bass1980

I have not used the spinning model but have used the 7'2 MH baitcast model. This rod looks and feels massive to me. Really tip heavy and just really thick. I guess I am used to *** and Envys which have great balance and slimmer blanks. I have a few Dobyns too so I guess I am not NRX spoil but somewhat spoiled. I just think Shimano needs to up their game on their rods since the field is running away from them.

So that's how you can get a better reel in the "I" series to be cheaper than the E series. Although Shimano raising the price on the "white" Curado probably wasn't 100% true.

Like what's said above the labor cost. Let throw out some fake numbers to use as an example. Let's say it cost Shimano $100 for materials on both E and I series. Now what if it cost them $50 to manufacture in japan due to higher employee pay vs Malaysia which cost them $10 to manufacture because they pay Malaysian workers little. I'm the end the E cost them $150 to manufacture while selling for $200, $50 profit. The I cost them $110 to manufacture while selling for $180, $70 profit. The quality control in Japanese manufacting shops is very good so some people are afraid that the Curado I will have problems due to being manufacture in Malaysia. Keep in mind there are a few Shimano work horse reels that are made in Malaysia already. Again these are just made up numbers to help some people get a better understanding of manufacturing. Ever wonder why so many American companies have their product made in China? Cheap labor = maximum profits.

Or the Curado with 5.x:1 ratio........sheeesh. Anyways I started RH when a few years ago since majority of people used RH. It was fine, I didn't mind changing hands on the cast. Then I started to get better at catching big fish and felt my left arm can't control the fish like how I wanted it to. I am so right hand dominant it's not even funny. Then I learned how to pitch jigs into tight areas and thought to myself why even switch? So I made the decision to try LH reels. At first I was clumsy reeling with my LH. Couldn't retrieve very fast but my RH was loving it for controlling the fish, pulling fish out of the slop, and pitching jigs. So I never looked back and now LH reels are a must. I sucks that all reels don't offer LH versions and it's harder to find LH reels in the classifieds but I'll take the trade off. So what I'm saying is it really doesn't matter. A human brain will eventually learn and it'll be natural. However I do feel it makes more sense to use LH reels but people are very traditional and won't change.

I have both E and I's. I like the I better and I'm not trying to be bias since it's a new design. To me I series is just smoother and cast smoother. I think it cast further, but I have not done a side by side comparison. In fact I like it more than my Chronarch Ci4+. If the reel was under 7 oz I'd be stack with them. It's hard for me to pay $200 on an E series with old technology when I know the I series has newer technology and cheaper. I'm sure people will question durability of the I series because it's new but the gamble isn't too big considering it's a Shimano.

Yes I switched to braid this year for my shallow and lipless crank setup and will never go back. So much more sensitive with braid not scared to rip it out of grass/weed. With braid I just feel more in control or know what's going on. My rod should pin the bass on the hook.....or I hope lol. I haven't notice any less hook up/landing ratio with braids but to be honest I crank only 20% of my fishing time.

I have plenty of Envys and none broke. Well one broke but it was my fault but I got a replacement in 7 days. I'm not worried about he said she said. I know a few people with broken Dobyns and even NRX's...ouch.

Yes I've been using baitcast at times for drop shot. I am leaning towards my heavier duty drop shot with a baitcast using 3/8oz weight. Many times fishing weedlines you're totally not out of the weeds because it tapers at the edge. Then you are fishing below the weeds because down there it opens up. Maybe I am looking for just the 703sf and keep my heavier setup a baitcast. I would consider the 742dx if it's as light at the 7 foot models. I really want a light and balanced rod since my reel is a Stradic Ci4+. My cumura seems tip heavy to me. Still doable but I want something better.

I do find the Chronarch ci4 being more finicky which is uncharactoristic of recent Shimano reels. I had issue using one for cranks but I think my rod to lure weight was more of the problem. I also have another ci4 I use for frogging. After experimenting with my other reel, a Curado I, I felt like the Curado was a lot more predictable. It is not revo SX gen 3 finicky though lol. Not even close.

I've been doing real well drop shotting this year and look to be better next year. I've been using a Shimano Cumura (black version) this year. Although it is a nice rod I'm left wanting something better. It's the 7'2 M drop shot rod. I feel it's a bit tip heavy and the blank is just alright. I'm looking to get a ML rod for open water and a Medium for fishing deep weedlines. There are two brands I am thinking of trying. One is *** *** spinning rod. I have a bunch of *** baitcast rods and love their blanks but have not tried their spinning rods and actually have not read many people using their spinning rods. Just odd that their baitcast gets so much rave reviews while their spinning rods doesn't seem to be selling well. The other is a Dobyns DX. From using my coworkers DX baitcast just a few cast the blank feels very similar to the ***, everything else feels different. Was looking into the 702sf and 703sf. Anyone has any unbiased opinions on these rods please fill in. Again I need one for open water using 8lb lines and one for weedlines using 20lb braid with a 12lb leader. Last time I asked for opinions on a frog rod and BR people recommended me the Dobyns champ 735c and I bought one and was very happy with it. I hope this will work again.

This year after doing a lot of research I changed my Squarebill and lipless crank setup. I'm using a MH Moderate rod with BRAIDS and I'm loving it! Never afraid to rip cranks out of grass and bang off branches. The braid definitely helps being more sensitive and my moderate rod does the job keeping fish hooked on. Sadly I don't crank much at all. Only in the early spring and for the next month. Like many people said, power varies from company to company but generally I prefer a stouter rod.

35 yards on a baitcaster is still hard on a senko even though it's not light. I have a T3 1016 and wacky rigged on a 7'3 *** Medium I'm able to average about 35 yards at max effort. Btw I test it at an actual football field so my distance is real. It's not as easy as some people think.

