DC reel for my brother-in-law?

[pauldconyers]

I am not celebrating Christmas with my wife's side of the family until next week and we still need to get her brother a gift. He has recently gotten back into fishing and so my wife has put it on me to get him a nice gift. Talking to his wife he mentioned wanting to get into jig and frog fishing so I recommended her a rod that would do both so now we are thinking about getting him a reel to go with it. As I have a big spool of Sufix 832 braid I will probably put that on the new reel for him to start. Casting a frog will be no deal but talking to him in the past he has never flipped/pitched a jig or soft plastic and I think he is intimidated by the process and all the potential back lashes. That's what got me thinking about a Curado DC for him because I thought this might eliminate a ton or problems with it. I am thinking the 7.4:1 model with an IPT of 31", is this a good speed for a jig/frog combo? I see the value of being able to take up line quickly but I also figured if I went to an 8 I would lose some power and that this was a good compromise, is this sound logic?

 

But my main question to those who own a DC reel is is my thought process of him being able to set the setting ups to where he could flip/pitch without worrying about massive birdnests a correct one? I know it has a braid setting on it but it seems like setting 4 that helps with skipping would be the route to go? I guess I am just asking to those DC owners could this really simplify the process and make it real user friendly for him?

[kayaking_kev]

He should never backlash on setting 4 on a DC reel. I also heard the T-Wing system from the Daiwa reels are good for pitching and flipping also, but I have never used one of them.

[new2BC4bass]

Flipping and pitching are two different things.  No additional line comes off the spool on flipping.  Therefore any reel is good.  I tried pitching off my home's rear deck a few years ago, but have never used it on the water.  Nor have I tried to learn skipping...yet.  Therefore I can't give an answer.

 

My DC experience is severely limited.  I used an older Exsence DC this year while visiting Florida.  As long as I kept brakes at Max or any of the other 3 settings, I never had a backlash in 3 days of fishing.  Which is very unusual because I have to change my casting stroke when there which requires some time to acclimate to.

 

I've only been able to use one other reel without needing to make minor changes to the reel's setup when going to Florida and that was a Pinnacle Primmus.  Even my beloved Curado 201E7 needed minor adjustments.

[NathanDLTH]

The Curado DC is great, but it's kinda bulky at 8oz or so, the Tatula SV is right around at 7oz. Both are reels I would recommend for starting out or pitching/flipping. 

[pauldconyers]

18 minutes ago, NathanDLTH said:

The Curado DC is great, but it's kinda bulky at 8oz or so, the Tatula SV is right around at 7oz. Both are reels I would recommend for starting out or pitching/flipping. 

Assuming you have a Curado DC maybe you (or someone else) can help me with this question that I had not thought of. I read on a different website this evening that my plan of getting him one so he can pitch without real fear of backlash might not work. I read that when pitching you would not get the "RPMs" up enough of the spool for the DC to engage. Meaning to pitch a jig with it even on setting 4 that is supposed to allow you to skip and such that it would work like a "normal" reel at that point to where even though it is a DC real you would not get any of the "lessened backlash"advantages. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

[rtwvumtneer6]

I think the best benefit of a DC reel is casting lighter lures, in windy conditions and skipping. 

 

I'm a big fan of the Curado K.  I have both the 8.5:1 and 7.4:1.  Both are work horses. I pitch with the 8 (would also throw a frog on it if needed) and the 7 is on a dedicated jig rod.  To be honest both would handle either application with a small adjustment to the spool tension.  I wouldn't worry so much about the "power" of the reel in applications where you are relying on the rod to move the fish. 

 

If you are set on DC I've heard great things about the SLX DC.  I don't own one, but I believe they are similar in price to the Curado K.

 

Maybe not the exact answer you were looking for, but hopefully it's useful information!  

[NathanDLTH]

12 hours ago, pauldconyers said:

Assuming you have a Curado DC maybe you (or someone else) can help me with this question that I had not thought of. I read on a different website this evening that my plan of getting him one so he can pitch without real fear of backlash might not work. I read that when pitching you would not get the "RPMs" up enough of the spool for the DC to engage. Meaning to pitch a jig with it even on setting 4 that is supposed to allow you to skip and such that it would work like a "normal" reel at that point to where even though it is a DC real you would not get any of the "lessened backlash"advantages. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

I had a Curado DC and went back to a Bantam MGL simply because it’s my choice, the rest of my reels are Daiwa SVs. The DC is better for skipping and casting then flipping simply because the DC will want to brake more on those shorter flips/pitch’s. You still need to use the thumb and help brake the spool, can’t take that out for the equation. If I were to flip with a Curado DC, it would be setting 2 or 3, maybe 4 if I was skittish. 

