puddlepuncher

Totally normal for a Curado, actually all the way up to the Chronarch even a tad in the Metanium. Good news is I only notice it when I'm reeling way too fast and in no way normal fishing conditions. I break down my reels a couple times a year and found the culprit. At the bottom of the drive gear where it is attached to the frame is a small bearing that has a bit of play (which is what you're feeling) I've talked to a respected reel technician about it and it's the way they are designed and any playing around could affect the overall performance, and more importantly longevity of the bearing. I've thought about buying one of the thin copper washers that separates the drag washers from the drive bearing and placing it underneath to eliminate the play but quickly ditched the idea realizing I'd probably be burning through them as well as damaging the bearing.

If you like the feel of a skeleton reel seat the new version of the Fenwick AETOS is a great rod. The 6'6 weighs 3.5 oz and pairs fantastically with the Stradic CI4+3000 for a 10oz como. Sensitive and powerful. Rated 1/8-5/8 although it's sweet spot is more like 1/6-1/2. This combo is great for occasional light inshore fishing too.

Where did you order from to get a lefty so soon? Have you fished it yet? Cool handle.

Local walmart had 6 packs of Yamamoto flapping hog's bagged up together for $6. I guess the oil had leaked out making the bag greasy so they decided to dump them for nothing. There were 2 bags I grabbed them all. Sadly someone had opened up the third bag and bought 2 packs I'm guessing for full price. $1 a pack for anything Yamamoto is a deal to good to be true IMO. Grabbed a bunch of $2 SK Bitsy Bug jigs too. Spent $20 for 4 jigs and 84 hogs. I may see if anyone wants to trade something for a pack or two of them in the flea market.

Seconded with caveats. The first Lew Childres round reels were centrifugal brakes that couldn't be adjusted, just spool tension. It couldn't throw light stuff like today's gear but 3/8 and up they are solid. I throw a 1/2 lipless without ever needing thumbing even after it hit the water, although I still do just to be on the safe side. I now use primarily Shimano's with the MGL spool. I can say for sure with them that I can throw a texas rigged 5 3/8 inch and up senko without ever thumbing, nearly no spool tension and minimal brakes even after splash down as well as long as 2 variables are met and only with braid. One is no wind in the face, and two is a higher loft cast rather than a line drive. A correctly weight rated rod is necessary to get a bit more loft on casts IMO. Any lure 1/4 and above that is aerodynamic I can say the same. I don't suggest it until you've had some experience but it is possible, and once again I find myself thumbing the spool when it hits the water 95% of the time out of habit. Lures where thumbing is always necessary is anything skirted (jigs, spinners, chatterbaits), creature or bulky baits, and wacky rigged senkos. And of course if I have significant wind in the face.

Agreed. There are some who are very picky about magnetic vs. centrifugal breaks but for the most part how it feels in your hand is the most important after several hours on the water. When you pick up a reel and feel even the smallest point rubbing your hand funny it's going to be amplified with every hour fishing IMO. Most reels nowadays are going to perform nicely and similarly overall. I'd wager you'd be hard pressed to spend $250 on just about any reel and have it significantly out perform and for that matter under perform another reel in that price range from a technical point of view. In conclusion buy a Chronarch MGL.

You're kind of comparing apples to oranges with this statement. The Curado is actually one of the lighter and smallest profile DC reels. Most of the previous DC reels especially the Antares and Excense are tanks. Generally consumers who look at DC reels are not focusing on weight, at least not in the first 14 years since the tech has been out in Japan. I hear you though, if you are used to fishing a Lew's which are known to make some very light streamlined reels the Curado is going to be a bit of an increase in regards to size and weight. But what about the sound? That's all I want out of a DC reel. I don't think anyone's intentions were to start drama. I'd wager most of the comments in jest about 7.8 oz being heavy remember the days of baitcasters 20-30 years ago that were all well over that weight. I use my Lew Childre reel occasionally and it feels like an engine piston on my rod now after being spoiled with today's tech. I also used to walk 10 miles through the snow to get to school, and then 10 miles to get home. Both ways were also uphill somehow. I give it 15 years before bass rigs are a weightless rod filled with hydrogen with the line contained inside it no casting or reeling.

