New shimano woes... question

[Beetlebz]

So I have spent the last few weeks replacing all my garcias and kastkings with shimanos. Why? I suppose that's a topic for another post...

 

I got my new citica I spooled up this morning and hit the reservoir to go play. When I got there the side plate on the citica was open. I was pretty sure I latched it, but who knows. A quick check to make sure it's locked down fully and away I went. On cast 5, and of course in mid cast, the side plate popped open and the spool partially shifted out to the left. The brake shoes got ripped completely off and wound up in the drink, and the crown that the shoes attached to shattered and half of that is in the water too. I shipped it out to shimano for repair  (hopefully replacement) this afternoon. (Also the line got wrapped around the spool shaft and made quite the mess)

 

My question is this... that little slider is awfully close to my hand while casting... is it possible it's my hand hitting the little latch or is this a thing that's happened before? I can remediate myself if I need to, I don't want any more plastic shrapnel spewing into the water while I'm trying to fish. 

[puddlepuncher]

I've done this with a Curado I which is the same frame as the Citica, so yes it is possible in fact I'd say that's exactly what you did.  It's my main complaint about these 2 reels as well as the Metanium, all of them have the same release latch design.  Just change a bit how you cast and it shouldn't be a problem.  I'm surprised you didn't get a blister from it, I know I did.

[Beetlebz]

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

I've done this with a Curado I which is the same frame as the Citica, so yes it is possible in fact I'd say that's exactly what you did.  It's my main complaint about these 2 reels as well as the Metanium, all of them have the same release latch design.  Just change a bit how you cast and it shouldn't be a problem.  I'm surprised you didn't get a blister from it, I know I did.

You know, right after I ordered my citica they had a sale on the curado k. I almost cancelled my order... Oh well. The only reason I was curious is because I was so sure it was locked down when I left the house and it opened up in transit before I got to the lake 10 minutes away. Hopefully shimano covers it under warranty, worst case I'll sell it and pick up a curado k. These sausage fingers cause all kinds of havoc.

[puddlepuncher]

The Curado K has similar placement.  The Chronarch has a release latch towards the front.  I feel you though it wasn't a pleasant feeling when I did it and the sound was even less pleasant.  If it makes you feel any better the same is possible with the metanium, and the side latch on it is not fixed like your reel.  So at least you didn't lose the side plate. lol.

 

3 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

I don't understand.  Are we casting while trying to palm the reel?  

 

I did it throwing a large whopper plopper and my hand must have shifted.  Learned very quickly.  Funny thing is before I bought the curado a few years ago I read reviews for it and one of them complained about the same thing.  I thought that moron needs to learn how to cast, then a month later I did it.  

 

[Beetlebz]

4 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

I don't understand.  Are we casting while trying to palm the reel?  

Naw, I cast with my left and reel with my right. Essentially I'm casting left handed with a right handed reel. Us leftys are odd. When I cast my index finger is right along the little slide latch. 

 

If I can't figure this out I might just switch everything over to the casitas. I have one and the side plate isn't an issue... I wouldn't be heart broken buying a few more 

[fishnkamp]

Save the aggravation if it continues. Go to a Daiwa Tatula and forget ever opening that stupid side plate completely.

I used t fish with some of the old and beloved green Curados and several E series Chronarchs.  A friend lent me a rod to play with one day and it had a Daiwa Exceler on.  Since then IO have sold off all my Shimanos and have a bunch of Tatula Type Rs, Tatula CTs and one Exceler.  I have never regretted that decision once.  You will need to properly adjust a Tatula or Fuego because they run very different to any other reel, but once set up correctly they are a joy to fish with.

[lmbfisherman]

1 hour ago, Beetlebz said:

Naw, I cast with my left and reel with my right. Essentially I'm casting left handed with a right handed reel. Us leftys are odd. When I cast my index finger is right along the little slide latch. 

 

If I can't figure this out I might just switch everything over to the casitas. I have one and the side plate isn't an issue... I wouldn't be heart broken buying a few more 

I cast left, own a Curado I, Metanium, Chronarch, my fingers are all tucked under the handle on the cast.  I guess I can see how that can happen.  

