I'm interested in purchasing a reel, that will cast light {bobber fishing) that has a fast retrieve. Any advice would be apprectated. I Don't like Calcuttas, retrieve to slow, Musy be bait caster.

I can cast 1/8 oz weights w/ a Chronarch and thin 10lb mono, and have absolutely no problem w/ floats and jigs. The difference in smoothness (and comfort given its low profile) between the Chronarch and the Calcutta makes me reach for the Chronarch every time (as long as line capacity isn't a factor!).

But the reel I've got my eye on is a Shimano Scorpion. I don't even know if it's hit the US yet -- the box I've seen is in Japanese. It has a titanium spool that spins when you breath on it. It's so silky smooth you'd think it came off a teenage girl. I've not fished the Scorpion -- just held it in my hand and drooled. I thought it was too expensive, but at $20 more than Bass Pro or Cabela's charges for a Chronarch, I just might give it a whirl before the next salmonid trip. (I'm sufficiently excited, I'm going to go down to the store at lunch and buy the sucker. Just have to hide it from the wife -- the reels all stay in their gray Shimano bags and I'm careful not to display any more than 3 at once so she doesn't know I've got 5 in all. Hey, I'm a gear junky. What can I say?).

I have no idea if either the Chronarch or Scorpion offers a fast retrieve ratio. Probably not based on how fast I have to crank when a steelie swims at me.

I live in Singapore and can help you get a deal on either the Chronarch or Scorpion by putting you in touch with the local fishing tackle shops (they all have Email and will deal direct with you using Visa or Mastercard plus a 3% surcharge for taking the card or you can send an international money order which is more pain than it's worth).

The locals quote very, very cheap prices (e.g. $130 for a Chronarch and $220 for the Scorpion). If these prices seem too good to be true, they probably are: with the Yen now very strong against the dollar, the next shipment is going to be a higher price (while still likely to be far below US retail).

I've bought about 10 reels in total for personal use and for friends, and have never had a problem with the shops and the reels. And while I can't guarantee these guys won't cheat you, if they don't perform let me know. As one of their biggest customers my friends and I can bring some pressure to bear on them if something is wrong.

I've not used the tackle stores to ship to the States, but on this count you have two alternatives (other than FedEx): send uninsured 'Letter Post' and it arrives in 7 days (and costs $5 a reel), or ship International Parcel Post insured wait 3 weeks (and pay $10/ reel) but it's insured. To my knowledge, no duty is payable.

The reels come w/ US warranty cards (don't know if sending a reel to Shimano USA w/ a Singapore sales voucher would work very well). On the off chance you needed service under warranty, you might be out of luck.

duck i use a quantum mg1421. i haven't had any problum's with it . it has good line capacity ,and casting, no matter what the # of line that i use 20 down to 8. the only draw back is the very slight play in the back wind. the callcuta does not have the play,but the price difference is the only problum!. the prices may drop with new 2000s coming out. i have a friend who might part with his calcutta. he bought a righthand instead of a left,and is considering selling it!.

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Duck,


I baught my first bait caster allmost a year ago. I baught the Shimano CURADO. I love it. I got it in the left hand and with the 6.2:1 ratio for picking up that extra line FAST when they try and run at me. I love the drag cause it's so smooth. I landed sever fish with it and am considering buying atleast 1 more for my next rod. line capacity is good and I can cast with very light wieght. maybe 1/4 o.z. with some practice. I can adjust it to cast heavy or fine wieght.


hope that helped


dcrzfitter

Just a suggestion, before you buy a shimano, Which I do have to say, are a smooth reel, however, My general experience with shimano, is that unless it is over $200, it will wear out on you before you would expect... So far the BEST reel for the money that I have found, is the new Ambassadeur UC 5501 or whatever... It's the Ultra cast model, silver with gold trim... It's ALMOST the smoothest reel I have found... Check it out.. They retail around $130, and they don't wear out! hehe! Or you could look a little bit more expensive and get the Morrum series... That's another entire ballgame though =)

Tom

I'm with the Curado too. I like them so much I bought one for my Brother--probably more than he's worth!! They are extremely smooth reels for the money-I have landed no less than 40-50 steelhead and several springers on it without fail! They go on sale for about $110 and for me that seems like a bargain for the performance. You can adjust them very easily for lighter weights and they seems to handle them fine. Good Luck

Thank all of you who replied. After checking two chat lines, I bought the Curado. It's just what I was looking for. Your advice helped me a lot. Thanks again !!! Duck

One more here...I fish with the Curado too. I am a long time Shimano user. Before the Curado I fished with the Black Bantam and caught hundreds of steelhead and salmon with it. It finally gave in after about seven years when a small part fell into the river with a big nate on. I found out they do not make that screw anymore. So, since I like Shimano so much, I bought the Curado. It is the next best thing in my opinion.

Shimano CURADO the only way to go.

I bought my Curado at Sportco. I paid about $135.00. AT the last Sportsmen show at the Puyallup fair I saw them forsale at one of the stands for $99.00. I'm still kicking myself for not picking another one up. My cuzin baught one and so did his buddy. I really should have to but maybe they will have them agian this year. I hope so.

glad to hear that you like the Curado. you will be happy.


dcrzfitter

There seem to be a lot of Curado fans out there. I stumbled across a sale on Curado's at bigfishtackle.com (click on 'Specials'). They are asking $100+ postage and handling.

I'm still trying to price these in Singapore, but no success till now. (Not very popular I guess.)

STLHEAD, I was lucky enough to buy 2 Shimano 201 bantam SG's about 16 years ago, fished them until they didn't work anymore, then I found a guy in Sumner, at the Antique Angler who rebuilt them both for me, now they work perfectly again. He might be able to get your black bantam working again. The number is 863-0934, best of luck

So it seems a lot of you guys like the shimanos'. Has anyone tried the shimano citica reel? I got one last year from a reccomendation from an obsessed fishing buddy in the Seattle area and I really like it. Have another friend that just bought his and he seems quite pleased as well.
Seems to me that the Citica is also about 20 bucks, on the average, cheaper than the curado and actually looks quite similar. Anyone know how much of a difference ther is (gear ratio, line cap...)?

Thanks

Duke

Hey thanks Randy. Maybe he has some old parts still. That was the best reel I ever owned.

I just purchased a Curado and can't wait to try it.

A great reel for fishing with bobbers is an Ambassadeur 4600 or 5600C4. It has a gear ratio of 6.3/1. It is a good powerful reel. Both reels usually go for $74.99 apiece.