I have been looking at purchasing a new reel. The reel I am interested in a Shimano Casitas MGL. It seems like a lot of great features for a low price. The main ones being the MGL spool. The only downside is that it is a composite frame, but on another thread most people said not to worry because manufacturers like Shimano would use good materials. It will be more of a senko reel. If anyone has had any experience with this reel your thoughts on it would be appreciated. Thanks

I haven't seen any Casitas MGL under $150, and you could get a Curado for that price. The Casitas is lighter, with a lighter spool, so it will cast further and will be better for light tackle in general. If any of these things are important to you, the Casitas MGL seems like a fantastic reel based on every forum post and review I've seen. I was looking for a good reel and the USDM Casitas caught my eye -- I would have gone with the MGL but I found the standard version for $70(it's actually $70 right now on Amazon and Academy). The only difference between the two reels is the spool, with the MGL being lighter and therefore slightly better for finesse and casting distance.

 

If those things aren't important to you, probably go with the Curado because it has an Aluminum frame and will overall feel "better", with the retrieve, with fighting fish, etc. It has a slightly longer handle and slightly more line capacity as well. 

If your budget allows it then do it. You wont regret it, its awesome. I dont own one but my buddy does and i love using it. Regular casitas is awesome also

Yes I have also been looking at the Curado 70 although the weight of the spool is a little high at 15.5 grams. Have you used a Curado 70 for senkos?

You can get the casitas and buy an mgl spool from rays studio all on eBay for about 110$ bucks 

8 minutes ago, Burros said:

You can get the casitas and buy an mgl spool from rays studio all on eBay for about 110$ bucks 

I may be missing it on my searches but I can’t find it on eBay.

36 minutes ago, BassFisher22 said:

I may be missing it on my searches but I can’t find it on eBay.

I went to eBay and couldn't find it but typing "ray's studio shimano casitas" into Google took me there. It's out of stock which is why we couldn't find it. Looks like his spool for the Casitas is $45 after shipping.

1 hour ago, BassFisher22 said:

Yes I have also been looking at the Curado 70 although the weight of the spool is a little at 15.5 grams. Have you used a Curado 70 for senkos?

Spool weight isn't as significant, because it has lower capacity. Spool + line weight will be comparable (maybe slightly lower) than the MGL spool. It also palms much nicer. Pretty much any modern reel can throw a 4" or 5" senko relatively well, with the right rod. 

2 hours ago, Tywithay said:

 Pretty much any modern reel can throw a 4" or 5" senko relatively well, with the right rod. 

Yeah, a standard senko weighs like 3/8 oz without a hook and they are pretty aerodynamic. 

Might want to wait till after icast they might be upgrading the 70 or the casitas? 

    The current casitas will cast anything weightless and cast really well but if I were to choose between the 70 and the casitas I’d pick the 70 it castes Weightless baits easy and it’s solid, smoother on the retrieve.

14 hours ago, Burros said:

Might want to wait till after icast they might be upgrading the 70 or the casitas? 

    The current casitas will cast anything weightless and cast really well but if I were to choose between the 70 and the casitas I’d pick the 70 it castes Weightless baits easy and it’s solid, smoother on the retrieve.

I heard they were going to upgrade the casitas, they should too, to compete with Daiwa.

13 minutes ago, TylerT123 said:

I heard they were going to upgrade the casitas, they should too, to compete with Daiwa.

Shimano is beating diawa down with the high class reels but I agree diawa is bringing a lot to the table with the lower end reels.

13 minutes ago, Burros said:

Shimano is beating diawa down with the high class reels but I agree diawa is bringing a lot to the table with the lower end reels.

Definitely, I feel like Shimano’s Curado DC is to offer a better braking system at a lower cost and to match Daiwa’s Magforce braking.

7 minutes ago, TylerT123 said:

Definitely, I feel like Shimano’s Curado DC is to offer a better braking system at a lower cost and to match Daiwa’s Magforce braking.

It will be cool to find out how Diawa will respond to Shimano selling such advanced tech at a lower price point.?

1 hour ago, BassFisher22 said:

It will be cool to find out how Diawa will respond to Shimano selling such advanced tech at a lower price point.?

This is Shimano trying to answer Daiwa selling the Tatula SV for only $199. 

Thanks everyone I think I am going to go with a Curado 70 or look into some of Diawa’s reels.

Thanks for the help

If it's not something you need right away, then wait a month. Icast may have some new reels that tickle your fancy. I've heard whispers of a more compact Tatula, though I don't know if it's true or not.