How much better can it be?

[Chubminnow]

This could go along with the other guys thread about Shimano Rebates and Reel Information, but not wanting to steel his thread I figured I'd start another one.

I own two Curado's...one of the green colored older styles and one of the newer models. I love both of this reels, they feel great in the hand, feather light, smooth retrieves...just magnificant reels and it just don't get any better in my opinion. I bought the older model used for $90.00 dollars at the Jim Strader show a couple of years ago and the newer one I got for "X" amount after rebate, a couple of gift cards, etc...Now, I get a Bass Pro circular in the mail today, I already have two nice Shimano reels in the $100 and $200 dollar category and I'm not in the market for another reel any time soon, but I see they have Shimano Chronarch's in the $250 and $270 range, a Calais for $390 and another Calais for $650!!! Personally for me, I can not imagine paying that kind of money for a reel...not unless I was using BIG tackle for salt water use or something like that.

So my question is, how much better are these reels over the Curado or Citica either one? How much better can they be? Does anyone here own a Chronarch or a Calais?

[18'stratos]

I also own Shimano Curado's and can't imagine the difference for that kind of money. I buy things within my means(Budget) and I guess if you are making a ton of money Spend it just to say you have the best (Best not necessarily the best but the most expensive) A toyota will get you as far as a caddy but do you want the STYLE?

[fishhunter]

Don't quote me on this. but I think they have a few more bearings and are quite a bit lighter. This is what I've been told at Backwaters.

[DJD]

I own the older standard pearl and gold super free Chronarchs in addition to the old green Curados and the new shiny silver ones. I think my favorite is the pearl Chronarch it feels tighter and more smooth than the other reels but I did replace the standard bearings with ceramic bearings years ago. I even have a few of the old red Curados from the early 90's.

I don't see a need for spending that kind of money again especially with the quality of the Curados and Citicas. I would rather spend the extra money in the rod since that could translate into more fish quicker than an expensive reel. JMO

[Col Forbin]

I love the Curado's (new and old) and Citica's - but if I had the money, I would have all Chronarch (mg's) or Cores. They are about half the weight of the curado. I used to think a few ounces did not make that much difference. But I was paired up with a guy who fished both of these on the Cumara and carrot sticks (both super light weight rods) - and what a difference in feel. That entire set-up weighed less than one of my reels. You really could feel a jig working it's magic. The chronarch Mg, would also cast an 1/8 ounce shakey head as good as my spinning gear. However, they are out of my budget - but I would have to say that they are worth the extra money. Just because they feel and cast better - that does not mean you will catch more fish - that has more to do with the one holding it.

[DJD]

One more thing that I found is that on my ChronarchSF I had some scent spray or sunscreen on my hands that transfered onto the side plate of the reel and it pretty much ruined it. The side plate is always sticky (for years now) Now whenever I use my ChronarchMg I get pretty anal about keeping my hand free of contaminates.

[Fishin_4_Fun]

I have several models...green 200 curados, scorpion 1000, scorpion 1500, scorpion quickfire, silver 100 chronarch, 100 SF chronarch, scorpion mg 50, the new CU200DHSV 7:1 curados, CU100D curado. Scorpion models are japanese versions of a similar usa version. Some of the scorpion models do offer external brake adjustment, that the usa version doesn't.

IMO, the green curados offer the best bang for the buck, especially when you can pick them up for ~$80. They are a basic well built reel, that will last, and easy to service.

The new model CU200DHSV curados seem to offer the best casting distance, partly due to the larger diameter spools, but they are heavier. The 7:1 retrieve is handy for buzzbaits, jerkbaits, rattletraps.

The SF models with the wiffle spools seem to do better casting very light lures like a shad rap, over the standard spools.

The scorpion mg 50 @ ~6.5 oz is the lightest reel I've ever used, very nice setup if you're after the lightest setup you can get. I put it on a Kistler LTA rod, and it was an extremely light setup. It does has a small spool with limited line capacity, and wouldn't be practical for very long casts. It's a perfect setup for a worm rod.

You can improve casting performance by upgrading bearings to ABEC7 grade, available for ~$7-$9 per bearing, and using rocket fuel lube.

My favorite reel uses:
scorpion 1000 for shad raps, 1/8 oz rattle traps, or 1/8 spinnerbaits
CU200DHSV for buzzbaits, rattletraps, jerkbaits, poppers
mg50 for plastics
100SF chronarchs for crankbaits
200 green curados, or 1500 scorpion for c-rigs

The old green 200 curados are sort of a jack of all trades, all around reel, have an average size spool, and do well in most applications, though they do struggle with really light lure weights. I use the higher $ reels more for specialized applications. You certainly don't get twice the reel by spending $200 vs $100. The law of diminshing returns certainly applies to the amount of added perormance per $ spent.