I just picked up a new in box, older shimano metanium a local bait shop had sitting in the back room for a great price.

 

set it all up and went fishing with it this weekend but it has me scratching my head if I set the braking system up wrong. This model has 6 brakes on the SVS system so I "thought" I turned 3 off 3 on. BACKLASH central. Kept messing with it and finally ended up with what I thought was all 6 on and the micro adjustment to 5 and I still needed to set the spool tension knob fairly tight to keep from creating big backlashes. I have been trying to find a video on this model and was only able to come across one with the same reel that I have which leads to my question:

 

should the brake be engaged by keeping the top of the brake engaged (locked on) and the bottom removed so the SVS brake just wiggles slightly?

 

I had removed the top of the brake so the plastic SVS break was laying flat on the reel spool as I do with newer model curado's. I hopefully will have a photo up that helps. this is what I was able to screenshot off the video I watched of how the gentleman in the video set his brakes (which would be the opposite of what I was doing"

 

I am hoping I was just doing it wrong as I fish all my curado's with one break on and the tension knob almost free-spool and don't have any issues. using #12 tatsu fluoro and a 7' H dobyns champion 3/8 jig with trailer. once I had the settings the way I described the reel casted amazing and was a pleasure to use I just felt like a complete newbie having what I believed to be all 6 breaks on the micro adjust almost maxed and the tension knob set to where the bait wouldn't budge. I am hoping that if I do the breaks this way they engage and I can try 2 breaks on and regular spool settings.

 

sorry for the long winded post I just don't want to mess up a good reel by my stupidity.

The bottom of the shoe should swing out and contact the drum/cone. I don’t understand what you’re saying by taking the top off. 

Thanks,

 

sorry I think I made it more confusing than it had to be attached is a photo of how I am familiar with the brake system where the top of the shoe is removed and it lays flat on the drum/cone.