Shimano 200E7 - opinions?

[The Baron]

I've fished for many years, exclusively with spinning gear.  I've decided to get a little more serious/technical about bass fishing, and want to try a bait casting setup.  I recently wandered into a local shop and they had a 1/2 price deal on some Duckett rods, so I went home and did some research/talked to a friend who's a serious bass fisherman and ended up picking up a 7ft M/H/Fast rod with intentions of using it to fish the weeds/pads and around stumps etc. for large mouth.  I'm now looking at reels, and to say I'm overwhelmed would be an understatement.  I'm old enough to know buying good equipment the first time is actually cheaper than working up to it, but finances and family responsibilities make me frugal enough to always scour the used market before buying.  Long story short, I have a line on a Shimano 200E7 locally what I feel is a fair price.  My question is, would this be a good choice for my experience level (zero) and intended use?  In particular, with zero experience I have no idea if 7.0:1 is the "best" gear ratio for me.  I love fishing surface lures so expect I'll be throwing frogs (just picked up a 1/2oz Live Target frog that seems like the right size to me) and learning/doing whatever else is appropriator for pulling bass out of cover.

[Stephen B]

The 200E7 Curado is an exceptional reel. Depending on the price and condition, they could be a good buy. The biggest issue with them is the resell value of the E series are very high so make sure they are a fair deal and what you want.

[Jig Man]

I traded up often until I got hold of a Curado E.  I think I have 7 or 8 of them.  They are great reels.

[drew4779]

Great reel.

[Hammer 4]

Owned a few E series reels in the past, 2 301E's 2 201E's..and all of them were great performers and trouble free.

 

So yeah if you can get one or more for a reasonable price, Jump on it.. 

[new2BC4bass]

You will like it.  My 201E7 is on my frog rod.   Very good reels.

[craww]

Yes. That style brake is as simple as at gets, you'll like the reel. Id take one over anything w/a comparable or slightly higher msrp made today. Great distance casters, the “good” septon knobs, no tangible durability issues whatsoever, even with a ton of them out there under two names. I legit cant recall ANY one saying they had to swap a gearset in one on the forums over the yrs? 

[Fishingmickey]

The Curado 200E7 "greenie" is one of the highly sought after time tested classic (or soon to be) reels.  The 7:1 ratio is good all round ratio.  If it were me. I'd go ahead and get the reel then send it to Delaware tackle for a complete rebuild/bearings/tune up and you'll have a great reel that will last you many many years.

Fishingmickey

[mrpao]

1 hour ago, Fishingmickey said:

The Curado 200E7 "greenie" is one of the highly sought after time tested classic (or soon to be) reels.  The 7:1 ratio is good all round ratio.  If it were me. I'd go ahead and get the reel then send it to Delaware tackle for a complete rebuild/bearings/tune up and you'll have a great reel that will last you many many years.

Fishingmickey

If the reel is still in good shape a tuneup or rebuild is probably not necessary 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

They’re great performers, simple and forgiving. Only downside is limited parts availability but if it’s sound now and cared for it’s no problem. 

[dave]

E series has hard to find parts?   I can see the B series?

[The Maestro]

I have 5 of them that have been mostly used for heavy applications. Drag locked right down and hard hooksets with 80lb braid in thick/matted weeds and they're still going strong with just a yearly servicing that I do myself.  It was the last generation of Curado to be made in Japan. I don't know how much that really matters but I have no regrets about buying them at the time.  Any new reels at this point will be Bantam MGL's but my Curado E's will have a place in my arsenal until they give up the ghost.

[Shimano_1]

Wonderful reels that are built like tanks. Not the smoothest in the world and if ur new to casting there are better options to learn on. Depending on price...I'd take a serious look at a daiwa fuego ct.  I've owned several e7 reels and I'd take the fuego or tatula ct over them. Much more user friendly and probably cheaper.  Good luck

[FishTank]

Great reel.  If the price is right, i would not hesitate. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

1 hour ago, dave said:

E series has hard to find parts?   I can see the B series? 

Shimano stops stocking parts after about 5 yrs. some odd parts are no longer available already. Independent dealers often have parts for a while but it can be a hunt. Not a problem yet just something to be aware of. 

[OnthePotomac]

My three 200E7's are now nine years old and perform like they just came out of the box, but I do keep them cleaned and lubed properly myself.  Nothing has ever had to be replaced in them.  At the top of my Shimano reels I am crazy about along with my 14 year old Curado 100B's.

[Westcoast]

I didn’t know these had such a great reputation, I have a brand new one that’s been sitting unused on my shelf since I bought it when they first came out. Guess I’ll need to put it into the rotation. 

