Calling all 2020 Metanium MGL owners

[DINK WHISPERER]

So after many years of wanting to try high end gear, I'm finally in a position where I can comfortably do so. A couple weeks ago I purchased a few 2020 Metanium MGL reels and I'm extremely disappointed! No matter what I do I can't get more than maybe a 25yd cast out of these things! But most of the time I get an instant birds nest! Now, I'm no stranger to bait casting gear and just switched from the Chronarch MGL to these. I've tried different lines, rods, baits etc and I keep getting the same results. I went to all 4 pins on and the SVS on 4 with the spool tension so tight the bait barely even falls on it's own and same results. 

So far I've tried 3 out of the ones I ordered and they're all the same. I have one on a 7' 3" XH Expride with 50lb braid as frog setup. One on a 7' 3" MH/RF Poison Adrena with 15lb copoly and one on a 7' 11" Expride XH/MF with 60lb braid. I would greatly appreciate ANY input before I give up on these.....

[MidwestBassAttack]

That’s a super solid reel you have there. Thinking you have her super tight and am trying to force the distance with an abrupt and possibly jerky cast. Trying running two on/two off internal and the dial set to 6. Focus on a smooth release and follow through to target

[Phil77]

I have two blocks on and the dial set around 3 or 4 and get great distance and control. The blocks need to be pushed in towards the spool pin to be off, leaving them folded or unsecured is the on position. If you have all four clicked in then you are in freespool and unless you have a bionic thumb it will backlash no matter what.

[FrankN209]

1 minute ago, MidwestBassAttack said:

That’s a super solid reel you have there. Thinking you have her super tight and am trying to force the distance with an abrupt and possibly jerky cast. Trying running two on/two off internal and the dial set to 6. Focus on a smooth release and follow through to target

I agree, 2 brakes on, 2 off and adjust the spool tension. 

[DINK WHISPERER]

I always start with 2 blocks on and two off and usually end up leaving it there. That's not helping on this reel at all. I've tried super loose spool and super tight with no difference! Like I said, I've been using bait casting gear for many years. I've used just about everything Shimano has to offer but this has got me pulling my hair out! My Chronarchs had 2 blocks on and the SVS on 1 maybe 2 with no issues. I REALLY want to figure this out because I love everything else about this model. 

[Phil77]

Does the spool have side to side play when you loosen the knob? I've had that happen a few times and once its properly seated it works as normal. If that doesn't fix it hope you can exchange/return them. 

[MidwestBassAttack]

Any info on lure weights your throwing when this happens? Throwing with the wind or into it?

 

Maybe putting too much tension on the line when spooling?

 

 

 

 

[PressuredFishing]

47 minutes ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

So after many years of wanting to try high end gear, I'm finally in a position where I can comfortably do so. A couple weeks ago I purchased a few 2020 Metanium MGL reels and I'm extremely disappointed! No matter what I do I can't get more than maybe a 25yd cast out of these things! But most of the time I get an instant birds nest! Now, I'm no stranger to bait casting gear and just switched from the Chronarch MGL to these. I've tried different lines, rods, baits etc and I keep getting the same results. I went to all 4 pins on and the SVS on 4 with the spool tension so tight the bait barely even falls on it's own and same results. 

So far I've tried 3 out of the ones I ordered and they're all the same. I have one on a 7' 3" XH Expride with 50lb braid as frog setup. One on a 7' 3" MH/RF Poison Adrena with 15lb copoly and one on a 7' 11" Expride XH/MF with 60lb braid. I would greatly appreciate ANY input before I give up on these.....

Assuming you know how to dial in a reel and cast effectivley, I would take it back immediately to shimano and ask for a full refund and not a replacement. Get your money back if it's a lemon, I know the feeling, you can get a refund on most items that you haven't had to long. The reason I say ask for your money is so you can buy another one if YOU want instead of giving them the opportunity to decide for you.

[DINK WHISPERER]

No side to side play on the spool at all. And there's no way all 3 I've tried so far are all lemons is there?

On the frog rod I've tried 3/8oz, 1/2oz and 3/4oz hollow body frogs. On the all purpose Adrena I've thrown literally everything from a 3/8oz T-rig to a 1oz swimbait. Hasn't been windy much here so I'm getting to do this with very minimal breeze. I'm going out again tomorrow afternoon so I guess I'll see what happens. 