8 minutes ago, fishnkamp said:

Save the aggravation if it continues. Go to a Daiwa Tatula and forget ever opening that stupid side plate completely.

I used t fish with some of the old and beloved green Curados and several E series Chronarchs.  A friend lent me a rod to play with one day and it had a Daiwa Exceler on.  Since then IO have sold off all my Shimanos and have a bunch of Tatula Type Rs, Tatula CTs and one Exceler.  I have never regretted that decision once.  You will need to properly adjust a Tatula or Fuego because they run very different to any other reel, but once set up correctly they are a joy to fish with.

I feel like you have your postcopied and ready to paste.  ?

[fishnkamp]

No I have no prepared answer, I did have those Shimano reels and liked them for years. The green Curados were good reels. I never felt comfortable having to open a reel to change brake settings while fishing on my home waters.

I fish on the Chesapeake Bay tidal waters, which include the Potomac River, the Susquehanna River and Flats and places like Middle River (where Aaron Marten won his Elite victory several years ago) and others. These water have currents, wind and rough water often. During vacations I get to go and fish places  like Dale Hollow Lake, Center Hill Lake, Lake Gaston, Lake Erie, Lake Anna, etc.  On some of those places the water conditions are much easier to handle a reel like those Shimanos. It is just that I have seen this complaint on the new Shimanos frequently recently.

Having a reel that performs very well and has a set and forget brake system is a plus for me.  By the end of this summer I hope to replace the remainder of my 12 baitcasters with Tatula CT reels. I still have to stay in the  household budget, so I have to replace them one at a time.

[lmbfisherman]

Shimano reels with VBS arguably was the best at set and forget.  I can’t ever remember setting brakes back then And now on the water.   I agree that the newer brake systems Shimano you had to “dial in”.  However it is nearly set and forget still, you can fine tune the brakes now without opening the reel.  So I don’t see how the set and forget was really lost on the new Shimano systems.  Maybe I’m fishing them wrong?  I actually like that I can fully detach a side plate, of course their are advantages and disadvantages.  I just find it easier to tear down and clean.  

[Beetlebz]

Honestly the brakes are the reason I decided to switch to shimano after I bought my first casitas. Those SVS brakes are nearly idiot proof once you're in the right ballpark with only enough spool tension go minimize movement. I can pitch a country mile, then without touching a thing bomb a crank bait out of sight. Having only mag brakes means you still need some spool tension  (or a pro thumb which I lack) to keep the spool docile. My casitas is spooled with mono and it's my topwater reel, finesse bottom contact  (t-rigs and finesse jigs), chatterbait reel and swimbait reel. I can bomb a belly weighted swim bait out of sight and then without touching the brakes throw a bulky chatterbait or c-rig just as far. It will be hard for me to concede that regular mag brakes work just as well but perhaps I'd be doing myself a favor to find out. Diawa reels are always coming up in eBay sales. 

[OnthePotomac]

I have read of others having a problem with the Shimano side cover slide lock but I have not experienced this  on my several reels with the same sliding lock.  What I have experienced is making sure it is really locked with a final hard push with my thumb nail.  The little slide locks can be deceiving.

[JustJames]

15 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

I don't understand.  Are we casting while trying to palm the reel?  

I guess.

I do have only one lefty where I have to palm when cast but so far no incidents just yet.

 

totally agree with @lmbfisherman I have both shimano and daiwa, the only time I have to change brake setting on shimano is when casting very light lure (1/8 oz) otherwise set it and forget it both old VBS and new SVS system. 

With daiwa of course it easy to change setting on the fly but to open and maintenance kind of pain, i have pin remover but yet to flush any bearing on my daiwa reel.

 

[Hulkster]

i don't own a curado K but I do own a curado 200i and when the side plate latches properly there is an audible 'click' when you slide the switch to close it.

 

does yours make this sound?

[Beetlebz]

To be clear, I cast with my left hand but I cast from the grip with my index finger on the trigger. The difference is when I do this with my left hand, my left index finger rides right along that latch, or very close to it. I honestly didn't notice if the latch clicks or not. If shimano repairs the reel instead of replacing the reel I will give that a try. 

