Sooo....What's the difference with the Curado 200 M Vs the Curado 150 MGL???

[ghost]

Besides spool size, it's the Curado 150 MGL; IMO.

[PBBrandon]

Pretty much it seems. Different spool and that’s it. I’m just trying to figure out why the Curado M is a whole ounce heavier than the 150 MGL

[ghost]

That new tension knob looks beefier and more line capacity? Maybe beefier gears?

[Hulkster]

I'm disappointed they went back to the old thumb bar design that was on the K.

 

thats the one that fell apart on everyone.

 

I thought that the reason that they changed it in the Curado 150 and the Tranx 150 was that it sucked and people didn't like it (and all the failures when the K first came out)

 

but they went right back to it ?

[T2DM]

On 7/10/2023 at 9:07 PM, Hulkster said:

I'm disappointed they went back to the old thumb bar design that was on the K.

 

thats the one that fell apart on everyone.

 

I thought that the reason that they changed it in the Curado 150 and the Tranx 150 was that it sucked and people didn't like it (and all the failures when the K first came out)

 

but they went right back to it ?

I'm with you on this one dude! I like the old "Quick Fire" thumb bar design...

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I think you get a little more torque, drag and capacity at the penalty of more weight.  I think they're trying to market it as a small swimbait, A rig and deep crank reel that can throw lighter baits, kind of like more versatile 200k.  Throwing an MGl spool in a reels is just a cost effective way to put a new product on the market.  Its kind of like that Simpsons episode when they just repackaged an old Malibu Stacey doll to compete with Lisas doll, and when she points that out, Smithers goes "BUT SHE HAS NEW HAT!" and all of a sudden no one wants Lisas doll anymore.  

[DEPS_250]

I am a hardcore swimbait fishermen. My speculations and opinions are going to be biased towards a swimbait fishermens point of view. With that said, I was actually looking at getting a Curado 150 MGL or 200K. 1-3oz glide baits and multi-jointed swimbaits are my bread and butter and although my current reel gets the job done, I was always constantly on the search for a new swimbait reel.

 

The Shimano Curado 200M seems to be marketed towards swimbait fishermen who need a reel that can fish as light as a 1/2oz all the way up to 3 maybe 3.5oz. I think Shimano did the right thing by basically offering us swimbait fisherman a Curado that is the perfect marriage of the 150 MGL and 200K. 200K lacked the beefiness/gears and versatility, while the 150 MGL lacked the line capacity. 

 

The 200M bridges the gap and offers us swimbait fishermen a more versatile reel that has the right line capacity and that can fish lighter baits in a pinch also, while having beefier gears and a larger more robust frame/body to help with fishing large swimbaits. The addition of an MGL spool definitely makes the reel that much more versatile in my opinion. Although, I definitely would of liked to see 6 brake pads/arms instead of 4 on the SVS infinity brake system. 

 

I am so excited to find out that Shimano finally decided to upgrade the Curado 200K and release a new reel that ticks all of the right boxes for us swimbait fishermen. My search for the perfect 1-3oz glide bait/swimbait reel is finally over. I think the Curado 200M are going to be a home run for Shimano and should sell like hotcakes. I can't wait to get the 8.5:1 with the 37 inches per turn for some glide bait fishing! 

 

 

[PBBrandon]

8 hours ago, DEPS_250 said:

I am a hardcore swimbait fishermen. My speculations and opinions are going to be biased towards a swimbait fishermens point of view. With that said, I was actually looking at getting a Curado 150 MGL.

 

The Shimano Curado 200M seems to be marketed towards swimbait fishermen who need a reel that can fish as light as a 1/2oz all the way up to 3 maybe 3.5oz. I think Shimano did the right thing by basically offering us swimbait fisherman a Curado that is right in between the 150 MGL and 200K. 200K lacked the beefiness/gears and versatility, while the 150 MGL lacked the line capacity.

 

The 200M bridges the gap and offers us swimbait fishermen a more versatile reel that has the right line capacity and that can fish lighter baits in a pinch while also having some beefy gears and a larger more robust frame/body to help with fishing large swimbaits. The addition of an MGL spool definitely makes the reel that much more versatile in my opinion. Although, I definitely would of liked to see 6 brake pads/arms instead of 4 on the SVS infinity brake system. 

 

1-3oz glide baits and multi-jointed swimbaits are my bread and butter and although my current reel gets the job done, I was always constantly on the search for a new swimbait reel. I am so excited to find out that Shimano finally decided to upgrade the Curado 200k and release a new reel that ticks all of the right boxes for us swimbait fishermen. My search for the perfect 1-3oz glide bait/swimbait reel is finally over. I think the Curado 200M are going to be a home run for Shimano and should sell like hot cakes. I can't wait to get the 8.5:1 with the 37 inches per turn for some glide bait fishing! 

 

 

Well shoot now you got me wanting one lol. I’ve been looking for a nice smaller-medium glide/swimbait setup. Not planning on jumping off of the deep end into the world of big swimbaits, just would be nice to have swimbaits as another weapon in my arsenal. Currently I have 7 and 8 speed Curado 200Ks and would use one of those, but I’m just worried about the K not having enough muscle. If the M is supposed to be beefier, the bait monkey is telling me to get one to put on a Fury or Champ XP 795 or 806.
 

