Bigbox99

Sounds like an oldie but a goodie. It would be cool with a similar vintage Shimano reel. Something like a Curado B with more modern handle and knobs would be really cool.

Long casting, good with braided line (fast level wind preferred to prevent dig in), big power handle for winching in fish through the slop and a drag that can lock down.

Definitely let me know your finding here or on TT. I also have a Tatula Elite spool that needs a home.

Yeah, that's the current Tatula and the reel the HRF should be compared to. The HRF's negatives is that it is not based on the current tatula and is instead based on the last gen Tatula like the old Coastal 100 and Tatula Elites (it's a 2020 reel). The positives are the distance tuned spool, high speed level wind and large handle and knobs. $180 seems a bit much in 2024 for a 2020 reel but it's also in line with the Aliexpress Tatula Elite prices.

You get a distance tuned spool too but yeah the $180 isn't great especially for a last gen Tatula without hyperdrive gears. They were $125 at one point on plat. I'm waiting for a clearance sale to pick one up and use 40 pound braid on the red Kage frog rod for frogs, toads and magdraft free styles.

That red might look good with the new red Kage premium rods.

The xXx came out on Japan like a year before the current XX rods. I'd wager that we get a USDM release of the X10 with unique actions and powers for the US market.

I can take it or leave it and have had it on multiple reels with my 1st going a gen 3 Revo Elite. It's just a quality of life thing that some people like. It's about hearing the drag slip like on a spinning reel. It's an excitement thing when a fish is taking line.

This has been an on going question for the past 10+ years and to put it bluntly the conclusion has been that core buyers of the E series (and other USDM Shimanos with more abundant direct JDM equivalents of the same era) are simply unaware, even today, that the JDM reels even exist and this is reflected in the prices. There is just a never ending supply of guys completely unaware of cheap JDM Shimanos and willing to pay absurd amounts of money for the USDM version branded as Curado Es, Cores and Calais DC.

You can buy kits on aliexpress for various reels. There are ones for abus but I don't know if it will work on gen 2 reels. These kits often fit reels not listed as compatible based on some reviews of the "universal" one. For many reels: https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtluHyn For revos: https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOqH8Sr

I don't think I ever shared this here but there is a reel that was designed for hard rock fish that makes for a pretty good bass fishing frog reel. It has the power handle and knobs from the Tatula Flip and Pitch along with a distance tuned Magforce Z spool and a high speed level wind to prevent braid dig in. It also has an aluminum handle side plate like the Tatula Elites. You could almost think of it as a Tatula Elite PE special. They're $200 shipped which puts them in JDM Zillion territory but maybe you might find it worthwhile as a braid reel. https://www.daiwa.com/jp/product/v89jbs2

I don't have both reels side by side but they look the same to me. Also the Shimano numbering system is a reference to line capacity 1st and foremost. Sometime that means a reels is smaller (curado 200e vs curado 50e) but it just as often if not more means a shallower spool (curado 200k vs scorpion 150 MGL, Casitas 150 vs Casitas 100 MGL and Alde 50 vs Alde 30) This guy has both the 150 and the 70 and says that they are identical. Also, just look at the size.

I'm not super familiar with Shimanos but there appears to be only one Metanium frame in use across all the current mets. The "size" number is actually a reference to line capacity and not frame size. Sometimes a smaller number reel means a smaller reel but it just as often, if not more, means a shallower spool. If you don't like the 2020 Metanium frame then you aren't going to like the Metanium DC. If you want tiny then the Steez CT is great. There is also the new 24 Steez which I think is pretty tiny. To stay Shimano there is also the crazy tiny Conquest 30 which is so tiny you can do old timer line pinching thing while still palming the reel like a normal person. https://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimano24conquest31.html

Neat. It has a blank diameter (hence the power) of a bass L powered BFS rod but in a traditional stream rod aperance and length. Glass too. What was the marketing on this one saying it was intended for?

I like aluminum hande side plate reels for winding in higher resistance baits when I can. It's not a must have but a nice to have. I'd be looking at a Bantam self.