Let's keep this quiet. True words though. Do you know who manufactured them? I've heard rumors. Unless things have changed, Cabelas has one of the best warranty programs you can find. Maybe someone more familiar with them recently could correct me. On your budget and desire to pick up multiple rods, I'd check out Cabelas over BPS if you look at house brands. I've fished the ZX jig and worm a bit and it's a nice rod, especially when on sale. Biggest thing I noticed about it is the rubber Winn grips, performance wise otherwise certainly felt a bit nicer than a $100 rod. Check out Fenwick too. I have the AETOS and HMX spinning rods that are very nice for their price point, very light. I'd imagine the same goes for their casting rods.

I'm of the exact same opinion with a line of rods from Cabelas. Used them years ago in the exact same manner. Bought big name rods literally for 4-5x the price and realized the Cabelas rod was felt superior in every way in my hands. 100% true. Since the big guys license out the manufacturing whenever a contract expires and another company wins the bid the blanks/overall quality changes.

Know your price ceiling when bidding, sometimes you get lucky. Agreed there are plenty of auctions I've followed where the last minute frenzy drives the selling price above what I would describe as a good deal. That said I bought my second Chronarch MGL from a seller in Japan for under $200 in auction that I received a day and a half later which I still don't understand how it got here so quickly. The best tips I can give with EBay is don't be afraid to make a best offer, worst case scenario it get's rejected. The last Met I bought about 6 months ago was used but in mint condition. When I was looking at the pictures I noticed it was half spooled with mono. When I saw it a flash went off in my head. It was someone who never used a baitcaster backlashed once or twice cut the line off and put up for sale. I made a best offer of $200 got a counter offer that I ignored as I really didn't need another one. Next day seller made me another offer and a few hours later agreed to my original offer. In our last message they admitted to exactly as I thought originally, he just wasn't a baitcaster guy and wanted it gone. I'd call it a great deal if it wasn't a paperweight/stress reliever sitting on my desk. Use caution in some cases as there are plenty of BIN listings well above retail that actually move product. There are plenty of sellers fishing for suckers out there too. Lastly you really can't beat the 20% off codes Ebay runs every once in a while. I've made best offers to retailers 30% off of retail and then applied the additional 20% coupon code at purchase. It almost feels like stealing.

Check out AmericanLegacyFishing on ebay, they are legit as can be. Right now they have the righty Curado K for $136. Anytime Ebay runs a limited coupon they are one of the sellers on that list. I've bought a few rods and the Curado DC from them and they don't disappoint.

I'm not a Shimano fanboy....I'm a Shimano fanman. That said I own 2 Mets 2 Chronarchs and a Curado I. The Mets are still smooth as silk just like out of the box. The Curado I became a little noisier but nothing I'd complain about. Now the Chronarchs which are still my favorite of all time are developing differently. The first one I bought is from the European market and is 7.1.1, the second is JDM and is 6.2.1. The first one is becoming slightly more 'geary' than the second one which is still buttery smooth as the day I bought it. Each has equal fishing time and exact maintenance regimen. I don't know if it's the different gear ratio or the different markets but there is a slight difference. Does it bother me?...no. I've just been a bit more heavy handed with the grease during breakdown and that seems to make the difference.

Answered it incorrectly...LOL. That is not what I would describe as bronze. I hear you about the whine though. I don't really need the benefits of a DC reel for mechanical reasons, I just want to hear that sound. I too would have pulled the trigger already on the Scorpion but a DC reel that makes no noise...why bother?

I don't have OCD and it would bother me. He is the guy I've emailed at ALF and he gets back pretty quickly has helped me a few times recently. Email Adam agdaywalt@americanlegacyfishing.com He is the guy that emails responding to customer service inquiries at ALF and he gets back pretty quickly. I'd imagine if you have a defective reel he'd be the one to talk to about getting it exchanged.

I've never had an actual break off, yesterday it was particularly hot to the point of borderline heat stroke conditions. I got a snagged, broke off so I took a water break. Retied and rigged up a fresh Senko after a minute. Next cast forgot to check the line, the line snapped back and sent the bottom 3/4 that brand new senko into the unknown. After a quick phone call from the wife I rigged up another senko, forgot about the last cast and did the exact same thing. That was enough for me. Strange thing is as I type this I'm not sure if I ever pulled out that dig in.