But yeah, I guess it does make sense to introduce the M as a heavier duty reel to bridge the gap between the 150 MGL and the Curado 300 while the 150 MGL essentially replaces the 200K

[Diggy]

33 minutes ago, PBBrandon said:

Well shoot now you got me wanting one lol. I’ve been looking for a nice smaller-medium glide/swimbait setup. Not planning on jumping off of the deep end into the world of big swimbaits, just would be nice to have swimbaits as another weapon in my arsenal. Currently I have 7 and 8 speed Curado 200Ks and would use one of those, but I’m just worried about the K not having enough muscle. If the M is supposed to be beefier, the bait monkey is telling me to get one to put on a Fury or Champ XP 795 or 806.
 

But yeah, I guess it does make sense to introduce the M as a heavier duty reel to bridge the gap between the 150 MGL and the Curado 300 while the 150 MGL essentially replaces the 200K

Tons of people use the K for swimbait fishing. I have an old 201 i HG model I use braid to leader. I do agree tho, it's time to buy ? 

I need more IPT after fishing my 8 ratio metanium with a MIR Jr. swimbait. It had the peacock bass fired up. 

[Hulkster]

Quote

I am so excited to find out that Shimano finally decided to upgrade the Curado 200K and release a new reel that ticks all of the right boxes for us swimbait fishermen. My search for the perfect 1-3oz glide bait/swimbait reel is finally over.

Isn't the Curado K 300 a much better choice for this? the 300 and 400 reels are a lot beefier than the 200 sizes 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

16 minutes ago, Hulkster said:

Isn't the Curado K 300 a much better choice for this? the 300 and 400 reels are a lot beefier than the 200 sizes 

If it's the right 200 sized reel, I think it's the perfect size for those 1-3oz swimbaits or A-Rigs.  Saving any wait in the swimbait rig is a huge deal for me.   

 

The Zillion HD TW has brass gears and is built like a Mack truck, has an oversized handle and knobs.....it's the perfect reel imho for 1-4oz baits.    

 

Can't speak to others.   

 

I'm going to get a Calcutta 300 most likely for my second swimbait setup, but that reel will be used to throw 4-7oz baits once I get further down this rabbit hole.  

 

I think only a handful of baits would merit a 400 sized reel....maybe a Moby, or a Hinkle Trout.   

 

Just my 2cents

 

eta:   I bought a Curado 150MGL a few months back, I don't know the guts of this reel like the Zillion above, but it comes with a nice oversized handle so it wouldn't make the worst smaller swimbait reel.   

 

[PhishLI]

4 hours ago, PBBrandon said:

Not planning on jumping off of the deep end into the world of big swimbaits, just would be nice to have swimbaits as another weapon in my arsenal. Currently I have 7 and 8 speed Curado 200Ks and would use one of those, but I’m just worried about the K not having enough muscle.

It'll be perfectly fine and will stand up well to large swimbaits on the smaller end. Regardless of what's sent out into the ether about people throwing swimbaits 150', I rarely if ever see them getting thrown anything close to that far and I fish with several guys who are all in with them. Use what you got and don't sweat it.

[T2DM]

Shimano need to release a Bantam 300 or 400 for you big swimbait guys! 

 

I bet that would be cool.?

[DEPS_250]

21 hours ago, Hulkster said:

Isn't the Curado K 300 a much better choice for this? the 300 and 400 reels are a lot beefier than the 200 sizes 

 

300 Curado K and Tranx 400 are beefier but you have to understand that there is a trade off when going to a bigger reel and these reels are also...

 

1. Heavier

2. Bigger/Bulkier

 

I have a lot of experience fishing swimbaits. 300-400 sized reels are 'over kill' for 1-3oz glide baits/swimbaits. A 300-400 sized reel is going to 'wear' you out after throwing 1-3oz sized swimbaits all day on the water. The difference between a 200 and 300 sized reel in weight and size is night and day. The 300 contributes to a lot of fatigue and stress on your hands and arms vs a smaller reel like a 200. I would much rather fish a 200 sized reel over a 300 sized reel for 1-3oz swimbaits any day of the week. 

 

For the Swimbait Newbies: This is how I would break down reel class sizes and swimbait lure weights...

 

150-200 size _ 1-3oz

250-300 size _ 3-7oz

350-400 size _ 7+oz 

 

One caveat...I fish braid to leader for a lot of my swimbaits so I can get more line capacity and therefore a little more versatility. Because braid is thinner, I can pack more line on to the spool. Therefore, I can fish larger baits with a smaller reel and not have to worry about spooling the whole reel on a cast. This leaves me with enough line left over on the spool in order to keep my inches per turn high and more consistent on the retrieve after a long bomb cast. Having a high and consistent inches per turn throughout the length of the retrieve/cast widens/enlarges the strike zone. Widening and enlarging the strike zone greatly increases the likelihood of getting more fish to bite. It also makes for more effective/positive hooksets and increases your hook to land ratio.  

 

Hope these tips help. 

[Hulkster]

Quote

. A 300-400 sized reel is going to 'wear' you out after throwing 1-3oz sized swimbaits all day on the water

I guess it depends on the setup. I have a tranx 400 that I can use all day no issues. but it is on a balanced set up (an 8 foot musky rod). 

 

ya if you tried a 300 or a 400 on a typical bass swimbait rod (still much less beefier than a musky rod) it might feel too heavy