Wondering if anyone can help me out with some information on the Chronarch Mg. I'm looking to get a nice lightweight reel and I'm pretty sure that this reel is the way to go, but I'm a little concerned about how truly resistant this reel is when it comes to fishing in brackish water or saltwater. What it comes down to is that I don't want to fork over $250 for something that's going to fall apart on me, so any experience with these reels in this type of environment would be helpful. Thanks.

By the way, I don't want all you Shimano enthusiasts jumping me for not believing what they say because I'm a 100% Shimano man too!  8-)

Maybe somebody on here has DIRECT experience with that, but from what I have heard those reels and salt don't mix.  I saw this not too long ago:

http://heartlandtackleservice.com/corrosion.stm

Great reel and I own one, but I personally wouldn't use it in the salt.  Hard to do in Kansas though.

I recently acquired a Shimano® Chronarch® 50Mg and corrosion is my major concern since magnesium is highly susceptible to corroding.

Having worked in the Aerospace industry as a Manufacturing Engineer I can tell you once magnesium starts to corrode it close to impossible to stop. The corrosion that affects magnesium is called intergranular corrosion which is a type of corrosion that forms along the boundaries of the metal grain inside a piece of metal. In layman terms the corrosion in inside the metal itself? Another problem is that fact that magnesium can produce it's own oxygen, once you have a tiny scratch in the protective coating corrosion will enter the metal, you treat the surface corrosion, seal the surface but all is to no avail because the corrosion has entered the inside the metal.

My suggestion would be to purchase a good reel cover, never use the reel in brackish or salt water, and have it cleaned/inspected yearly by a reputable reel mechanic.

Tommy T

No saltwater in KY.   The Shimano Chronarch Mg is a Great Reel.

I recently acquired a Shimano® Chronarch® 50Mg and corrosion is my major concern since magnesium is highly susceptible to corroding.

Having worked in the Aerospace industry as a Manufacturing Engineer I can tell you once magnesium starts to corrode it close to impossible to stop. The corrosion that affects magnesium is called intergranular corrosion which is a type of corrosion that forms along the boundaries of the metal grain inside a piece of metal. In layman terms the corrosion in inside the metal itself? Another problem is that fact that magnesium can produce it's own oxygen, once you have a tiny scratch in the protective coating corrosion will enter the metal, you treat the surface corrosion, seal the surface but all is to no avail because the corrosion has entered the inside the metal.

My suggestion would be to purchase a good reel cover, never use the reel in brackish or salt water, and have it cleaned/inspected yearly by a reputable reel mechanic.

Tommy T

Thanks for the very informative post.  8-)

Shimano says that the protective coating makes the reel salt safe ....... I don 't think so, better safe than sorry, somewhere ( only if I could remember the site   ) I saw pics of a Scorpion Mg frame submitted to salty environment, it ain 't a pretty pic  :-/, it looks like swiss cheese.

dumb question but i have to ask it

would the salts from ur plastic worms ruin ur reel or is that to small of an amount

im in iowa and that would be the only way my reels would be around any salt

dumb question but i have to ask it

would the salts from ur plastic worms ruin ur reel or is that to small of an amount

im in iowa and that would be the only way my reels would be around any salt

Somebody, somewhere when the Mg reels thread appeared said that salted plastic baits could cause corrosion to you reel, so unless you planning to store your reel in your salty baits bag it 's something you should not have to worry about.

lol

what i meant is most of my rods have the hook hanger above the reel so when my plastics arnt in use  they could be dropping saltwater or salt it self on the reel

so i guess to be safe i shouldnt use salty plastics with that setup

Salts are not the only chemical that can cause corrosion

There are acids in the air as well as other contaminates all of which are capable of causing corrosion. The key is the protective coating on the reel; any scratch is an entry point for corrosion, which is why I recommend using a quality reel cover at all times when the reel is not in your hands.

Another reason magnesium is no longer used in the Aerospace industry is that it can under proper conditions self ignite and burn with a uncontrollable flame that is near impossible to extinguish. Here are some of its uses flares and pyrotechnics, including incendiary bombs.

You will not find a better reel than a 50mg.  I have several chronarchs and a couple of mg's.  They are great.