Drag: Shimano has never been one to tout big, beefy drags. Their approach to this component in a reel has been to provide smooth, consistent resistance designed to preserve your equipment and tire a fish out. Just the same, the 300-400 sized Conquest comes with a maximum rated drag of eight kilograms or roughly eighteen pounds, and tested closer 20 in our lab. Considerably more than the 100-200 sized counterparts, enabled by a more traditional stack of carbon matrix and metal washers.

Make no mistake, low profile reels are still more comfortable to palm

That number may still not be high enough for those seeking to cane pole flip their catches to the boat, but we the found drag performance more than sufficient for our needs. Oh and yes, it is an audible drag for those who are curious. Our team disagrees on this feature as Cal is not a huge fan of this on non-bfs reels whereas Zander finds the audible click of the drag system both useful and exciting when fishing with big baits and during battles with bigger fish. Which camp to you fall into?

A look at the difference in height between the handle and non-handle sides of the Conquest 300/301MD.

Design & Ergonomics: As refined overall, efficient in power, and superb in casting as this latest Conquest 300/301 is, you still, at the very least, have to be tolerant of that round shape to truly appreciate this reel. There are some people who just can't do it, and we get it. Unfortunately, they're missing out. Everything from the smaller than traditional profile of a round 300 to the longer handle and inexplicably comfortable knobs makes this reel super comfortable to fish. For those familiar with the round reel experience, the 300/301XGLH really does fish like a 200 sized round reel. That's a huge victory right there.

Treatment of the top bar is one of my favorite details on this reel

The cut away from the sideplate and drop down to the top bar is sculpted

Price & Applications: What's not so nice is the cost to acquire this machined marvel. If a US warranty and service is important to you, the Conquest MD is now available stateside (long handle option only) and will set you back $599 - the price is the same for both the 300 and 400 size.

The only bad news regarding the Conquest MD is its price

A lot of this generation's tweaks were actually incorporated with the Asia domestic market snakehead in mind (e.g. the synchronized levelwind), but the overall package is definitely targeted for anglers who prefer to launch big baits for potentially bigger bites. In that application, the Conquest MD is just about ideal - especially if you're a fan of round reels.

This new Conquest MD is as good as is it gets for swimbait anglers that like the capacity, power, and refinement that only all metal bodied round reel can provide

Conclusion: One issue we have had with the previous generation Conquest 301 was its tendency to backlash out of nowhere. We diagnosed it down to certain casting methods and it was more prevelant for those that employ quick wrist casts. As a result, we stopped fishing that reel by the time we could get that Conquest 301 back in line, news of the '23 refresh broke, so we waited. We bring this up because through our time with the '23 Conquest MD, that issue of inexplicable backlashes never came up.

If you're a big bait aficionado or even a fledgling, we have only one comment. Shimano's '23 Conquest MD is legit.

Is it the dual brake system or the return to mushroom cap centrifugal brakes (as opposed to the flying brake arm style)? Whatever the case may be, it wasn't until the end of our first week using this reel that we realized the issue was gone.

The Shimano Conquest MD's dual SVS MD Tune Braking system just plain works. Even those that are not huge fans of dual cast control systems will benefit from the ease of adjustment to accommodate a wide range of lure types. This is all the more important when the reel is intended for slinging big baits that vary greatly in proportion and weight.

That's the exact time it hit us - other than price and personal ergonomic preferences we have no real criticism of this reel. The only minor thing we can think of is the finish. All of our editors prefer that darker, pewter-like grey of the Conquest DC variant and think that color scheme is much more in tune with today's market, but really, it's such a small preference that it barely registers. There is a certain level of nostalgia with the gold Conquest but this reel would look wicked in the gunmetal, or even black, finish. If you're a big bait aficionado or even a fledgling, we have only one final comment. Shimano's '23 Conquest MD is legit!

Looking for a Shimano '23 Conquest 300/301XGLH?

Try TackleWarehouse