some questions re: curado 70/71

[jimmyjoe]

   I have some questions for those of you who use Curado 70 or 71 reels.   1) Which line do you use on it?  2) How powerful is the rod you use with it?  3) How heavy of a lure do you cast with it?  and 4) Have you had any problems with it?       Thank you for your replies.    jj

[shackman]

12# pline cxx

7' mh hammer rod 

1/8-1/2 oz 

No problems at all  

[Jig Man]

I have 3 of them.

 

1. 6# fluorocarbon 6'9" ML rod for Ned Rigs

 

2. 12# fluorocarbon 6'6" MH rod for jerk baits and light jigs

 

3. 12# fluorocarbon 7'6" MH rod for cranks and shaky

 

I probably use them more than my other Shimano reels.

[kschultz76]

I don’t own a Curado 70, but own the predecessor, and plenty of other Shimanos. That reel should be able to handle any lure you want with the exception of deep diving cranks and large swimbaits. But other then that should be good. You should be able to throw some braid on there and throw frogs or pitch heavy trigged creatures into cover. 

[jimmyjoe]

   Oh man, are you guys singin' sweet songs in my ears! Thank you! I think this upcoming year is going to be very interesting.

   BTW .... thanks to all the people who helped me transition this last year from 90% river fishing to 50/50 river and lakes. It just goes to prove that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.     jj

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

16# Sniper FC on 7'M/F rod

10# braid 7'6"ML/MF rod  

60# braid on another and & 7'6" MH/F rod

ned rigs

paddle tails

frogs

130 whopper ploppers

 

 

[jimmyjoe]

41 minutes ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

 .... 7'6"ML/MF rod ....

 

 

   If you don't mind my asking, what is the ML/MF rod?    jj

[Bluebasser86]

I used mine on a 7' MH/F LTB with 15lb a majority of the time for 1/4-1/2 oz jigs. It handled fish up to nearly 70lbs without any problems.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

8 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   If you don't mind my asking, what is the ML/MF rod?    jj

Shimano Cumara reaction series medium light power moderate fast action.

[Jelvas]

I have one, the 71 HG.

 

1- 10lb berkley big game

2- G-Loomis GL2 843 cbr  (7.1" Medium Moderate action)

3- All of my crankbaits bellow the 1/2oz mark

4- Absolutely zero problems with mine, it´s a little tank...

[haggard]

23 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I have some questions for those of you who use Curado 70 or 71 reels.   1) Which line do you use on it?  2) How powerful is the rod you use with it?  3) How heavy of a lure do you cast with it?  and 4) Have you had any problems with it?       Thank you for your replies.    jj

Hi JJ -

 

I have a 71 HG (7.2:1) that I've used for one season now.

 

1. line is 12 lb test mono (Trilene XL)

2. rod is a medium power, fast action

3. lure is almost always a 1/4 oz Texas rigged soft plastic (worm or turtle)

4. only "problem" if I can call it that is the star drag control is very sensitive; it goes from loosey goosey to really tight very quickly (with very little rotation of the knob). I checked another reel at a store and it wasn't as sensitive so I figure it's just my one. It really hasn't been an issue.

 

I have four different baitcaster reels and the C71 is my favorite. I don't have huge hands so it's slightly smaller size (compared to, say, a Curado 200K/201K) feels much more comfortable and controllable. That, combined with its weight of 6.5 oz, allow me to use it for long days without feeling fatigued. It's been a great general purpose reel. Haven't been spooled yet despite "only" 85 yard capacity at 12 lb.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by haggard
Correction: changed "spool tension knob" to "star drag control"

[junyer357]

Currently an 8:1 70

12# invisx

6'8" m-xf avid 

Jerkbaits

 

Its my only shimano, most of my other reels are diawa tatulas. Was offered this one for $100 barely used and tried it and liked it. I found it to be a good light lure and short distance reel for slack line uses. I did not like it for general casting use. I prefer my tatula ct for that due to larger spool and lower gear ratios available. 

[Crankin4Bass]

Do you guys have problems with turning the external brake adjustment dial on the curado 70/71?  I find it very hard to turn the dial. Maybe I just got a bad one?

 

[scbassin]

I have 2 Scorpion 71 XG's  & they are a little hard to turn but will loosen up some with use. It is a pain in the butt though.

