Introduction: Shimano’s mainstream
Citica reel gets a major makeover that follows the popular Curado series in
terms of reduced weight and improved ergonomics. Our field tests take us from
the California Delta to Dream Lake, Alabama as we find out just how good the new
reel is, as well as how it stacks up to the more expensive Curado E.
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Shimano
Citica 200E
Specifications
Line
Capacity (lb/yds)
8/180, 10/155,
14/110
Gear
Ratio
6.3:1
Line
retrieve per crank
27
inches
Weight
7.8oz.
Bearings
3BB,
1RB
Additional Features
Aluminum Lo-Mass spool, HEG
gearing, Super Free, super stopper, 1/8 turn easy access sideplate, rubber handle grips, dartanium drag, clicking drag adjustment,
Quickfire II clutch bar
Origin
Japan
MSRP
$119.99
The dawn of the newest mainstream
reel from Shimano, the completely redefined Citica E was introduced alongside
the new Curado E
Impressions:
The Curado E and Citica E made their debut at ICAST 2008, and were once again
designed by Shimano America specifically for the US market. When Shimano Product
Manager Jeremy Sweet sought out to revamp the series he wanted to best the
previous versions in every aspect, and that included performance, refinement,
and even overall value.
Testing the Citica E on Dream Lake
in Alabama
The redesign of the Curado E
greatly benefitted the Citica series, as the new reels bear the same new
profile, which is considerably smaller than the original. By using the same
tooling for both frames the company could leverage the increased volume and that
price savings could be passed on to the consumer, despite the fact that the cost
of materials continues to skyrocket industry wide.
The Citica E features the same
smaller profile as the Curado E
The Curado series has long
been the most popular baitcaster in the Shimano lineup, as it offers a good
overall balance of features versus price. The previous Citica D was so good that
it started to attract buyers from both the lower end Cruxis reel as well as the
higher end Curado customers, but the Curado still held the lion share of the
segment. The bottom line was Shimano was offering more choices for anglers to
pick from.
From the side the Citica 200E is
incredibly sleek in profile
But what separated the Citica
most from the Curado was the feature-set, the Curado D while similar in basic
ergonomics to the lower end reels had many more of Shimano’s features that
improved overall refinement, including a higher bearing count and souped up
gearing. In addition the Curado was offered in a greater range of sizes making
the reels more useful over a wider range of applications.
The Citica E has a new sculpted
profile that is more defined than the previous generation reels
Fast forward to present day
and the time has come for Shimano to create a new mainstream reel, one that
reflected the updates requirements from anglers. This includes increased
emphasis placed on light overall weight and enhanced ergonomics. The new Curado
and Citica E series reels reduced the overall size of the reel down one size, so
the new 200 size reel is actually smaller than the previous reel’s 100 sizes but
managed to maintain the same line capacity.
Zander tests casting performance
with weightless plastics
