dc casting reels

[cheezyridr]

i've had a curado dc for a few years now.  it's been a pretty good reel for me.

however...

the longer i have it, the more i use it,  the more i think the dc part doesn't do anything other than make a cool noise.

it doesn't cast any better or worse than any of my other reels.  i rarely backlash no matter what reel i use.  i grew up with the garcia round reels, and i learned to use my thumb pretty well.  this has me asking for your opinions on this. 

 

do any of you experience the same thing as what i am talking about with your dc reel(s)?

is my reel broken, or am i using it wrong?  or is this a real thing? is the dc part just something designed to catch fisherman, rather than fish? i would like to hear your thoughts and opinions on this

[A-Jay]

@cheezyridr

I agree with you.

I waited a while and then tipped my toe into the DC reel pool

with the SHIMANO 17 Scorpion DC. (JDM)

https://www.tackletour.com/reviewshim17scorpdc.html

Nice reel but after several years of never having it,

and then a few season of using it.

IMO, it's just another reel;

doesn't make me a better or worse caster.

Just one who has one loud reel.

I may rehome it.

 

A-Jay

 

 

[CrashVector]

My wife swears by hers.

 

Never used a caster before in her life, so I bought her a Curado DC for fishing out of her kayak.  She has yet to backlash it, and makes a "game" of starting off at "3" and working her way down to "1" on the electronic control.

[FishTank]

I like mine for windy days. It will backlash less but that's about all I use it for. It will bomb cast lures but not any further than the reels I have with the MGL spools.

[GPtimes2]

I have and still use the original Calais DC. A year ago I bought 3 Antares DC's from Digitaka (Japan). I sold all my other bait casters except 1 Aldebaran that I put a shallow spool and Hedgehog bearings for a BFS reel. I wanted to try that due to the centrifugal brakes on that model. I had 1 Corado DC, a Rocket, and a Revo STX that I occasionally backlashed and wasn't in the same league as the Calais or Antares that I never backlash. The DC part does work, and my vote would go for the Antares and skip the lesser models.

[FrnkNsteen]

I bought a Curado DC for myself and a SLX DC for my wife when they first came out. Didn't see much advantage with the Curado DC and the SLX was finicky and my wife had better luck with her Daiwas, ... Plus the noise started getting on our nerves

 

I recently sold both of them.

[F14A-B]

Would’ve been nice to have in about 75 or 76 😂. Jumping from a 202, to an Abu 5000 was kinda brutal for me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 

[Jig Man]

I like my dc reels.  They work better than my other bc reels.  

[Craig P]

I bought a Curado DC after failing at using a cheap Abu Garcia baitcaster.  It gave me confidence and I was on my way but I think it had more to do with being a higher quality reel rather than a DC. I still use it, no reason not to but the many reels that followed are not DC.

[cheezyridr]

On 3/23/2024 at 8:00 PM, alonerankin2 said:

Would’ve been nice to have in about 75 or 76 😂. Jumping from a 202, to an Abu 5000 was kinda brutal for me. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 

 

the 5000 was the casting reel i started on too, back in...1979 or somewhere there abouts

[Lead Head]

The only time I noticed the DC doing anything is in strong winds. In the wind, it's impressive, in every other situation it is just loud.

[cheezyridr]

it seems to me that this video also confirms (although he doesn't actually say it) the dc feature is snake oil.  he's throwing a torpedo in optimal conditions,  and the reel acts like any baitcaster without dc would, although he is throwing some really long casts. 

 

[F14A-B]

13 minutes ago, cheezyridr said:

it seems to me that this video also confirms (although he doesn't actually say it) the dc feature is snake oil.  he's throwing a torpedo in optimal conditions,  and the reel acts like any baitcaster without dc would, although he is throwing some really long casts. 

 

I actually watched this and he had several spectacular birds nest. I think guys would be well served with the non DC models of the metanium, learning the spool control / braking characteristics of these reels doesn’t take long and would more than likely, lead to greater confidence and joy..

[brophog]

29 minutes ago, cheezyridr said:

it seems to me that this video also confirms (although he doesn't actually say it) the dc feature is snake oil.

