Shimano Curado G

Great reel, love using it – Having used a Curado E series on a fishing charter in the Kimberley and caught barramundi with ease thought I would purchase one for myself to fish for natives in our Murray-Goulburn river system. As the E series were no longer available I had to go to the new G Series. I only have the Kimberley experience to compare my new reel with but I am very happy after 6 months fishing with it. Some reports I have read say it is not as good as previous models but I cannot fault it. Once you master a baitcaster reel the Curado is a pleasure to use being smooth and compact, also it is easy to adjust for various weighted lures and fishing conditions, e.g. windy days. I have mine loaded with 20lb braid and it works a treat even on small 10 gram lures.

They are not cheap but I purchased mine from the USA at a cost of AU $140 all up rather than $200 plus here. Smooth easy to use Shimano. Great looking reel. Expensive? You get what you pay for in this case.

Its the Curado - but not as most will remember it – I found that the Curado was on sale at my local BCF and went in there ASAP and got one to play with - my first feelings were 'not sure what the hypes about' but I bought it as it was a proven reel from many years back. This reel was on sale for $189 reduced $100 - I could not believe this price point so I went straight in and purchased it. In hind sight I wish I did more fact finding first - I am suffering severe buyers remorse as I type this!

When I went fishing the same afternoon I noticed that there were a lot of similarities with the lesser specced Caenan which I also own (and like the Caenan more than the Curado at this stage) - these two reels look identical and from what it seems other than the gear ratio these reels share a long history of parts from one another. This family parts hologolation is a way for Shimano to make things better in their hip pockets, to save dough making specific parts for each and every reel - smart for them however this affects reels and also the end consumer.(eg: Stradic FJ's & Stradic Ci4's / Sustain's and other Shimano reels share the same internal parts & chassis; which also includes many of the baitcast family reel parts which can be crossed against each other).

Shimano have brought out new models for years - each one being slightly or much better than the last - not like the new Curado. The Shimano Curado was the flagship low profile baitcast reel that Aussies flocked to for their primary weapon against Barramundi and big Mangrove Jacks, however these were the older series primarily the E series (last years series). This Shimano Curado G7 is what most call the cheap and nasty reel of the Curado lineup, most will be quick to suggest to sell it off and get the olf E series if available and that this newer model is nothing but a toy of sorts in comparison. The Americans fist their reels hard and this new Curado is nothing like what they purchased in the past and this shows.

My overall thoughts of this reel are, its noisy - the quick 7.1:1 ratio makes for a rough wind and actually noisy reel (there are variations of the G series eg: G5, G6 & G7 - which have different gear ratios) - I would have liked to get a slower ratios reel as my fishing tends me to wind slower and roll lures over flats slower than this reel likes - I find myself winding so slowly it hurts to think about it. The line management of the reel is poor - every cast you have to let out some extra line as to avoid bunch up's as you cast roughly the same amount of line each time and the engagement kicks in at the same point roughly so line tends to build up on one side of the spool. I have noticed this on the Caenan also however to not as a big issue that exists on the Curado - plus the Caenan lays the line nicer and I use identical line. The fit and finish of the reel is 'cheap' it feels like the Caenan - only with a aluminium fram "whoop-de-do" - I cant honestly say that this feels any more tougher than the Caenan - nor any better quality than it should be. My biggest concern is that the aluminium frame and the stainless parts that are pressed into it will see corrosion in the near future - this is something I am weary of - baitcasters tend to hold water because of their inherent design and their spool design - something to look forward to. The bearing count is less than the old model (G7 has 4 bearings opposed to E6 which has 6 bearings) - and this is hard to really qualify in any real terms of use, however the more bearings the better things stay in relation to each other usually in high end reels. I can also say that when Shimano devolved the Curado and sent it to be manufactured in Malaysia they certainly cut corners everywhere - the drag knob is now plastic and has ugly moulding circles on the back of it, the handle plate god nut cover is plastic and cheap looking - it certainly screams cheaper when you've owned it for a while - also there is paint missing from the screw cavities - just another cut corner. I am yet to strip it down and delve into it further however it has all the typical hallmarks of the Caenan and I am certain that the inner parts will be identical to its cheaper brother.

One thing I can say that I truly hate on these new Shimano baitcasting reels is - and this is unlike any of their predecessors. The level wind that manages the line lay on the spool is nasty - the position of it has moved so that the reel is more slimline 'easier to manage', there is only one support above it and not below, the worm drive faces forward and is susceptible to grit and salt water intrusion and its as wobbly as a drunk on friday night after happy hour. This part of the reel gets so wet from extended casting that I am sure that this will be a part that I will have to keep my eye's on in the future and or need parts for!

Overall, the reel is not what the old Curado was, this is a "poor mans" Curado, built on the legacy of the name Curado and not the design philosophy that Shimano instilled for all those years that the Curado sat aloft its mighty perch as a tool for the persistent barra fisherman / woman. This Curado is the same green that the old E series was, same rough design however you can feel that its a different reel altogether.

I really hate to be so negative about my reels - I have bought 9 new reels from Shimano recently and most of these needed work to get them up to speed eg: Stradic Ci4's needed shimming of the bearings to fit into their cups properly due to .05+/-mm of play & my Sustain 5000FG just being totally uninspiring and boring to use. However they all work but just don't excite me like their older reels did - hence why I usually see myself reach for my older reels 80% of the time.

I will update this when I get a chance to open it up and get a good look inside. Curado name for $189 (save $100) Quiet a few things - refer to review.