent gears out there that are not tagged with names like Shimano and Daiwa. I for sure go for varieties and have fun'

I like newer generation of good quality low profile baitcasters... they are compact, sturdy with strong drags and more than enough for your applications. Most people go for big names like Shimano but there are great products from smaller name manufactures. An Okuma Serrano or a Quantum Smoke beats a Curado 200E handily IMHO. In my case in Southern California, I use these reels to yank saltwater bass out of structures and kelp by using, say, a very short 25 LB mono topshot backed with spectra with almost full drag. Another popular series is Lew's Tournament Pro. I own all 3 and love them all.

Hello everyone, Just joined not too long ago and was advised to introduce myself here. I've fished all my life in both freshwater and saltwater but mostly pursuit saltwater bass (calico bass and sand bass) in recent years using new generation of small low profile baitcasters. As a "tackle ho" I love to play with new reels and rods especially lighter gears. Hope I can learn a lot from you guys. Cheers, John