[Phil77]

10 minutes ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

No side to side play on the spool at all. And there's no way all 3 I've tried so far are all lemons is there?

On the frog rod I've tried 3/8oz, 1/2oz and 3/4oz hollow body frogs. On the all purpose Adrena I've thrown literally everything from a 3/8oz T-rig to a 1oz swimbait. Hasn't been windy much here so I'm getting to do this with very minimal breeze. I'm going out again tomorrow afternoon so I guess I'll see what happens. 

Get the spool seated properly and I bet your troubles will be gone. Its only happened to me a couple of times when I had to remove the spool to pick out a backlash and didn't seat the spool right. 

[DINK WHISPERER]

23 minutes ago, Phil77 said:

Get the spool seated properly and I bet your troubles will be gone. Its only happened to me a couple of times when I had to remove the spool to pick out a backlash and didn't seat the spool right. 

The spool is seated right as far as I can tell. Not sure how the side plate would even fit back on if it wasn't?

I spooled them right out of the box without ever even removing the spool. 

[FishTank]

14 minutes ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

The spool is seated right as far as I can tell. Not sure how the side plate would even fit back on if it wasn't?

 

Can you post some pics of the reels in question?  Did you spool them yourself?  Is the external brake working properly (is the cone moving back and forth when you turn the dial)?

 

 

[BobbyBudnick]

Maybe there's too much oil on the brake race. Rub a q-tip on it and take off the excess oil, hopefully it helps

[Big Hands]

51 minutes ago, BobbyBudnick said:

Maybe there's too much oil on the brake race. Rub a q-tip on it and take off the excess oil, hopefully it helps

This was what I was going to suggest. Also check he bearing in the side plate. Some reels have a fair amount of . . . 'goop' in them. I would try a drop of oil on the bearing and see if that doesn't loosen things up a bit. 

[Phil77]

3 hours ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

The spool is seated right as far as I can tell. Not sure how the side plate would even fit back on if it wasn't?

I spooled them right out of the box without ever even removing the spool. 

Trust me it will look like it's in there right but won't have any side to side play when you loosen the knob. These reels have tight tolerances, mine is hard to remove the spool. Its just been my personal experience and it has happened twice so now I would bet that's it especially if you dont have any side to side play.

 

[DINK WHISPERER]

Ok, I removed the side plate and cleaned the drum even though it didn't appear to have any oil on it. The bearing had no "goop" but I added a drop off oil to it. The brakes are functioning and the drum is moving when I turn the dial. And yes I spool my own reels, have been for 30 years no issues. I'm taking the frog setup out after work and see how it goes. Thanks guys

[GaryH]

Keep us posted DW. I’m curious as your not a noobie and know what your doing. It’s strange that all 3 reels are doing the same thing. Good luck.

[Phil77]

8 hours ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

The spool is seated right as far as I can tell. Not sure how the side plate would even fit back on if it wasn't?

I spooled them right out of the box without ever even removing the spool. 

Pretty sure it's the bearing pressure spring giving you problems. The spool will fit but not move side to side no matter how far you loosen the cap. Here is a pic from the schematic. Try working the spring then put it back in. If that doesn't fix it you truly have a lemon.

Sorry for the small pic, had to resize to fit. That spring is behind the bearing and bushing on the spool.

I had the same problem a few months after I bought the reel and was about to throw it in the lake out of frustration. I went from being able to bomb a weightless trick worm to no distance at all after having to remove the spool due to a backlash. Just an FYI that reel when dialed in can do long distance with a wrist flick, no need to horse it on the cast hence why I backlashed it.

[DINK WHISPERER]

1 hour ago, Phil77 said:

Pretty sure it's the bearing pressure spring giving you problems. The spool will fit but not move side to side no matter how far you loosen the cap. Here is a pic from the schematic. Try working the spring then put it back in. If that doesn't fix it you truly have a lemon.

Sorry for the small pic, had to resize to fit. That spring is behind the bearing and bushing on the spool.

I had the same problem a few months after I bought the reel and was about to throw it in the lake out of frustration. I went from being able to bomb a weightless trick worm to no distance at all after having to remove the spool due to a backlash. Just an FYI that reel when dialed in can do long distance with a wrist flick, no need to horse it on the cast hence why I backlashed it.

