Poolshark

I love the I series, I liked the b series, the d series the E series...my favorite is the g series. I say this because people sell them for so cheap. There is a bias here when comparing then to the e series because of cosmetics and useless bearings. It has saved me a lot of money. I haven't seen anything when breaking them down to assume that the quality has gone down. If I laid my g series curado next to my b series, I'd think the opposite of the OP. They are much more pleasurable to fish with and will probably last me a lifetime with care and maintanence. If you fish the curado b series, in my opinion, the reel that made shimano a great entity.... You'll notice they are not smooth.. They were reliable. and performed decently. They never were smooth and still aren't smooth years and years later. .

I own shimanos that are now 15 years old and most models in between, I would consider it a non issue. Have the reel serviced and cleaned properly every year and that thing will probably last you a lifetime.

Yes.

I was trying to give the OP and idea for a 200 dollar combo. The extreme on sale for $80 and leaving him $120 left for a good reel. Sorry if I stated it ambiguously. The extreme three peice is a 100 dollar rod on sale for $80. ? and is a good value considering....

I fish South Florida and use mono all the time. I usually keep 12 to 20lb test and never have any problems. I don't usually throw 12 pound test directly into mats though. I will use 20 pound test for that. I'm not digging for bass if I don't have to. Lol. To many toothy critters swimming around.

On the bps website. It's showing for $79.97 for me. just checked. Carbonlites and extremes, including the three peice travel rod.

For two hundred bucks..... BPS extreme three piece is on sale for 79 on their website. I own one and keep in the car, I love it. That leaves you 120 for a good reel..... Lots of options there. The rod comes with a hard carrying case as well.

Carbonlites are on sale via bps website. Gets my vote for 80 bucks.

For me it would come down to to the type of fishing I planned on doing. Maybe medium or medium heavy/moderate action rod would be a good addition to fish crankbaits. Also l, a seven and a half foot heavy action rod would be a great addition of you plan on flipping or frog fishing in heavy cover. As far as the reel goes, I would get something in the 6:3:1 gear ratio range. I'm partial to shimano and lews but this is a personal preference. There are so many great reels out there that it would be hard to give a recommendation without knowing what you'd like to spend.

You can get by with spinning only. But learning to use casting gear will enhance the level of fun you can have. I personally prefer casting gear for fishing heavier cover and high resistance lures. If you are going to learn to use casting gear, use a QUALITY setup and set the breaks and cast controls high until you educate your thumb. Then you can back off as gain experience. Also, if you've been using spinning gear for a long time, consider whether you would like a left or right hand retrieve reel. I'm right handed but was so accustomed to reeling with my left hand that learning casting gear on a right handed reel really threw me off. I traded my righty for a lefty while learning and it really made it ALOT easier for me. I've stuck with this ever since. Also, I don't think you are missing out on fish as long as you can flip pitch cover with your spinning gear. This is why I got into casting gear. I was flipping cover with a 4000 sized reel and a pool cue. Lol. It wore me out. Casting gear was more comfortable for me.

Anyone have experience with either of these two rods? I am going to purchase one of these and am not sure which would be better.

I fished t rigs on a 7 ft mhf spinning rod and a 2500 sized shimano reel for years, before I started using casting gear, and it worked great. I would use braided line to throw into cover. A medium fast or extra fast would work nicely for your lighter weights and smaller worms.

Add weight to the butt section...however you see fit. I lament tip heavy rods. They wear me out a lot faster than nice and balanced setup

Amistad. I used it for a few years and loved it.

They most certainly are.

I'm glad this thread came about when it did. It got me thinking about the inflated pricing on the old shimano reels. Today I decided to drive out to two small bait and tackle shops and snoop around their reel selection. I have found 2 new in box calcutta 50s, a new chronarch d and a new in box chronarch e7. All posted at their original price. he will cut me a deal if I buy a few of them at once. They've been sitting in his little shop for years. My point is that they are out there if you can find them.

A 1/4 ounce bullet weight+ hook and lure should put you in your rods respective range. Its a recommendation to give your rod the best performance but it's not the end all be all. A weightless stick bait weighs probably close to 3/8 ounce anyways which should load up fine on that rod. Honestly my rod loads up fine throwing a 1/8 ounce weight and 7 inch ribbon tail worm. Just use what feels right and adjust from there.

Just curious what internal parts are wearing faster on the g series vs e series? I've broken all of mine down several times over the last few years and honestly haven't noticed my g series wearing down any faster than my e series reels. Or b or I series for that matter.

The E series kind of became the benchmark of shimanos affordable reels and for good reason. But with that said, I personally wouldnt spend the money that they are commanding now. There are way too many great reels >200 dollars out there. But to each their own... You have to be happy with what you are using.

I have mine deep cleaned and regreased once a year. I clean the frame, pinion gear, clean/oil the brakes, brake raceway and relavent bearings periodically.

I use them both. The curado 200i weighs a tad bit more and has a slightly larger profile. It casts well and is more solid feeling to me overall than the bb1. You will need to oil the break drum every few outings or so, or it will produce a noise on the cast. This is basic maintenece for me. I own almost all series of curado and they are all in tip top condition. Some are 14 years old and work like new. It's hard to beat shimano in this area. The bb1 is slightly lighter and fits my hand better. I think that it does a better job of casting lighter lures. I use one to throw super flukes jr and 4 inch senkos easily. I prefer the bb1 better overall performance wise. I love both reels and wouldn't hesitate buying either one.

It's easy to hoard bps rods when they are such good deals. I bought the jm signature rod you mentioned and it is a fun rod to fish.

It's really personal preference but if those were my combos, I'd put 8 lb mono on the spinning rod, 12 lb mono on the the med action casting rod and 14 to 17 lb flourocarbon on the the medium heavy setup. I prefer floro to braid but it depends on how thick of vegetation you are fishing.

They have gone up in price on eBay. I saw one at a local Tuppens here in lake worth fl. for 199 last week. New in box.

If you can return it, I personally would. I would rather spend less on a curado I. Or even less for a chronarch e. The chronarchs are out there if you are shopping online. If you cannot return it, send it to a well respected shop such as DVT ( here on this site) as an example...or one locally... Then have them deep clean it and check parts for wear. I own curado b, bsf, g, e and I series reels and have never needed to replace any parts. Ever. But if you are going to keep it, there are still parts available if they need to be replaced. If you have time to wait for the reel, you can even send it to shimano for cleaning if need be. It will probably come back as good as new. Also, breaking those reels down completely and deep cleaning should be done annually for any reel you want to last a long time. It's not a lot, it's part of its regular maintainence.