War Eagle 44

Hahaha, nice one. I feel the same way as the rest of you guys, I've done some really really hard jerkin', snatchin' and pullin' on 50# braid and I've never had it break. Like has already been mentioned I've hauled all sorts of stuff off the bottom when snagged or straighten out the hook so I'm not real sure about the need for this product either. Maybe it's mainly designed for salt guys??? At this point I think I'm on the bandwagon with the guys thinking this is more of a money grab type of deal.

I'm a big Shimano guy but I too wish they would start making the lefties available at the same time as the righties. I wouldn't hold my breath for these to be any sooner, this is just how Shimano does it. I've always had to wait to get the new lefty Shimano's. I agree with you though it really sucks waiting.

Deep cranks, although I do really enjoy shakeyheadin' and big texas rigged worms.

It's kinda hard to explain, I have a harder time feeling exactly what a squarebill is doing when fishing it on my CH101A than I do when using my Citica E. I personally feel that the smoothness of the 101A "deadens" some of the feel of what the bait is doing compared to some of the newer reels that aren't as smooth. Just my opinion, could be total BS, this is just how I feel about it.

Really nice score man!!

I'll have to disagree with you on the B vs E smoothness point. I've owned B SF's, DHSV's, and E's and to me the E's are just better reels all the way around. Although I think the D's were the best Curado's made to date. Now I will agree with you that the new CI4+ has a big challenge in front of it if it hopes to equal the 100A's. Those were some great reels. I'm not sure Shimano is still trying to reach this level of smoothness anymore, instead going for a little more "connected" feel. Either way I'm still very excited about the new reels.

After all the "backlash" Shimano got over last years ICAST products I think it's a fairly safe assumption that this reel is right.

While they aren't Curado E's I do fish 4 Citica E's all the time and I've not had this problem. Mine start to get the "gear to gear" feeling about every three months or so depending on how much I fish. All that's needed to return mine to smooth operation is a breakdown and lube. Once I've cleaned all the old grease and gunk off and relube with fresh grease mine are good as new for a while. I'm also interested to see how this plays out, I purchased my reels very soon after they were introduced so mine are rather "old" so to speak and if there has been any change in gear material it may have been after mine were produced.

I'm very excited about this reel, I know I'm buying one maybe two just as soon as the "lefties" are out. I'm also interested to see what other gear Shimano has planned for the rest of this year. I love Zona, he's funny IMHO.

10" t-rigged curly tail worms Deep crank Shakeyhead Football jigs No particular order, just decide which one to use on any given day after getting on the lake and taking the conditions into consideration.

Nice, I'm totally pumped about these reels.

Great score buddy!! I fish Citica's a lot as well, though mine are the E series. I worked out a deal with the manager at my favorite tackle shop and bought 4 E series at $100 each around 5 years ago or so. I don't remember exactly but it was right after the lefties became available. I've fished them lots and hard since then and they're still going strong. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of your new Citica's as I have mine.

I can't wait to get my hands on the new Chronarch!! Looks fantastic.

All I was going by was how Shimano did things in the past, big price drops for reels being replaced. I like the way Shimano makes most of their reels now as well, so I'm not to overly fond of the idea of no more "metal" framed reels either. Guess we'll all have to just wait and see???

This isn't exactly 100% true, no disrespect meant at all but I never had palomar knots slip while using Power Pro, Performance Braid, or P-Line braid but a palomar will slip with Super 8 Slick. The palomar is the only knot I use with braid and have been doing so many years so I know how to tie one. I've had numerous discussions with mt local tackle store owner about this very subject. He told me he had more than a few customers bring S8S back when it first came out because they were having "break offs". Turns out they weren't breaking the line, their knots were slipping. He's the one who told me about the lighter trick, said he got it from his Shimano rep. He told me the rep said they had experienced it also during testing, the ligther trick always fixed it. It has for me as well. One of the guys that works at the shop was having the same problems with it and stopped using it, said he won't ever use S8S again. Take it for what it's worth, one man's experience. I haven't read to much on the net about people having these issues with S8S so I'm not sure if guys just aren't talking about it or what but I am sure seeing some slip.

This is also the way I fish them, it will help cut down on your "snagging" issues. Nothing will totally prevent the occasional loss though.

This is total BS, I've caught plenty of bass on the rig around grass. I've tried both and MUCH prefer the "weedless" weighted swimbait hooks to open jig heads. My fishing buddy only uses open heads and he gets snagged WAY more than I do. I've not had the least trouble getting solid hookups using the swimbait hooks. I do however make absolutely certain that all 5 of my hooks are sharp before every trip, if one isn't up to standard I either replace or sharpen it. I've only tried Owner Beast and Mustad weighted swimbait hooks so far but haven't had any problems with either of them. I'm sure the Gamakatsu's would work just as well.

I got the gist but whatever "accent" that is, it isn't from Alabama.

I use a 301E myself and its great because its very powerful for a 6 ratio reel. If I were going to use a smaller size reel I think I'd want a 5 ratio, but this is really just a personal preference thing. As has already been pointed out you can use just about any reel you already have. I do believe though if you really like throwing the rig you'll want to invest in a combo better suited to the technique.

I use Power Pro Super 8 Slick 99% of the time now and I have experienced some knot slippage when frog fishing or flipping really thick grass. I use the Palomar knot and simply melt the tag end of the line with a lighter. This results in a small "bulge" in the tag line that can't slip back through the knot. Problem solved.

Owner Shakey Ultrahead, I don't even look at anything else anymore. Great product.

Easy, P-Line.

No problem man, just wanted to try and make sure we were on the same page.

The E series Curado's and Chronarch's share the exact same frame, nothing "new" or "improved".

The Chronarch D will be a hands down winner over the E series, lighter spool. The B series would also win due to having better factory bearings. The B series came with Shimano's ARB bearings while the E series does not. The ARB bearings weren't packed with grease like the ones in the E series are. I'm not sure about the D series but I would think they also had the ARB's. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE fan of the E series of reels from Shimano but a Chronarch B is in another league when it comes to material quality vs the E. The older A models are superior in terms of materials and build quality IMO as well.