The curado 70 has been out for nearly 10 years. They updated it recently as the Curado 70K MGL but it's the same platform as the 70i with the addition of mm gears and an MGL spool. This isn't unusual by any means. Daiwa still makes the original 2014 Tatula as the Tatula HD and ran the OG Alphas from like 2004 to 2019 in many, many versions. If it ain't broke then don't fix it and the Scorpion/Curado 70 isn't broken. Same applies to the SLX and I don't see it going away anytime soon either. What we have been seeing is a slight watering down of higher end platforms and branding them as new SLX variants. This is something I can get behind vs the trickling up of lower end platforms into higher end reels like we saw with the Curado G and Tatulazillions. This must be a bike parts company thing but I like it.

Can you relocate the front railing back a ways to make a smaller enclosed area and to open up the front for a fishing platform? That high railing would make skipping and pitching awkward for me. How modular are these things that you can unfasten and reattach railing to the platform with ease or is it a pain?

Check out rack extenders. They let you load a kayak or other large object one side at a time while the other end rests on the ground or rack. I can one hand load my 77 pound kayak with ease. I use a $130 Rhino rack thing but you can probably make something for dirt cheap.

I had no idea people were opening bails in any other position than with the line roller on top and swinging the bail open to the right on a left hand reel. Do you just stop reeling for the next cast then look down to see what position the bail is in then open it however it is positioned?

Before the curado 200k DC there was the Curado (Scorpion) 200e DC. There is also the Scorpion 1500/1501, which is the JDM 200e7.

We need a better way to identify Shimano reel sizes. The numbering system mostly reflects line capacity rather than frame size. There are multiple reels like the Curado 200k/Scorpion 150 MGL, Casitas 150/100 MGL and Metanium 100/70 that are physically the same size (because they use the same frame) but have a different number because of a shallower or deeper spool. There are even numbering that don't make any sense at all my the 17 Engetsu 100, which is a Curado/Scorpion 70 with a SHALLOWER spool meant for PE line and vertical jigging. A list sort of like this might be more helpful. Feel free to add. I'm not much of a Shimano guy. Comically tiny: 22 Aldebaran BFS, Conquest 30, ??? Tiny: 50e/1000xt, Conqueat BFS curado/Scorpion 70/BFS, SLX MGL 70, 16 Aldebaran ??? Small: Metanium 100/70, Curado 150 MGL ??? Normal: Casitas 150/100 MGL, Bantam 150 MGL, SLX 150 ??? Big: Curado 200k, 200m, Scoprion 200, Curado DC, SLX DC ??? Yuge: Tranx 300, Curado 300, Scorpion 300 MD ???

The aluminum frame and side plate should really help to make it feel smooth and powerful when winding. I'd use it for your high resistance winding baits.

To me they are all in the same ball park. I come from Daiwas so something like a Tatula 150/200 or Z200 feels huge compared to a modern Zillion and Tatula 100 or 80. My Shimano Scorpion 70, 1000xt and Casitas MGL 150 all feel the basically same in size. I'm also always amazed at how small a Curado 200k feels in store when comparing it to my big blocky Tatula 150 despite it having nearly identical capacity. It's much more compact around the front of the reel than the box shaped old Tatulas. I palm my reels and wrap my hand around the reel and place my thumb on top of the frame so a compact front portion of the reel plays a big impact on perceived reel size. I think the 200M is so small in fact that I will be getting one over a 150 MGL for bombing lipless because I can't get over using a tiny 32mm spool to bomb cast and the 200k felt normal/100 size to me every time I palmed a display model. I do like the performance and parts compatibility of the Tatula 150. Not knocking the reel but it's never been a good palming reel due to it handsome blocky shape. It does look cool though. I don't like reels or cars that are too egg shaped.

If you like your Shimanos and want to stick with them I would recommend the Bantam for a high resistance moving bait reel. Also, don't get to hung up on Shimano's sizing equating to a frame size. It's more reflective of reel capacity (spool dimensions) than outward frame size. All the modern 200 and under shimanos are pretty close in size.

That M price is tempting. I want the M or the 150 MGL for a flat side special.