Northwest Fishing Reports

Hello everyone, I am looking for advice on purchasing a low profile baitcasting reel. I currently am mainly a spinning reel guy who loves to fish the rivers for salmon and steelhead from the bank. I have developed a hand issue that requires me to start looking more seriously at a bait caster in low profile for how easy they are to handle and that they tend to be lighter. I have an 8' 6" shimano clarus rod already with an abu ambassadeur C3 6501, but I am thinking the low profile reels might be easier to handle with my hand issue. I am open to any of your thoughts and want a reel that would be able to handle a nice King so I need something with a good drag system. I am limited by funds and would love to have a Shimano Curado, but presently would not be able to handle that. So what would be your recommendations of a solid reel that would hold up to those fun battles with larger salmon. Thanks

What's your budget? The starting point for a good low profile baitcaster starts around $100. Abu Garcia has a wide selection to choose from, but I've experienced nothing but trouble from their Silver Max to their Revos. I'd choose from among one of the many Diawa reels, or save up for that Curado.

I'd look on eBay for one of the old green shimano curados.

Abu garcia has good baitcasters starting at around 100. Cjeck out outdoor emporium in seattle next to the stadiums. Great stuff and great prices

Not sure if this reel has anough line capacity for you but this member has a new reel for a good price. $80
http://www.northwestfishingreports.com/ ... =9&t=22575" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Agree with the previous post about the used green curados. I'd add the silver D series as well. They are usually about the same price as the new garbage and require just a little bit of maintenance. One thing I have noticed with low pro reels compared to spinning reels is that you have to perform routine maintenance on the low pros. Spinning reels don't seem to be as sensitive. Good luck

Hello jwright, first i would like to ask is if your hand issue would impede you from thumbing the spool on a baitcaster to provide assistance to the drag? I ask this because most of the low profile reels i use have a small ( in my opinion) max drag which would would need assistance by thumbing the spool when battling a nice king. I use a shimano chronarch 200e7 (11lbs max drag i think) for just about everything and i usually run pretty light on the drag anyway so i thumb my spool quite often to assist the drag. when i fish for kings with it i do the same even though i have tightened the drag. This is just my 2 cents from my experience for you to think about. If you knew this already i do apologize, didnt want you to buy something that you couldn't use. Now for reels i would recommend shimano products. I have 2 chronarch 200e7's and love them smooth casting light weight and shimano just makes good stuff. As for price for low pro baitcasters, you get what you pay for. I have owned other reels that were cheaper and they didnt hold up very well. They would last a season or 2 of hard fishing. My chronarch is going on 4 or 5 years now with annual cleanings. Other than a little egg goop on the reel it still works like a champ So i would suggest saving up for a better reel it will definitely cost less in the long run. Hope this helped out

Thanks that is great input. Yes the main issue I have is actually (I hate to say this) my middle finger :-). There is a tendon issue and so my thumb is fine. That is much appreciated for you to think of that though. I am presently looking to start off with a nice used shimano curado cu201 that seems to be in great shape. Then I will look at possibly saving up for something newer like a newer curado or the Chronarch. Thanks to everyone for their input.

jwright wrote:I am presently looking to start off with a nice used shimano curado cu201 that seems to be in great shape. Then I will look at possibly saving up for something newer like a newer curado or the Chronarch.

If you get a good used Curado, there is no need to save up for a newer one to replace it. They're great reels. I have a bunch of rods rigged up for steelhead and salmon (mostly coho). I have ONE casting rod for chums and kings that has an Abu 5600 C4 and the rest have green Curados for steelhead and silvers.

I am waiting for it to be delivered. I got off ebay and it is a Shimano Curado Cu201 B5 which looks to be in excellent condition. I have read quite a bit about upgrading the drags with Carbontex carbon fiber washers. Any thoughts on that. I am looking forward to its arrival just after Christmas. Thanks again all of you for your input.

jwright wrote:I am waiting for it to be delivered. I got off ebay and it is a Shimano Curado Cu201 B5 which looks to be in excellent condition. I have read quite a bit about upgrading the drags with Carbontex carbon fiber washers. Any thoughts on that. I am looking forward to its arrival just after Christmas. Thanks again all of you for your input.