I wouldn’t call DC braking snake oil at all. It’s an effective braking system. It just happens there are a lot of other effective systems out there.

 

Personal preference and specific circumstances dictate a lot of what one person thinks of a particular system vs another. DC braking is just another way of going about it.

[cheezyridr]

2 hours ago, alonerankin2 said:

I actually watched this and he had several spectacular birds nest. I think guys would be well served with the non DC models of the metanium, learning the spool control / braking characteristics of these reels doesn’t take long and would more than likely, lead to greater confidence and joy..

 

i agree.  i taught myself on a garcia 5000, ages ago. the only instruction i got was when my sister's boyfriend told me how to set the spool tension, and what to do with my thumb, one night  when he came over to see my sister. i hadn't even bought the reel yet.

my thinking is, if he is backlashing like that, what is the dc system doing that the other's aren't?  for the extra expense, it should be bringing something to the table, and i don't see what that is.   if i can buy the same reel without the dc feature, for about $70 less, and get the same performance,  what is the extra money for other than the noise?

[Koz]

Try fishing out on the lake in the pitch black of night and miss thumbing the line before the bait hits the water or you accidentally hit the bank instead of the water.

 

I have a few Curado DC's that I rely on heavily when night fishing. But I have to say, I prefer my Curado K's and even my MGL for my daytime fishing. Well, I prefer my Team Lew's Pro SP for skipping and pitching.

[cheezyridr]

19 hours ago, Koz said:

Try fishing out on the lake in the pitch black of night and miss thumbing the line before the bait hits the water or you accidentally hit the bank instead of the water.

 

I have a few Curado DC's that I rely on heavily when night fishing. But I have to say, I prefer my Curado K's and even my MGL for my daytime fishing. Well, I prefer my Team Lew's Pro SP for skipping and pitching.

i'm a bank fishing guy, and i never fish at nite.  if that's all i'd get from the dc feature it's indeed wasted on me.  you mentioned lew's.  i have 2 lew's reels, and i have to say, they're not bad.  i have a mach crush and a mach...something or other that's black and green.  that reel has put up with more abuse than i have a right to expect from it, and it still works great.  the reel i use most is a jdm daiwa sv ltd.  i can cast the tiniest of lures with it.  i do alot of creek fishing, so i use it more than anything else

[GetFishorDieTryin]

DC braking really shines for people who only have or are limited to using 1 or 2 outfits.  You can go from tossing a 5/8 trap to a weightless fluke with minimal adjustments.  When you're limited to 1 or 2 outfits blowing 1 up really limits you.  Although it's not likely to happen, a DC reel might help mitigate the odds.  

For more practical purposes DCs are great for distance and tossing baits that have considerably wind resistance in less than ideal conditions.  

I didn't like the weight of the spool and the increase in size of the reel to accommodate the DC system, but it appears Shimano has been able to figure that out.  I haven't been able to use 1, but if Shimano really figured out how to get the best of both worlds, short and long distance, with an MGL spool and DC system, that could be a real winner in terms of versatility.  As it stands I like a DC for covering water and prefer an SVS MGL for everything else.  

[Bigbox99]

6 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

You can go from tossing a 5/8 trap to a weightless fluke with minimal adjustments. 

Isn't this normal?  I do this all the time with my Daiwas with no adjustment.  Zero spool tension and mag dial setting based on distance and not bait weight.  I haven't made reel adjustments for the bait weight in over 15 years maybe?  As long as the rod and spool can handle the bait my settings are the same from 1/8 oz to 5 oz total weight across all of my reels.  Spool tension set to just eliminate side to side play, brake in the middle and scroll brake down for extra distance and up to increase braking for head winds or poor bait behavior in the air.  Scroll to max brake when I want to get wild and willy and try to skip whatever I am throwing under things.  