I'm definitely going to check this out tonight. Although a reel with a price tag like this should not have to be messed with right out of the box! My son uses mostly all SLX XT reels and he has no issues bombing a frog 40 yards or more. It's embarrassing.....

[Phil77]

Mine worked great until the day i jammed the spool back in in a hurry, forgot to mention it happened in my kayak. I was trying to get a bear of a birds nest picked out, keep the yak in place cause I forgot my anchor, and keep an eye out for cottonmouths so I was a tad bit stressed at that moment. I didn't have to mess with the spring at all, I never even knew it was there at that time so I just removed the spool and put it back in. It wasn't till the second time it happened that I noticed I didn't have any wiggle in the spool, I never had to mess with the spring just simply pulled the spool out and gently put it back together. I'm no expert but I think the spring is part of the silent tune feature of the reel and is an unintended point of failure when the spool isn't put in correctly. I've fished mine hard for over a year and besides the two times it's happened to me which were both my fault for jamming it back together it has been an excellent reel. 

[DINK WHISPERER]

6 minutes ago, Phil77 said:

Mine worked great until the day i jammed the spool back in in a hurry, forgot to mention it happened in my kayak. I was trying to get a bear of a birds nest picked out, keep the yak in place cause I forgot my anchor, and keep an eye out for cottonmouths so I was a tad bit stressed at that moment. I didn't have to mess with the spring at all, I never even knew it was there at that time so I just removed the spool and put it back in. It wasn't till the second time it happened that I noticed I didn't have any wiggle in the spool, I never had to mess with the spring just simply pulled the spool out and gently put it back together. I'm no expert but I think the spring is part of the silent tune feature of the reel and is an unintended point of failure when the spool isn't put in correctly. I've fished mine hard for over a year and besides the two times it's happened to me which were both my fault for jamming it back together it has been an excellent reel. 

Mine has plenty of spool wiggle if I loosen the tension up though. It's still worth checking out at this point. 

[Phil77]

If that spring isn't the issue hopefully you can return them. I agree that a $400 reel should be flawless out of the box. I fished mostly shimano for eighteen years before switching to lew's and never had an issue with any of their reels except for the met. I am willing to admit it was my fault and not shimano's for the troubles I had. I still think shimano are the best reels manufactured today but prefer the ergonomics of the lews slp reels.

[TNBankFishing]

I own 3 different Mets in three retrieves bought from two different sources and have not had this issue. Return them ASAP. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Im just about certain its the way you put the spool in because I've done the same thing. The plate closes just like it would normally even when the spool isn't in correctly.  The easiest way to tell if its not in right is that there wont be any play in the spool no matter how loose you have the spool tension. 

Remove the side plate and spool and make sure you loosen the tension knob before you put the spool back in.  If the spool is in correctly, loosening the tension knob will allow the spool to move.

I've noticed that the JDM model I have is a little more touchy then the USDM models brake wise.  If you aren't used to running your reels really loose I wouldn't recommend disengaging any more then 2 brakes if you have a JDM model. 

I can just about promise you that once you have the reels running as they should you will be happy with their performance.    

[DINK WHISPERER]

2 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Im just about certain its the way you put the spool in because I've done the same thing. The plate closes just like it would normally even when the spool isn't in correctly.  The easiest way to tell if its not in right is that there wont be any play in the spool no matter how loose you have the spool tension. 

Remove the side plate and spool and make sure you loosen the tension knob before you put the spool back in.  If the spool is in correctly, loosening the tension knob will allow the spool to move.

I've noticed that the JDM model I have is a little more touchy then the USDM models brake wise.  If you aren't used to running your reels really loose I wouldn't recommend disengaging any more then 2 brakes if you have a JDM model. 

I can just about promise you that once you have the reels running as they should you will be happy with their performance.    

I finally took the XG out that's on my frog rod today. I tried all the adjustments mentioned and it's still not casting far! My spool definitely wiggles around when you loosen the tension knob though. If I just flick it out there it does ok, no backlash. But, if I try to get any distance on it, it immediately blows up! I love the looks and palming feel of this reel so I really want to figure it out. I highly doubt that all of the ones I ordered from 2 different dealers are all defective! I will keep at it....