Go small with Okuma's next generation compact
baitcasters
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Date: |
7/17/09 |
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Location: |
Orlando,
Florida |
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Admission: |
Buyers &
Press only |
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Manufacturer: |
Okuma |
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Reviewer: |
Team
TackleTour |
Introduction: Okuma may still be best known for their spinning and
saltwater reels but the company has been making great strides in baitcaster
releases in the recent seasons, and each new baitcaster has become smaller and
more refined. At this ICAST Okuma has new releases that can finally be called
"compact."
The Serrano is the most compact
baitcaster to come from Okuma yet
Serrano: It is hard to miss the Serrano,
call it what you like but the reel looks lime green to us, and we like it. Once
you get past the differentiated looking finish the Serrano really does have a
slew of features that not only set it apart from Okuma baitcasters of the past
but usher in a new design concept for Okuma, one that is more ergonomic with a
greater emphasis on reduced weight.
The Serrano is available in both
deep and shallow spools
The Serrano is actually designed for inshore
applications and fishing in brackish water so the company went to great lengths
to make the reel corrosion resistant. The reel features a rigid diecast aluminum
frame with a special CRC (corrosion resistant coating) process that makes it
extremely resistant to the elements. An aluminum side plate is used to hold the
gearing in perfect alignment and the reel weighs in at 7.2oz.
Do you like the lime green finish
of the Serrano? We do.
The Serrano is extremely low profile and compact
and sits nicely on traditional reel seats and matches up perfectly with Okuma's
own C3 Carbon Cone rods, which have a very similar color blank.
The reel matches up nicely with
Okuma's own C3 rods
The Serrano has a massive 10+1 bearing count and
makes use of precision Japanese ABEC-5 spool bearings, and the spool is A6061-T6
machined aluminum and anodized for corrosion resistance. The master gearing is
machine cut from brass and the drag is a multi-disc carbonite system that
delivers 11lbs of drag pressure.
The Serrano features a swept
handle design
The Serrano makes use of a 8 position velocity
control cast control system which is basically a self contained centrifugal
weight system that can be adjusted with a rotation of the system's plastic
housing.
Under the sideplate anglers will
find the 8 position Velocity cast control system
To access this you must remove the sideplate which
simply snaps down and out. This sideplate requires a pretty strong push
downwards so you don't need to worry about it coming off unintentionally. The
Serrano features a swept handle design similar to what is found on the Daiwa
Zillion that allows the handle to be cranked closer to the body. At the end of
the handle are two bearing supported barrel grips.
Simply rotate either direction to
adjust the settings
There are two versions of the Serrano and both are
6.2:1 retrieve ratio. The SR-200 features deeper traditional spool for
applications requiring more capacity while the SR-200W features a ported spool
that Okuma call's their "Hi-Rise" spool. As you would expect with most Okuma
products the company aims to deliver a lot of reel for not a lot of money and
the Serrano is priced aggressively at only $169.99, combine that price with the
fact the company backs the Serrano with a 3 year warranty and we are looking at
a killer total value here.
The attention to detail and
anodizing on this reel is outstanding, this is by far the most refined
baitcaster Okuma has built to date
Next Section: Okuma's freshwater version, the Cayenne
