Chronarch 50E... Holy Guacamole!

[Ohio Dave]

Hey guys: hope this is not a big hi-jak of the thread:  I don't fish baitcasters too  often until recently (born and raised a spinning reel guy) but bought an okay johnny morris reel which really does cast better and farther than my spinning reel (never would have believed it)  anyway,  I was reading reviews from bass warehouse about this Shimano Chronarch 50e reel some of which bashed and called out shamano for dumbing down the reel and making it the same as another model with a different wrapper

 

so what is up with those comments??

 

and if I were to get this reel to fish soft plastics (light weight stuff) what rod should I pair it with.  I am a teacher so you have to keep me on the best bang for the buck budget

[new2BC4bass]

Hey guys: hope this is not a big hi-jak of the thread:  I don't fish baitcasters too  often until recently (born and raised a spinning reel guy) but bought an okay johnny morris reel which really does cast better and farther than my spinning reel (never would have believed it)  anyway,  I was reading reviews from bass warehouse about this Shimano Chronarch 50e reel some of which bashed and called out shamano for dumbing down the reel and making it the same as another model with a different wrapper

 

so what is up with those comments??

 

and if I were to get this reel to fish soft plastics (light weight stuff) what rod should I pair it with.  I am a teacher so you have to keep me on the best bang for the buck budget

 

Welcome to the forum, Dave.  Be careful.  Baitcasters can become addictive. 

 

Supposedly the Chronarch 50E is the older Curado 50E in a new color.  I don't have both, don't work on reels, so someone else can give you the straight skinny on the differences.  If you really want to know, PM DVT and ask Mike.  He is a great guy willing to help if you ask.

 

Right now the *** Black rods are the hot ticket.  Pick a Medium power rod.  TW offers them in 6'7", 6'10" and 7'1" for $99.99 and the 7'3" for $109.99.

 

My Curado 51E is on a Fenwick Tech Elite Smallmouth 6'10" MF.  MSRP is $129.99.  I got mine for about $71 shipped.  You won't find deals like that any more, but you may find one for around $100-$110.  This makes for a nice light outfit.  Versatile, too.  May never separate the two! 

 

If that is too much, look at the Shiman Clarus or Sellus, or the Berkley Lightning Shock.

[Ohio Dave]

Thanks for the advice and sorry again to ask here but until very recently the conversation seemed focused on a reel that interested me too.

 

As for Abu friend (and I do mean that) I think he made a good point about selling a reel too soon before giving it a fair shake.  Maybe there is history that I don't know about which brought out some tempers

 

I think I will keep an eye out for someone needing to get rid of a 50 e or that rod with a lot of motivation otherwise I think I will put that on Santa's list from my kids or wife LOL   I do a little consoulting work that gets a extra check the Mrs is not looking for so many I can sneak a spare 300 or so from there too

 

thanks again guys

[Brackish Angler 228]

The Aura Elite is a limited edition JDM Abu that employs the same mag brakes as the SX and old Premier.  1.) Abus reels with mag-only brakes suck. 2.) It's a collectors' reel; it's not really meant to be fished.

[kickerfish1]

Again thanks Darren for sharing your opinion on your new reel. Enjoy!

[skeletor6]

Darren's opening post had substance. He shared his experience and practice. Gave plenty of information for why he was satisfied his purchase and did not make any propagandist rants that deserves the treatment he received. Being a fellow owner of this reel myself, I found his statements to be accurate and informative. I would suspect someone who is looking for a good and objective review of this reel to have learned something from Darren's accounts.

 

I appreciate the information shared by Darren and all others who are willing to give objective and semi-scientific accounts about their experiences with equipment. It increases the knowledge base and informative reviews on this forum. So those looking to spend their hard earned money on equipment are not mislead and get the most for what they paid.

 

Sure, its an open forum and everyone has their right to say as they please, but a little respect for someone trying to help others is common courtesy.

[*Hootie]

Starting a slam, or trying to instigate an argument with your first post does no good either. Hang around a while. Let the guys get to know you with some non combative posts. I get goofy occasionally, and make some rash statements, but I feel I have been here long enough that everybody knows when I am jokingly trying to get a rise out of someone. But being the new kid on the block, you don't just kick the door down and come in making harsh opionated statements. Anyhow, just my 2 cents.

Hootie

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

haha, i stupidly traded my brand new chronarch 51e for an abu.... that revo went on ebay two days later 

 

Glad you got a chronarch darren, there great reels. I'll never let my core 51 or curado 51 go. Look around for a used core handle, its a nice upgrade so you run 4 bearings instead of 2.

^{getting back on track}

 

 

Yeah this is one that puzzles me. The CH50e handle looks to be the same as the Core50 but changes the spindle. Why make the spindle that way and not give a person the option to replace a washer with a bearing like on the Curado.

The Chronarch knobs though are great really like them I replaced my CU50 and Core50 knobs with them.

[thehooligan]

^{getting back on track}

 

 

Yeah this is one that puzzles me. The CH50e handle looks to be the same as the Core50 but changes the spindle. Why make the spindle that way and not give a person the option to replace a washer with a bearing like on the Curado.