I've never read instructions in my life. I like JDM products so I have an excuse. Otherwise your advice is spot on. Wind aside I'd also imagine casting trajectory is a factor. With my non digital reels I can cast a senko without thumbing at all if they are set up correctly for my casting style 2 internal brakes, 3 external and spool tension just tight enough to eliminate wobble. The line drive casts, not so much. Lastly don't completely trust those videos. I'm a bit anal about things so I actually counted the revolutions of the handle in one of the video where the guy casting claimed the weight went over 50 yards. Unless he had a 15.1.1 version that was not the case in the 20 cranks it took to reel the weight back in.

Keep the trophy, I deserve my reel that I paid for a month ago.

I think these two posts sum it up in a nutshell. Consumers overly excited with slightly unrealistic expectations (myself included) that a reel is going to solve every problem associated with using a baitcaster. After some trial and error the reel performs after all. Thanks for sharing the updated post BTW. I think the title is a bit misleading, no disrespect to chancetaker. There is no such thing as a new product that will satisfy everyone. Only time will tell with this reel but I'm still confident in my hard earned cash and the decision to spend it on this reel. Let's not forget this technology isn't new whatsoever to Shimano. It's been proven for 14 years now in Japan and let's be honest the Japanese consumer is not one to accept sub par, especially at the much higher prices it has commanded. It is however new to the US market and with unfamiliar technology comes a learning curve with the consumer. Lastly not all reviews of products are to be trusted either be it user error or just straight for the lack of a better term 'Trolling'. With the anonymity of the internet people will post things that certainly would not be uttered face to face. I think this thread has a few examples of that. I'll be the first to eat my words if I find this reel to be unsatisfactory in any way.

Good points, I went the opposite. Although the casting, especially with light lures was not that much better it was still a little better. I also was not comfortable with my 70's line capacity. Firing a lipless crank wasn't a comfortable option with the 70. I don't flip and pitch much so ended up buying a second Chronarch and gifting the 70. Now if they come out with a K 70 I'd definitely bite. I know the reason the CI4 was not saltwater safe was spool corrosion, is that still the only difference from the MGL to the G?

Since I don't buy shallow spool reels I always have a layer of backing when using braid, no matter the reel. I know it's redundant with braid ready spools, but if anything it's the 1 and only leader I'm going tie that year.

After reading these posts I've decided not to visit any store that sells fishing equipment until I get mine. I'd be too tempted and end up with another one. I was going to cancel my order too. For some reason I forgot I ordered mine through ALF I was checking my account on TW when I happened to click on Met MGL DC's first off and saw they had a few lefties in. Sadly the monkey got me again, now I'm waiting on 2 reels in the mail and I never got around to canceling the original order on ALF. Now to pick up a rod or two.

Great points. I don't necessarily think a reel has to be in high demand for it to sell lower on Ebay. First and foremost someone selling online has nowhere near the overhead a retailer has. Someone with a mortar and pestle shop has to sell at MSRP to cover other expenses. Other thing I've found about Ebay is don't be fooled by the higher priced listings. It costs nearly nothing to list something at an obviously inflated value and hope at some point someone bites. Look at Burros point about the vintage Shimano reels and the premium they now demand. IMO the people listing that T3 are trying to cash in by deceiving those not familiar with reel by presenting a near vintage reel at vintage prices. They are also hoping to catch those thinking they are getting the T3, the higher end offering from that year. Yes both were Zaion bodies. I'd agree the Curado is the most appealing DC reel that I've seen so far. Shimano did well with the K and this was the perfect time for them to finally introduce a DC reel to the US market. I've used an older Met as well as the Scorpion DC and although casting them was an experience, the action while reeling left me wanting. The Antares is just too bulky. The smaller profile as well as the smoother performance of the K has me more excited than I can remember. I just with they made a DC reel with a CI4 frame....now I'm just kidding you.

Not on Ebay. Every hot release in the last 2 years has been on Ebay a few months after hitting the shelves for a significant discount. I snagged a Chronarch MGL last Spring a month and a half after release for $200, the Curado K was easily had for $140. Same goes for Daiwa. Combine the reduced prices with the 20% specials they run quite often it's a no brainer for me.

TW just updated ETA to Oct 15. I wonder if those who ordered already will still get it in Aug and this newer date is for newer orders. @Burros Sorry to hear that. I'm going to email ALF and if their ETA is truly Oct I may cancel as well and just pick it up for cheaper next spring.

I heard the same thing, righties first. TW has all models listed as Aug 4 so I'm hoping the lefties are the same time.