 

It pains me but I think I've decided to cut my losses and try a diawa tatula SV TW and sell the  citica. maybe get another casitas shortly for my flipping rod. I'm still up in the air.. I don't know if I'll trust myself not to hit that latch by accident.

[burrows]

This kind of stuff happens doesn’t matter what reel you have factory defects happen during mass production you should be happy with it when it comes back from repair. I did one time get a factory defect on a chronarch mgl the external brake didn’t click not a big deal but I got it exchanged. 

[optimator]

@Burros is right. I had a Tatula SV. It isn't half the reel the Shimano is. 

[Beetlebz]

Well, I'm a weak, weak man. So a little update, I found the SV TW 103HS on the eBay deals section. Needless to say I bought it. And because I'm a terrible person and (apparently) lied to the wife, I'm going to try making the citica work when it comes back. Why not both i suppose. I'm a bad person. But I'm a bad person with a citica and a TW SV 103HS coming my way.

[Graham]

9 hours ago, lmbfisherman said:

However it is nearly set and forget still, you can fine tune the brakes now without opening the reel.  So I don’t see how the set and forget was really lost on the new Shimano systems.

Dialed in my chronarch ci4 and curado i once out of the box and haven’t touched the internal brakes since. I can throw 1/8th oz baits up to an ounce without changing anything. They are set and forget for me...unless we are both fishing them wrong ?!

[redux]

Talking to a guy at Bitter's and he mentioned some people having an issue with getting the K's side plate to relock. He figured out it was due to the spool tension knob being tightened down a bit much which puts lateral pressure on the spool and pushes it towards the plate enough to keep it from relocking. Could that be part of the issue for the OP?

 

P.S. I broke down and got a second K yesterday for a Loomis GL2 6'6" Heavy...oh man...sooooooo nice.

[lmbfisherman]

7 hours ago, Beetlebz said:

Well, I'm a weak, weak man. So a little update, I found the SV TW 103HS on the eBay deals section. Needless to say I bought it. And because I'm a terrible person and (apparently) lied to the wife, I'm going to try making the citica work when it comes back. Why not both i suppose. I'm a bad person. But I'm a bad person with a citica and a TW SV 103HS coming my way.

We are all weak....the monkey is always making you do things.  

[Beetlebz]

I suppose, I do run just enough tension to remove side play in the spool. I'm excited to try the daiwa though. I'm ordering another casitas or if the SV works out, a daiwa tatula 150 for my flipping/pitching/swimbait rig so it'll be a non-issue either way lol

 

To be honest I'll probably unload the citica when it comes back, I'd rather get value out of it rather than trying to modify it or worse, destroy it again trying to make it work. A buddy of mine talked me out of it this morning. There's a ton of fish in the sea, so to speak. I'm not sure I see a point in being brand loyal anymore. 

[Beetlebz]

6 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

I'd stay away from the Tatula is 150.  It's the older Tatula big frame and the hear set in the 150 makes the reel geary.  You'd be better suited with a regular Tatula CT or Curado K.

Good thing I mentioned it then, thanks! Honestly if I go to 40lb braid instead of 65 I doubt I could spool myself throwing a 2oz swimbait on a regular tatula... but I digress I'm getting off topic.

 

I figure if I wait the tacklebug out this time it won't be long before I get a chronarch anyway ... but I think I'm going to stay away from the curado k and citica I frame. Even if it was a bad latch and not me doing it, I'll always wonder. At least this way I cant spontaneously disassemble the reel and detonate the spool mid-cast with an audience lol

[Beetlebz]

Shimano called me today, twice. They tried and tried and can't get the latch to fail. I guess it was just me after all. It got a new spool and should be on it's way back today. Well, nuts. I might as well hang on to it in case my new tatula needs to go back.

[burrows]

8 hours ago, Beetlebz said:

Shimano called me today, twice. They tried and tried and can't get the latch to fail. I guess it was just me after all. It got a new spool and should be on it's way back today. Well, nuts. I might as well hang on to it in case my new tatula needs to go back.

You should hang on to it so you can use it !

[finatic]

On 4/22/2018 at 6:07 AM, redux said:

I broke down and got a second K yesterday for a Loomis GL2 6'6" Heavy...oh man...sooooooo nice.

 

So what is a 'K' ?