[pauldconyers]

2 hours ago, NathanDLTH said:

If I were to flip with a Curado DC, it would be setting 2 or 3, maybe 4 if I was skittish. 

The main thing is he has never fished jigs and pitched lay down with soft plastics, mostly because fear of spool control and back lashing. He can cast normally with a baitcaster no problem but this style of presentation is new and somewhat intimidating to him, I think. I thought a Curado DC would eliminate that fear but now I'm getting conflicting info and obviously don't want to go and buy it for him if it isn't going to help in this situation anyway.

[NathanDLTH]

2 hours ago, pauldconyers said:

The main thing is he has never fished jigs and pitched lay down with soft plastics, mostly because fear of spool control and back lashing. He can cast normally with a baitcaster no problem but this style of presentation is new and somewhat intimidating to him, I think. I thought a Curado DC would eliminate that fear but now I'm getting conflicting info and obviously don't want to go and buy it for him if it isn't going to help in this situation anyway.

It certainly can, but possibly over brake when flipping. Since he’s skittish then the Curado DC would be the go to choice. I’ve found that I like a bit more play when adjusting my reels for techniques. Why I ditched the DC, took me a while before settling on the Bantam. Who knows, I may add a DC again to my arsenal. But for now, I’ll stick to my Daiwas and the Bantam. 

[DanielG]

 

To make the Curado DC cast well with no nests.

 

The best setting for the DC reel are not what is in the directions that come with it.

 

-Set it to the number designated for the type of line

 

-Put the lure on and adjust the tension knob so that the lure drops very slowly when the tip is shaken.

 

That's it. It needs to be adjusted for each different weight lure but just takes a second. No nests.

 

You can loosen the tension some or a lot if you want to use your thumb.

[Fishes in trees]

You must have a great brother-in- law to drop $250 on a reel after you've already bought him a jig/frog rod.

First - how does a jig/frog rod work?  Throwing frogs, you frequently have to throw them a decent distance, often over a  hundred feet to cover mats/pads/whatever.   Frogs aren't the most aerodynamic of baits, so you need some tip to load the rod and throw the frog, PLUS should you happen to get bit a ways from the boat, you need plenty of back bone on the rod to get the fish up and drag it over the mats OR you got to drive your trolling motor through the mats/pads to go get the fish.  To me, a jig rod isn't the same.   I like an extra fast tip for maximum sensitivity, and while backbone is important, do you need as much back bone on a jig rod as you do on a frog rod?  Maybe do you need more?  I don't know - interesting question.   Seems to me that a jig/frog rod is a compromise.   Are you going to throw alot of frogs and use it for jigs/soft plastics from time to time, or visa versa.

 

The point of the previous paragraph is to address what kind of reel you're going to get for this super brother-in-law.   If I'm primarily throwing frogs, a Curado DC is a great choice that addresses many of your concerns.  If you're primarily pitching jigs/soft plastics to objects and seldom throwing over 50 feet the DC s overkill - IMO.   For pitching /jigging, a Curado K or a 70  or my personal favorite in the same price range, a 50 size Curado or Chronarch is the ticket.

 

I'd be telling said brother-in- law, "Time to start learning how to use your thumb when you pitch." as I presented him with that reel.  If I bought that guy the Curado DC, I'd be saying, this is now your spinnerbait/squarebill/chatterbait reel.  Go figure out what kind of reel you need for frogging and/or pitching.

 

Changing the subject, again, does your wife have another sister?   I'd make a great potential brother in law, in that I already have a decent boat, I know half a dozen good to great places to fish, and I could use another Curado DC.

[NHBull]

I love my DC’s ...... But not great for F/P.

 They really shine for long cast in windy conditions.

 

[FishTank]

I have the DC and the K.  Both great reels.  If you are going to use the DC for flipping and/or pitching, IMHO, ditch the braid and go with FC.   I have found braid to be a weird thing with the DC reel especially with pitching.  The DC does work great for both flipping and pitching but it shines and amazes when casting into the wind. 

 

First thing, I would learn the technique instead of counting on the reel to help (use a regular baitcaster at first).  Second, get use to the DC reel before you start flipping/pitching.  Last, ignore the settings suggested by Shimano in the manual and figure out what works best for you.