Finally Tested My Curado DC / Expride Combo

Between being crazy busy at work and cold temperatures I had not been able to get out and test my new Shimano Curado 150 DC and Shimano Expride combination. But this afternoon the temperature got up to 50 degrees, making it feel like a balmy spring day after weeks of cold. Today was supposed to be a day off for me, but that didn't work out, as usual. 

Today my phone was ringing off the hook and I was trying to punch rooms for the guest room painting part of the renovations and I just needed a break to clear my head. So I took 20 minutes, went down to our docks, and tossed a 3/8 oz spinnerbait on my new setup.

When that first cast hit the water, my only thought was, "Wow!" With little effort that cast easily went 15 feet further than with my Curado K or any of my Lew's reels. It was easy to see that because I was casting in our cove where I cast to the opposite shoreline and docks along the cove. I had set the tension as suggested in the manual, but found I had to tighten it up a bit because the spool moved so freely after taking my thumb off it after casting.

With a little more "oomph" I was casting 20 feet further than normal, but still not giving it maximum effort. If you're a boater, the extra distance is probably not a big deal. But if you're fishing from the bank, this can come in handy. It should be noted that on my standard reel I use very little braking and keep the spool fairly free. I believe this was an apples to apples comparison in casting distance.

As far as the Expride goes (obviously still the 2021 model). it's extremely light but feels like it has a good backbone. I didn't catch anything or even get a bite, but I was only out there 20 minutes. I'll know more when I actually catch something or try dragging a bait along the bottom.

A little extra distance can probably be attributed to the rod, as I have the 7' 2" MH model. Most of my general purpose rods are just 7' and a few 6'6" using that same 40 pound braid. It might be the little bit of extra length that I'm not used to, but I found myself hanging my casts a few feet to the right of where I thought I was aiming. Usually I'm pretty accurate. But the rod feels great and the balance feels good to me.

Anyway, I think I have a new favorite combo in my arsenal. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I can't wait to land something on this combo.