The Chronarch knobs though are great really like them I replaced my CU50 and Core50 knobs with them.

 

 

I thought the same exact thing when i pulled the knobs off my chronarch 51. Really not sure why shimano did that... But you got options, you can throw a curado, core, or hawgtech handle on...

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Hey guys: hope this is not a big hi-jak of the thread:  I don't fish baitcasters too  often until recently (born and raised a spinning reel guy) but bought an okay johnny morris reel which really does cast better and farther than my spinning reel (never would have believed it)  anyway,  I was reading reviews from bass warehouse about this Shimano Chronarch 50e reel some of which bashed and called out shamano for dumbing down the reel and making it the same as another model with a different wrapper

 

so what is up with those comments??

 

and if I were to get this reel to fish soft plastics (light weight stuff) what rod should I pair it with.  I am a teacher so you have to keep me on the best bang for the buck budget

 

Shimano did a name swap of the old Curado to Chronarch. At the $200 pricepoint the reel in question stayed basically the same save for cosmetics and the handle. Internally the only difference I see is the drag washer has a different part number. I have the old CU50E and the new CH50E the difference I notice, the knobs much prefer the Chronarch knobs.

So if you are not caught up in a name and looking at pricepoint the reel wasnt dumbed down.

[Basswhippa]

The 200E is a very small reel but packs a big punch in terms of capacity and various gear ratios.   Someone please tell me why the 50 is so good.   Isn't the 200E small enough?   What is the appeal of the 50?  I know it is nifty, but you lose line capacity and certainly speed and it has less casting distance.  Someone told me it is a great flipping reel.   Why would it be better than a 200E 7  or even 200E 6 for that matter...

 

Always had the same question about the Calcutta 50.   Nifty but kind of useless except for maybe creek wading.

[Brackish Angler 228]

The 200E is a very small reel but packs a big punch in terms of capacity and various gear ratios.   Someone please tell me why the 50 is so good.   Isn't the 200E small enough?   What is the appeal of the 50?  I know it is nifty, but you lose line capacity and certainly speed and it has less casting distance.  Someone told me it is a great flipping reel.   Why would it be better than a 200E 7  or even 200E 6 for that matter...

 

Always had the same question about the Calcutta 50.   Nifty but kind of useless except for maybe creek wading.

 

First let's cover purpose.

The 50 series are a light line, light bait type of reel: 10-12lb test mono/fluoro or 20-30lb braid and baits 3/4oz and under.  The lighter spool and smaller frame provides a finesse platform as well for people who don't want to use a spinning reel.  It's a very versatile reel for someone like me who throws a lot of different types of baits from the bank or a kayak/canoe.  It allows you to go from floating worms, to 1/2 jigs, to 3/8 spinners, to 1/2 spooks, to 3/4 jigs all on the same reel.  The lighter spool on the 50e handles those weightless worms (and flipping, since you asked) much better than the 200e with its heavier spool filled with more line.

 

Next is the line capacity.  I don't know what you like to fish, but I fish 12lb full fluorocarbon. The lakes and rivers I fish don't have much heavy cover and the water can get pretty clear, so it works very well for me.  I can fill the spool a tad over 85 yds (and 10lb/105yds).  If you were running braid you could spool 20lb/115yds or 30lb/105yds.  Line capacity really isn't an issue.  You're throwing relatively light baits so average cast is going to be 50-75ft (17-25yds) with this reel (rough numbers).  With almost every bait, you're engaging the reel as so as the bait hits the water so no more line is going to come out.  It's not a deep cranking reel, obviously, so were not talking about crazy casts with lots of line out.  You've still got a lot of line on your reel (40-60 yds).

I'm not really sure what you meant by losing "speed" so I can't help you on that one, but you surely do not lose any casting distance.  The casting distance is going to be dependent on the rod and bait.  The 50e and 200e are the same reels with different spool sizes and weights.  If anything the 50e's lighter spool is going to aid in casting distance.

 

I do wish that Shimano offered the 50e in different ratios, but what can you do?  All I can say is the Chronarch 50e -- or any 50 series reel -- is not "useless" by any means.  There's a reason Shimano makes so many 50 sized reels; rarely do you need more than 255ft of line.

[ULG]

50 series is the deal, id like to see it in a higher gear ration for flipping, like the 7.1 like its brothers, but have the smaller gray curados, one of the first released in the 50 class of shimano, still pulls 5 pounder out like a champ!!! great reels as i dont have any of the newer 50 chronarchs, i can only take your word for the feel but if its a shimano, i totally believe you then!

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

50 series is the deal, id like to see it in a higher gear ration for flipping, like the 7.1 like its brothers, but have the smaller gray curados, one of the first released in the 50 class of shimano, still pulls 5 pounder out like a champ!!! great reels as i dont have any of the newer 50 chronarchs, i can only take your word for the feel but if its a shimano, i totally believe you then!

 

The Core 7:1 gears fit the 50E costs around $30 or so for parts : pinion gear, drive gear, key washer, and maybe drag washer not sure. Been searching for the parts list from Bantam1. But its a doable mod.