Title: The $1000 Fish Fished in my biggest tournament of the year. With 1 hour left caught a giant to cull our smallest fish out. Two idiots (I was one of them) got the net and reel handle tangled trying to land that fish. We looked at each other puzzled as how this happened. Teammate panicked and tried to lift the bass in and line broke. Got 3rd and lost to 2nd place by a few oz which cost us $1000! 3rd teammate was about to throw us off his boat lol. The end.

You just missed the 20% off. I think the site was called monstertackle. Would have gotten the 50 for $160 no tax and free shipping. It was only a Labor Day sale and ended Friday. I think that was the site. Anyways what the salesman said was a general rule of baitcaster. While many people work at fishing departments know a lot about fishing, not all of them are gear junkies. Heck even many fishermens, especially tournament anglers, pay little attention to gears and only get gears that are good enough and focus on electronics. That's why at times it's better asking forums rather than stores about recommendations because we arent selling your products and some of us are gear enthusiast.

The salesman is partially right. Those two reels shine in 3/8oz and up. However when paired with the right rod they can cast respectable. 1.0 cranks is pretty light and a ML casting rod is best. Majority of people will recommend finesse reels like a pixy, alpha, Aldebaran, or core. Finesse reels with shallow spools are usually spendy. The Curado I is a great caster but I don't see it being significantly better than the Tatula or better all at casting 1.0 or 1.5's. If looking to spend under $200 then I suggest the Chronarch 50 series. I use that on my shallow to medium cranks. I have been able to throw shad rap #5 on it. I am using a Medium crank rod too but will move to a Medium light soon.

This year I experimented with high vis yellow on my wacky weightless senko setup. Tied straight to senko with NO leader. Well I caught a lot of fish and actually more than my buddies. Not saying it'll catch more fish, but in my waters bass didn't care about the line. I think when that Yama is wiggling down they just drool and don't see anything else lol. The lakes I fish are semi clear but not 20ft clear.

I don't have data to back it up but to me the Curado I cast further than the E series. For sure the casting is smoother on the I series. IMO get the Curado I, it's cheaper and has newer technology.

It has already been unofficially announced that it isn't by a well known Shimano rep but hey we can always hope they change their mind.

The only limitation for the 50 is if you are using 20lb or so mono/flouro and for a technique that requires long distance casting. If you are using braids then you can get more lines in because braids are smaller in diameter vs the same lb rating of mono/flouro. I use 20lb power pro and it's about the size of 6lb mono so the reel can fit about 170 yards, plenty of line. I also use one 50 series with 50lb braids for jigs. When casting i don't need to cast very far from a boat but I am usually pitching the jigs into cover or docks. 50lb is equivalent to 12lb mono so it'll fit about 85 yards of line. No way can anyone cast 85 yards on a 3/8-1/2oz jig anyways. I just think the 50 series is one of most versatile reels ever made. It can throw light lures really good, not at the level of their BFS reels, and it can also handle the heavy applications like jigs and punch with it's guts being built tough. Is the 50 series worth $200? Well IMO it is but if you are thinking bang for the buck and you don't have like 12 setups like me then get the Curado I. It is very affordable and it is very good. You should be able to use the Curado I for many applications. Good luck on your decision.

*** *** has a 5 year warranty and they get your replacement in about 1-2 weeks. I got mine in 9 days! Duckett Ghost has a 1 year warranty which sucks. I had Veritas 1.0 and didn't like them but maybe the 2.0 is better? Don't know anything about the other listed. Good luck.

I have the Chronrach ci4+, Curado I, Chronarch E 200, and Chronarch 50's. IMHO the Curado I is the smoothest of them all and cast the best on 3/8oz and up. For some reason my Ci4+ just didn't feel right with heavy applications. I was using it for frogging and jigs with 50lb braid. I may be from the ci4 material when pairing it up with heavy braids and lures that didn't seem like it was a good combination. When I used my Curado I on the same setup it was the beast tamer. It's hard to explain but the Curado I just seems like it meant for work horse duty. I have now switched my Ci4+ to throw senkos and flukes on 10lb flouro on a medium stick. Haven't had enough seat time to see if it's more suitable for the ci4+. On theory the Ci4+ should cast light lures better than the Curado from the spool. As of right now the only thing I like the Ci4+ more than the Curado I is the light weight and the killer looks. Other than that the Curado I is the best sub $300 reel in the Shimano family.....maybe ever! I actually like it more than the Chronarch D that used from a buddy a few times. I will say this, the Chronarch/Curado 50 series is still my favorite of them all. If they made the Curado I in a 50 series just about all of my reels would be that except my light duty Daiwas.

Alright how about this one....Skeete Reese. He's always using his yellow WM rods. IMO they aren't very good. Does he use the exact same models available to the public or does WM make some better rods for him with better blanks and such but still just painted the same color? IMO I don't think Skeet will take that risk but I'm just making wild guesses.

So far my Steez with a RCS 1016 spool is the best I've used. Smooth, refined, and cast so much better with the 1016 spool.

Here's my suggestion. Buy a Curado 50e and get some core 7:1 gears and send it in for super tune and the works. Should still end up being cheaper than buying a core and from what I hear, should weigh around 6.7 oz with the lighter gears. I will be doing that for one of my Chronarch 51e this offseason.

This year I've been experimenting with High vis yellow 20lb braid on my weightless senko setup and I don't see a difference with not tying a flouro leader. I still catch them as much as my buddies that uses only flouro. Maybe different waters and fish in different parts of the country is more line shy but up north it doesn't seem like they care when they see that Yama wiggling down.