Curado 200K XG First Impressions

[rockchalk06]

So this showed up last week:




You can see the handle on this reel is huge. 96mm on the XG. Knobs are bigger than the current production knobs on most Shimano reels. They are very close in size to the power knobs, but have the larger knob caps. Shimano ditched the fake chrome and put these black ones in. I also removed the silver nut and replaced it with a black one from a Chronarch MGL.



I really like this spool and cast control cap. Both are a green with the CCC having a little gold ring on it. The thumb bar has been redesigned and raised up. The spool area has been opened up while the overall exterior has been reduced by 10%. This really makes this reel feel comfortable.





Curado badging on the palm plate with the SVS dial on the lower portion of the side plate. It was very stiff, but if you back the screw plate off a 1/16 of a turn, it frees it up and gives you one-handed use.



I purchased the XG 8.5:1 model. The gearbox has been redesigned to accommodate the larger main gear and cut down on the length of the reel. Micro Module gearing really gives this a solid feel in the hand. Smoothness is an understatement. Metal drag star with audible click. CCC does not have an audible click.



Not a lot of bling on this reel. Badging is minimal, white and with the flat black paint job, gives this reel a very modest overall look while still being "woops"y in its own way.

The spool is marketed as a 200 sized and it is every bit of that. I spooled it up with 10# Senshi Mono off a 1000-yard spool and it put a dent in my bulk spool. I may pull it off later and back it with some lighter braid, but for now, I will leave it as is.



I paired this Curado with my St. Croix Avid 7' MF. I was hoping to use this as a weightless plastic setup, but the more and more I use this setup, I may have inadvertently found a killer jerkbait/ripbait rod! I will probably move this to my Champion XP 733 and make a hair jig setup.

Casting ultralight baits was a chore with this reel. I could probably get better results by backing this spool with braid and cutting down on weight, but I have a finesse and spinning rig for that light. A weightless 7" Culprit worm was just too light. By the time, I added braking pressure to control the spool enough; my distance was down to 20 feet or less. Once a 1/8 oz. weight was added, distances were back to normal. Four and five inch weightless Senko's gave me no problems at all. Moved up to a 1/2 jig and then a frog. Both were more than pleasant to throw. Heavier baits really shine with this reel. I will report more when I get more time with it.

Out of the box, this Curado was very smooth. I broke it down to bare frame and started up. First thing, I noticed was the amount of grease Shimano packed into this reel. They are using a new clear type grease. It was everywhere. Looked like a drunk monkey painted it on. I highly recommend you take this reel to a tech and have them clean/flush/lube it properly to pull the most out of this reel. The average user that wants an out of the box reel that is smooth and works as intended will not be disappointed with the Curado though.

Bearing count from the factory is 7.
Spool Bearing x2
Pinion Bearing x2
Drive Shaft Bearing x2
Anti-reverse bearing x1

Due to the micro module gearing, Shimano states that it requires extra tight tolerances for the pinion and main gear. They accomplish this with an added bearing on the drive shaft above the roller clutch inner tube and one below the spool bearing (handle side) that glides over the top of the pinion gear. What this means for the average consumer is a smoother reel with tighter tolerances over the previous Curado I and G models. For the reel tech, it is two more bearings and four more parts to mess with.

This Curado will allow a bearing on the worm gear and four more in the knobs. All of which I feel are important upgrades in any reel. Both the worm drive and the knobs came packed full of the same clear grease. After the five additional bearing were added, there was a noticeable difference in the overall felt smoothness of this reel. The bushing on the worm gear was very stiff. It had to be manipulated off the shaft. I feel this freed up the resistance on the retrieve enough to notice.

The worm gear is plastic and the pawl is polished metal. Previous I and 70 Curado models both had a plastic worm gear, but it was very flimsy. I'm not sure if they used a different material on this gear or put a steel core in it, but it's very rigid. You could flex it, but you really had to try.

   

The more I use this reel, the more I am impressed. I may eventually change out the spool bearings with a higher quality bearing, but for now I will leave it alone. The free spool is on par with my D series reels.

[LgMouthGambler]

It really is a killer looking reel no doubt. Its funny that you mention Shimano now using clear grease. Thats the same grease that I have been seeing in the new Lews, BPS, and Abu reels.

[rockchalk06]

It really is a killer looking reel no doubt. Its funny that you mention Shimano now using clear grease. Thats the same grease that I have been seeing in the new Lews, BPS, and Abu reels.

I haven't broken down anything other than the new Shimano's for awhile now, but I can tell you that it is not what they are selling as their branded grease. Not by a long shot.

[LgMouthGambler]

I haven't broken down anything other than the new Shimano's for awhile now, but I can tell you that it is not what they are selling as their branded grease. Not by a long shot.

Yeah, I noticed that too. Brings my suspicions of the new Shimano products even closer to what I am starting to figure out.

[fishballer06]

Patiently waiting on the lefty K's to start shipping...

I've been adding the bearing to the worm gear of my ChMGL's and flushing them out from the factory and it's been improving the performance drastically. Looks like I'll need to do the same once my K's arrive. Is it the same size bearing that the ChMGL is using?

[cortman]

Great report, thanks rock. I may have to try one of these out. I'm on a bit of a self imposed buying ban at the moment but we all know those never last long... Lol

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[rockchalk06]

Patiently waiting on the lefty K's to start shipping...

I've been adding the bearing to the worm gear of my ChMGL's and flushing them out from the factory and it's been improving the performance drastically. Looks like I'll need to do the same once my K's arrive. Is it the same size bearing that the ChMGL is using?

Yes sir.

[rockchalk06]

Great report, thanks rock. I may have to try one of these out. I'm on a bit of a self imposed buying ban at the moment but we all know those never last long... Lol

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I keep telling myself this, but it doesn't seem to work. Now though, I have no more room for another combo. I have one cheap spinning rig in the corner now.

But I do want a two piece for the back seat of the Ram..........

[basss]

Rock,

Where did you order the reel from?  The sites I've checked say they won't ship till Sept.  I have a Dobyns rod waiting on a reel.

[rockchalk06]

Rock,

Where did you order the reel from?  The sites I've checked say they won't ship till Sept.  I have a Dobyns rod waiting on a reel.

Bass boat central forums. Guy was selling two NiB for 165 shipped each. An HG and an XG. They are both sold now

[j102]

Excellent review. It appears to be an excellent reel.

[rockchalk06]

Spent close to 2 hours just on this reel today. Very happy with it. Just a tiny bit of zing on the cast. Nothing like the Chronarch MGL or Curado I series.

Spent a lot of time with a 5" Zinker wacky rigged on 10# Senshi mono. Switched over to a 3/8 oz Picasso jig head and Shagnasty blue/black swimbait. Really like how this reel responded. If I decide to make this a swimbait rig, I'll buy a 6.2:1 model.



On a side note, I got hung up twice in the rocks with the Zinker and had to break off. This 10# Senshi is some strong stuff. I had to cut off as I couldn't break it by hand.

[basss]

Good look-pole,line, and lure. blue on blue on blue.