[Flucobaseball]

These may help some with the tennis elbow...

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/07/episode-291-elbow-pain-and-grody-tacked-down-forearms/

[bassinbrian]

Even though I don't own anymore 50 sized shimano reels, they had to be my favorite size. Like stated before, its a do everything reel, not just light duty.

[Diggy]

Glad to hear you love the reel. I plan to buy a chronarch at some point but may need one of each size. I also want a core and cumara, a man can dream cant he.

[rubba bubba]

This picture is awesome.

[Brackish Angler 228]

Why is the curado e more expensive than the chronarch e? I though the chronarch was 1 step below the core/Calais, and the cu. was 2 steps.

Short answer: Shimano enthusiasts believe the older Curado E is superior to the newer Chronarch E despite it being the same exact reel (with minor upgrades) in a different color. In my opinion it's a preference thing, not a performance thing..

Long answer: The Curado G and Chronarch E were both technically downgrades, but only within their own model name. The Curado G is now in between the Citica E/G and the Castaic SF, borrowing its bearing count from the Castaic SF and it's tech from the Citica E/G. The new Chronarch E is mechanically equivalent to the old Curado E with more ratios. So effectively the price of a new Curado E has gone up to $200 (Chronarch E), and the Chronarch D has ceased to exist for the USDM. The Scorpion XT has been termed the "Japanese Curado E" but, honestly, it's more similar, mechanically, to the Chronarch D.

The Chronarch E got a titanium line guide and Dartanium II drag: upgrades from the Curado E. The real question is why Shimano didn't perform the upgrades under the Curado name and keep the Chronarch untouched. Even with the price increases people would buy a $200 Curado G knowing that it was an upgrade from the E rather than buying a Chronarch E that was a downgrade from the D. With the Chronarch D gone from the line, there's now a gap for people who wanted a Core with its 7 A-RB bearings, but liked the brass gears of the Chronarch (over the Core's aluminum) and didn't mind the added weight of the aluminum frame. I suspect (maybe hope?) that Shimano will fill the gap at iCast 2013.

EDIT: I hope you weren't referring to the 300E.. Because that's a completely different story..

[ColdSVT]

holy crap I cant wait for my chronarch to arrive!

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

The Curado 50E was $200 same as Chronarch 50E is now so same price. The frames of the CU50E and the CH50E are the same just different color. The handle on the CU50 could be outfitted with 2 bearings each knob. The CH50E can only have one bearing per knob. The knobs of the CH50E are preferred by most (this from a Shimano Rep) over the knobs of the CU50E and I agree.

[bass1980]

I have been fishing a Chronarch 51E for that past week and it is absolutely a joy to fish with. So much that this is the reason I am selling all of my gears and going all Chronarch/curado E. That's how much i like it.

 

I just wish the 50 series have a faster ratio at 7:1.

[War Eagle 44]

Short answer: Shimano enthusiasts believe the older Curado E is superior to the newer Chronarch E despite it being the same exact reel (with minor upgrades) in a different frame. In my opinion it's a preference thing, not a performance thing..

Long answer: The Curado G and Chronarch E were both technically downgrades, but only within their own model name. The Curado G is now in between the Citica E/G and the Castaic SF, borrowing its bearing count from the Castaic SF and it's tech from the Citica E/G. The new Chronarch E is mechanically equivalent to the old Curado E with more ratios, sizes, and new frame. So effectively the price of a new Curado E has gone up to $200 (Chronarch E), and the Chronarch D has ceased to exist for the USDM. The Scorpion XT has been termed the "Japanese Curado E" but, honestly, it's more similar, mechanically, to the Chronarch D.

The Chronarch E got a titanium line guide, Dartanium II drag, and new frame: upgrades from the Curado E. The real question is why Shimano didn't perform the upgrades under the Curado name and keep the Chronarch untouched. Even with the price increases people would buy a $200 Curado G knowing that it was an upgrade from the E rather than buying a Chronarch E that was a downgrade from the D. With the Chronarch D gone from the line, there's now a gap for people who wanted a Core with its 7 A-RB bearings, but liked the brass gears of the Chronarch (over the Core's aluminum) and didn't mind the added weight of the aluminum frame. I suspect (maybe hope?) that Shimano will fill the gap at iCast 2013.

EDIT: I hope you weren't referring to the 300E.. Because that's a completely different story..

The E series Curado's and Chronarch's share the exact same frame, nothing "new" or "improved".

[rockchalk06]

Why is the curado e more expensive than the chronarch e? I though the chronarch was 1 step below the core/Calais, and the cu. was 2 steps.

Kinda the same way a 69 Charger is much better than a 2013 model. Older models were made with tighter tolerances, better parts and overall nicer feel. I have no basis for the knowledge of feel on the older reels though. All is from what I've read from some respected members here and other forums.

[thehooligan]

I have been fishing a Chronarch 51E for that past week and it is absolutely a joy to fish with. So much that this is the reason I am selling all of my gears and going all Chronarch/curado E. That's how much i like it.

 

I just wish the 50 series have a faster ratio at 7:1.

 

you can put the 7.1 core gears in your curado/chronarch