Just to be clear, the B5 model is the cranking model with a slower retrieve ratio. About 5:1 I believe. The non cranking model has a retrieve ratio of 6.3 : 1.

Shad, when you say cranking to non cranking help me understand the difference. I understood the gear ratio and thought it would be better for fighting large Kings as I read a lot about the lower ratio giving you more fighting power, but maybe that is not true in all cases. I am looking at this being my first baitcaster and will be looking to save up for another one in the future that will have a higher ratio that will be better for drift fishing etc. I fish some small streams where when you hook up a King you had better be able to put some serious pressure on them, hence I got this reel. Thanks again for any information to educate this fisherman who wants to always be learning more about this amazing sport!

fish vacuum wrote:

jwright wrote:I am presently looking to start off with a nice used shimano curado cu201 that seems to be in great shape. Then I will look at possibly saving up for something newer like a newer curado or the Chronarch.

If you get a good used Curado, there is no need to save up for a newer one to replace it. They're great reels. I have a bunch of rods rigged up for steelhead and salmon (mostly coho). I have ONE casting rod for chums and kings that has an Abu 5600 C4 and the rest have green Curados for steelhead and silvers.

Agreed. Exceptional reels. I busted my old one and got the newest curado. Great reel but man did I love my old green curado.

I have a Steez EX, Zillion Coastal and Chronarch CI4 and when I catch a bigger chum and it decides to take off on a run I feel that even with my drag set to max (wouldn't suggest it) that I still feel outgunned. Hence I usually just fishing without the drag. I've never fished for Kings using it and would probably be a little hesitant using Daiwa and Shimano low profile baitcasters that were originally designed for bass for these fish. Though Chum and below it should be fine for the most part. My rule of thumb is to set the drag at the 1/2 of max and at that point the drag doesn't do as much (even with the max it probably wouldn't be that great either) as I would like if I was fishing for kings though others might disagree.

Hence, I would highly suggest a 13 fishing reel. It's as light as the CI4 and has a much heftier drag that is also quite smooth. Tackletour did a review of their concept A reel and the respective drag system and you can take a look at the review along with the one for the chronarch ci4. I personally haven't used these reel, but if I had to use a low profile for salmon fishing it would probably be one of these reels. I also would think about a round baitcaster as well.
http://www.tackletour.com/review13fishi ... tapg2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.tackletour.com/reviewchronar ... uspg2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A lot of the better low profile baitcasters have carbontex carbon fiber washers though others don't. I asked the same question you did on another forum and the benefits are mostly a smoother drag and maybe a 10% increase in max drag. If you do decide to upgrade make sure though to back off your drag to the minimum amount when your not using it.

The gear ratio on my reels range from 6.3 and up but I haven't really experienced any noticeable difference in fighting power.

jwright wrote:Shad, when you say cranking to non cranking help me understand the difference. I understood the gear ratio and thought it would be better for fighting large Kings as I read a lot about the lower ratio giving you more fighting power, but maybe that is not true in all cases. I am looking at this being my first baitcaster and will be looking to save up for another one in the future that will have a higher ratio that will be better for drift fishing etc. I fish some small streams where when you hook up a King you had better be able to put some serious pressure on them, hence I got this reel. Thanks again for any information to educate this fisherman who wants to always be learning more about this amazing sport!

Presumably (I'm no expert BTW), the reels labeled as "cranking" models have lower gear ratios and more cranking power, as opposed to the higher-gear ratio reel.

I merely pointed out the difference above in my post, since a lot of the river guys seem to prefer the higher-gear ratio reels (faster retrieve, and so faster to reel in your line to recast quickly).

Probably not much of a difference one way or another. The standard Abu 5500c3 have a 5.3:1 ratio, and many reels prior to the high-speed craze were in the 5-something to 1 ratio.

The internet has a bunch of articles on reel gear ratio, cranking power, etc. if interested in finding out more.

Enjoy your reel. Most of my reels are from Ebay too.

I preferror a higher gear ratio. Cyrano E7 is 7:1. Helps to keep tension in the line when the fish swims toward you.