I posted the photo below last night whenever I received my new Chronarch MGL's and I got lots of comments and PM's asking about these reels. Being that these were just released and there not being much information out there on them yet, I suppose it's only natural for people to have questions and to be curious about things. I have yet to fish, let alone even cast, these reels, but I figured I would give my first impressions after simply unboxing the reels and playing around with them.
Size:
The Chronarch MGL is listed as a 150 size spool, the same as its predecessor, the Chronarch ci4. The overall size/shape/feel seems pretty similar to the ci4. In fact, both reels are rated to hold 110 yds of 12lb. test, and 90 yds of 14lb. test. Although they have the same line capacity, the spools are totally different. The MGL uses the new MGL spool, which features porting not only on the bottom of the spool, but along the sidewalls as well. Overall, the new spool is lighter and is supposed to help add a little distance to your casts. To me, I don't mind the overall shape/size being similar to the old ci4, because I really enjoyed the size of that reel in my hand.
For comparison, the Curado 70 only holds 85 yds of 12lb. test, and the Curado 200 only holds about 125 yds of 12lb. test. The new Metanium MGL 150 is the same spool and capacity as the Chronarch MGL.
Feel:
This new version of the MGL perfectly fills the void between the Curado and the Metanium. The Curado is certainly one of the best on the market in it's price range, and the Metanium MGL is arguably one of the best reels in the entire industry. So filling the void between those two reels is exactly what the Chronarch is intended to do, and I think it does that perfect. It ceratinly feels much more refined than the Curado, but it's still not quite as smooth as the Metanium. The micro-module gearing is probably what helps smooth this reel out over the Curado. One of the things I was really happy about with the new MGL was the extended factory handles. In the past, Shimano has loved using those small 84mm handles that I always had to swap out with a longer handle. The new Chronarch MGL now comes stock with a 90mm handle, which seems to be the way the industry is going because the fishermen are demanding it. The weight of this reel is 6.5oz. which is pretty light considering the reel is aluminum framed and not composite.
Overall:
The Chronarch MGL features a lot of the common features that we've became common with on the past few different Shimano reels. The side plate pops open with a release catch on the bottom side, which gives you quick and easy access to the brake shoes. On the outside of the side plate is the adjustment knob that adjust from 1-6 to allow fine tuning to changing conditions whenever you're on the water. The cast control knob is on the handle side and is easy to adjust. The reel is gunmetal grey with black accents. If you hold the body up to the light, you'll see some fine red flakes to it, which give it a really nice look overall. As far as ratio's are concerned, these reels are offered in the three big ratios 6:1, 7:1, and 8:1, and all of those ratios are available in both left and right hand.
So far, I'm impressed with the reel. It's lived up to my standards of what I expect from Shimano and the Chronarch name. A few of you noticed I dumped my old ci4's and bought these, and so far, I have no regrets. If you want something a step above the Curado, but can't swing the Metanium price tag, this reel should be perfect for you. The Chronarch is known as a good all around workhorse, and this reel is continuing that tradition.
Edit: Actual Testing on the Water
Before I begin, let me explain what I dealt with on Saturday here in western PA whenever I tested these reels. It was 55* and raining first thing in the morning, by noon whenever the rain stopped, it was 39* and the wind was blowing 20+ mph constantly. I spooled both reels up in the morning and headed out after lunch once the rain stopped. I fished a local pond about 5 acres in size from the bank. The water was the color of chocolate milk and was probably in the low 40's in temperature.
151HG:
I spooled this reel up with the new P-Line Tactical fluorocarbon in 15lb. test and I mounted it onto a St. Croix LTB 7'1" Med. - fast action rod. I tied on a 1/4oz. finesse jig with a matching craw trailer. I pitched and casted this bait and had no issues at all. I didn't adjust any of the internal brakes and I turned my external brake dial to 3. I didn't catch any fish on this setup.
151:
I spooled this reel up with Sunline Defier mono is 13lb test and I mounted it onto a St. Croix Avid 7' Med - fast action rod. I threw a mix of a Mann's baby 1- (1/4oz), #08 Rapala Husky Jerk (1/4oz), a 1/4oz. Rat-L-Trap, and a 3.8" Keitech SIF with a 1/4oz jig head. So overall, some pretty light stuff. Again, I didn't adjust any of the internal brakes and I turned my external brake dial to around 3-3.5. This setup casted all of these lures perfectly fine other than the #08 Husky Jerk. The Husky Jerk was too light and caught too much of the gusting winds and I had some backlash problems whenever casting into the wind, or across the wind. Had it not been so cold and windy, I probably would have opened the reel up and adjusted the internal brakes to accommodate this lure, but instead I just changed baits. I ended up catching two fish on this setup, both around 12-13". One on the baby 1- and the other on the Keitech swimbait. Granted these fish weren't huge, but the reel remained smooth under load and I had no problems getting both of them in.
Overview:
Overall I was impressed with these reels, as I am with most of Shimano's higher end offerings. Pitching and casting was effortless. Distance was great. Handling was great. The new 90mm handles are much appreciated and comfortable. The overall size is comfortable to palm and the weight on these rods made for a nice, light setup that was well balanced. My only complaint that I have is in regards to the external brake dial. On both of my MGL's the dial is very tight and difficult to turn. The dials on my Curado's, Metaniums, and old ci4's were very easy to turn with just the touch of the finger. These new one's seem to need me to dig in a fingernail to adjust them or to press much firmer with my finger to turn them. I don't know if these will just need some break in time, or if Shimano changed these up because people were complaining of adjusting them accidentally??? This isn't a huge deal breaker for me because I usually find my Shimano's need a range of 2-4 on this dial anyways, so I'm never really changing them too much.