 

I have mine both mounted on  Dobyns Sierra SA 684 C rods & spooled with 16# shooter.  They are use for bottom fishing plastics.

[jimmyjoe]

  When I got my Curado 70, I got it for one reason; it was compact and easier than full-size reels to palm with my arthritis. Because all the advertisements stressed the capability of casting lighter lures (which it does very well) I assumed it was a more delicate or fragile reel. I know, I know .... I should never assume anything!  What you guys are telling me, though, is far beyond what I thought the reel could do on a day-to-day basis. Specifically, many of you are successfully using larger diameter line than I thought could be used on this reel. Before spring gets here, I'm gonna do some re-thinking of my rod/reel setups. Thank you!      jj

[haggard]

6 hours ago, Crankin4Bass said:

Do you guys have problems with turning the external brake adjustment dial on the curado 70/71?  I find it very hard to turn the dial. Maybe I just got a bad one?

 

Mine is hard to turn as well; I think it's common. It may loosen up with use.

 

[haggard]

1 hour ago, jimmyjoe said:

  When I got my Curado 70, I got it for one reason; it was compact and easier than full-size reels to palm with my arthritis. Because all the advertisements stressed the capability of casting lighter lures (which it does very well) I assumed it was a more delicate or fragile reel.

I think you picked the right reel for the application. It may be physically smaller than some but I don't consider its primary purpose to be throwing lighter lures; it's not in the same class as something like the Aldebaran or SV105. I see its main advantage as comfort: size and weight, for appropriately sized hands. There's nothing I've found so far about this reel that seems delicate or fragile.

 

[5by3]

I love the Curado 70 and currently own 4 of them. Don’t let the size of the reel fool you. They are a workhorse reel for me and have plenty of power. I like to upgrade to a 90mm handle for more leverage and also because I have large hands.

 

I mostly pitch, flip, and worm with mine although I’ve thrown jerkbaits, squarebills, buzzbaits, and other topwater as well. Line size varies depending on presentation, but usually it’s 15-17lb flouro or 30-40 lb braid. 

 

That being said, I don’t usually reach for these reels when I need to bomb long casts with large crankbaits or swimbaits. I use a regular Curado k for that with more line capacity. For general purposes, the 70 has plenty of line capacity to make a reasonably long cast + some extra line still on spool.

[FryDog62]

I have a Curado 70 on my 7-3 Heavy Kistler Helium 3 and it has been flawless... this coming from basically a Daiwa guy.. I’ve never had a better reel to palm and after 3 wrist/hand surgeries it has been incredible. 

 

I use 40 lb braid and a 12 # Yo-Zuri Hybrid leader pitching 1/2 oz Mop Jigs and All-Terrain Grassmaster jigs ..

[JustJames]

Currently 4 70s and Lure weight range  from 1/8oz to 1oz.

line #6 #10 copolymer line and 2 of 30lbs braid line.

Rod depends on Lure weight from Light all the way to MH. 

The biggest fish 23lbs crap.

The problem 4 is not enough I want more.

 

[OnthePotomac]

I have 15lb Invizx on both of my fast 70's  mounted on 7' MH Carbonlite rods for plastics of various kinds.  Love the set up and line quantity is not a problem since fishing plastics is not a swing for the distance type fishing.

[Crankin4Bass]

On 12/23/2018 at 12:13 PM, Crankin4Bass said:

Do you guys have problems with turning the external brake adjustment dial on the curado 70/71?  I find it very hard to turn the dial. Maybe I just got a bad one?

 

I just wanted to update that I did an exchange and the external brake dial on the new one is super smooth and much easier to turn. The first one must have been bad. Thanks to everyone for the line recommendations. I think I will go with 15lb invisix and use on a mh rod for jigs. Can't wait for ice out.

[new2BC4bass]

On 12/23/2018 at 1:39 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

I used mine on a 7' MH/F LTB with 15lb a majority of the time for 1/4-1/2 oz jigs. It handled fish up to nearly 70lbs without any problems.

Now those are nice size bass! 

[JustJames]

14 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

Now those are nice size bass! 

I think he caught a huge flathead with his scorpion 70, and I caught this from the same exact reel. Actually I caught 3 carps and huge catfish with it. 

 

[Bluebasser86]

39 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

Now those are nice size bass! 

I wish, biggest bass with it was 5.5, but I caught a 68lb flathead catfish with it.