[GetFishorDieTryin]

3 hours ago, Bigbox99 said:

Isn't this normal?  I do this all the time with my Daiwas with no adjustment.  Zero spool tension and mag dial setting based on distance and not bait weight.  I haven't made reel adjustments for the bait weight in over 15 years maybe?  As long as the rod and spool can handle the bait my settings are the same from 1/8 oz to 5 oz total weight across all of my reels.  Spool tension set to just eliminate side to side play, brake in the middle and scroll brake down for extra distance and up to increase braking for head winds or poor bait behavior in the air.  Scroll to max brake when I want to get wild and willy and try to skip whatever I am throwing under things.  

The brake/line setting on a DC stays the same, you just adjust spool tension slightly if you need too.  

Thats a pretty neat trick to throw a 4oz flutter spoon and switch to weightless plastic, and have perfect performance with 0 brake adjustments.  SV spools are good for that, but for the most part they don't cast heavy lures as well distance wise.

Brake setting isn't based on weight it's based on spool speed.  Weight, surface area, wind resistance and rod load all have an effect.  The magnets just slow the spool, the adjustment just changes position of the magnets relative to the spool.  The increments are fairly minute 1-10 or 1-20.  Nothing wrong with running heavy mag brakes if that's what you need to do to go from 1/8 to 5oz lol, whatever floats you're boat man.

 

[Smirak]

I have an SLX DC. I had two, but ones at the bottom of the TN River…I like it, but I find myself still thumbing a little bit. I guess that’s just because that’s what I’ve always done. I had purchased a Curado dc, but honestly, to me, it wasn’t worth the extra $70 over the mgl, so that’s what I have instead. Took the DC back. 

[Alpster]

I bought one of the first DC reels, a round Calcutta TE. I paid a small fortune at the time. Although it's a fine reel and performs well, I've never bought another DC. Its best attribute is casting light baits and windy conditions, but no real magic IME. I still use it quite a bit.

[Columbia Craw]

On 3/23/2024 at 2:56 PM, A-Jay said:

@cheezyridr

I agree with you.

I waited a while and then tipped my toe into the DC reel pool

with the SHIMANO 17 Scorpion DC. (JDM)

https://www.tackletour.com/reviewshim17scorpdc.html

Nice reel but after several years of never having it,

and then a few season of using it.

IMO, it's just another reel;

doesn't make me a better or worse caster.

Just one who has one loud reel.

I may rehome it.

 

A-Jay

 

 

Make me a great deal A Jay.  I’ll just fish it without my hearing aids.

[ABU is overpriced]

What i find kinda weird is that folks are still saying that DC is all that impressive in windy conditions. Yes, when this braking system was originally introduced in the early 2000's, Daiwa's braking system was MagV, which is very fast and tempered, so it wasn't too hot in windy conditions. But then, MagZ was introduced, and it was already pretty good. Then, in the early 2010's, SV was introduced, and ever since, it has far surpassed DC reels for windy conditions. Just like with skipping, its much better in heavy wind.

I've owned 2 Metanium MG DC, 1 Conquest 50 DC and one 2015 Met DC. They were all good reels, and the sound is cool, especially in the early Conquest DC reels, but them casting further than long range casting spools from daiwa like the RCS1016, Type R, Type R+ spools, etc, that's just marketing snake oil. They might help you cast further if you're new to baitcasters, but if you've been using them for a long time, DC braking add nothing but additional weight to the spool and a cool sound.

[cheezyridr]

On 3/27/2024 at 5:31 PM, Bigbox99 said:

Isn't this normal?  I do this all the time with my Daiwas with no adjustment.  Zero spool tension and mag dial setting based on distance and not bait weight.  I haven't made reel adjustments for the bait weight in over 15 years maybe?  As long as the rod and spool can handle the bait my settings are the same from 1/8 oz to 5 oz total weight across all of my reels.  Spool tension set to just eliminate side to side play, brake in the middle and scroll brake down for extra distance and up to increase braking for head winds or poor bait behavior in the air.  Scroll to max brake when I want to get wild and willy and try to skip whatever I am throwing under things.  

yes, it is normal, for me at least. as i said, i'm a bank fisherman, i'm always walking and casting, i only carry a single rod with me when i go out.  i haven't had the kind of blowout that would send me home, in AGES. i sure hope i didn't jinx myself by saying that. hahahaha