[JustJames]

200e is one good reel especially for beginners (easier to dial in), if you can get it at around 150 new or like new. The 7 ration is pretty normal these day for bass fishing. Once you get use to with baitcaster and ready to upgrade then you can sell your 200e at the same price or even more to those crazy collector and buy yourself Curado K, Chronarch MGL, Bantam MGL and such.

[Jsher19038]

Old thread I just stumbled upon looking for a reel for my recently purchased frogging rod. I see people mentioned ease of use and good setup for beginners. It will be my first time using a bait caster. I also see lots of people buying up used ones still. Hard to get parts is the only thing I don’t like. 

[new2BC4bass]

As mentioned here and in your other thread, the Curado 200E/201E are very good reels.  I personally had better luck dialing in the braking system on these reels than on the new braking system.

 

One thing to remember coming from spinning is that you can't cast a baitcaster like you would a spinning reel.  The cast must be smooth.

 

I would suggest learning by using a sidearm underhand cast.  Watch the pros cast.  It keeps the rod loaded throughout the cast with less effort on your part.

 

Start with an aerodynamic lure of at least 1/2 oz.  I'm originally from PA.  Live in Florida now.  I used 12# mono or co-polymer on almost all my MH rods.  I may try some 15# on a couple reels now that I'm in Florida.

 

It takes a pretty good pull to break 12# mono if your knot was tied correctly.  It's easier on the hand to use a short dowel wrapped with tape.  Less likely to injury your hand.  Whatever you do don't use the reel to break the line.  Probably didn't have to mention that.  Just thought I'd throw it out there. 

 

[The Baron]

Wow, I think this was one of my first posts in here.  Fun to see it resurrected, as I’ve come a very long way in the past 5 years.  I’ve got multiple (10+… would have to count) baitcasting rod/reel setups now and can’t imagine ever fishing without them.  The Duckett rod I mentioned is still going strong and is on the deck pretty much every trip.  I did buy that Chronarch 200e7 I spoke about and it’s still in good use - I’d buy another in a heartbeat.  That reel is now setup with 15# copoly on a dedicated swimbait/glide bait setup for pike/bass (in that order of use).

 

I’ve been blessed with the means to try many reels and I think the Shimano SLX/SLX DC reels are hard to beat for value and performance.  I’ve got a couple of Curado DCs too, and frankly I don’t feel they’re any better than the SLX.  I’ve not tried any Lews reels yet, but we have a couple of their Speed Stick rods (green handles) and are very happy with them for a $100-ish rod.  I’ll be setting up a dedicated frog setup for myself next year because my 15yo son “stole” the one I had (and has whooped my butt with it too many times - darn kid has the timing down on the hooksets so good that I should steal is back and tell him go buy your own.  lol).  I may try a Lews for my frog rod, so I can speak first hand about a Lews reel.

 

@Jsher19038  For a frogging reel, I definitely recommend an 8: speed.  I’d also recommend a 150 or even 200 size for decent line capacity with 50+ lb. braid.

[Jsher19038]

On 12/14/2024 at 5:48 AM, The Baron said:

Wow, I think this was one of my first posts in here.  Fun to see it resurrected, as I’ve come a very long way in the past 5 years.  I’ve got multiple (10+… would have to count) baitcasting rod/reel setups now and can’t imagine ever fishing without them.  The Duckett rod I mentioned is still going strong and is on the deck pretty much every trip.  I did buy that Chronarch 200e7 I spoke about and it’s still in good use - I’d buy another in a heartbeat.  That reel is now setup with 15# copoly on a dedicated swimbait/glide bait setup for pike/bass (in that order of use).

 

I’ve been blessed with the means to try many reels and I think the Shimano SLX/SLX DC reels are hard to beat for value and performance.  I’ve got a couple of Curado DCs too, and frankly I don’t feel they’re any better than the SLX.  I’ve not tried any Lews reels yet, but we have a couple of their Speed Stick rods (green handles) and are very happy with them for a $100-ish rod.  I’ll be setting up a dedicated frog setup for myself next year because my 15yo son “stole” the one I had (and has whooped my butt with it too many times - darn kid has the timing down on the hooksets so good that I should steal is back and tell him go buy your own.  lol).  I may try a Lews for my frog rod, so I can speak first hand about a Lews reel.

 

@Jsher19038  For a frogging reel, I definitely recommend an 8: speed.  I’d also recommend a 150 or even 200 size for decent line capacity with 50+ lb. braid.

Yeah I just recently found bass resource so I’ve been doing a deep dive on lots of specific stuff ! This place is a wealth of knowledge ! Appreciate the input !