Fish harder and faster with the souped up
Shimano Curado 200DHSV (continued)
Retrieve
& Power (cont): On the field the powerful and high-speed of the
200D HSV allowed us to do multiple things where we would have had to put more
effort into achieving with a slower ratio based reel. For instance when I pitched plastics
into heavy cover, after I detected bites and initiated immediate hooksets I was
able to crank like a madman, effectively pulling fish quickly away from
hazardous
structure. A few times where I was a little slow, I know I would have lost the
fish if I got hung up in and around submerged trees, but thanks to the power and speed
offered up by this new faster Curado I
was able to emerge from those battles with a boated fish.
The reel is built solid for a
powerful flex-free retrieve
Speed without power is a big sacrifice, and
luckily for anglers it is one that you don't have to make with the 200DHSV. The HEG gear system really helps with the power
drive, something that the Curado 100D didn't have. The enlarged gears are prime in providing the necessary cranking power
one needs to really haul fish when needed. Fishing topwater frog lures is one of my
favorite techniques and the Curado has quickly replaced all other reels in my
arsenal for this application. When I fish heavy weeded areas
for bass, I always have to pull them up and out of the weed before the fish can
dive any deeper. With the robust wide diameter gears on the Shimano Curado 200D HSV,
after I felt the tug at the end of the line, the HEG system kicks in as you
turn the handle to bring the fish out of the cover. After a few incidents where
I found myself pulling in fish covered with weeds, I knew the Curado 200D HSV
was now my choice reel for all my frog fishing applications.
On the left is the new Curado
200DHSV. On the right we have the old Curado 200
It doesn't end there. Anglers who power-fish will
find this reel very valuable. You can slow down a bit on the retrieve when you
need to, but when high-speed is needed just crank away. When I crawl plastics
such as Hula grubs my fishing zone is very limited. So I cast and retrieve
constantly. After casting and working the zone with the tip of my rod I crank
as fast as I can to bring the lure back to me so I can again cast to the next
targeted spot. The high 7.0:1 gear ratio reduces my ineffective fishing lag time which results in more casts,
more placement in the zone, and ultimately more strike opportunities.
Nearly zero plastic components are
being used
To my surprise though the Curado is both fast and
powerful it is also remarkably smooth. Supported by five ball bearings and
components held together in tight tolerance, the CU200DHSV is smoother than ever. Again, comparing this to the
last model, you can tell the difference right away.
|
JIP sets the hook and begins to
crank hard to pull a fish away from structure
|
Each turn of the handle
flows and feels absolutely solid in the hands. Now, side by side with the latest Citica 200D we just reviewed, the Curado 200D which has one more ball bearing. The
extra ball bearing helps but is very minor and may not really
be noticeable to many anglers. The thing here is that the Curado 200D is made in
Japan, and has a higher build quality with tighter tolerances than the Citica.
But that's not to say the Citica doesn't perform well. They both share Shimano's
silky smooth feel, just that the Curado is going to feel more powerful because
all main gearing is kept within tighter tolerances under an aluminum, versus
graphite, handle sideplate.
The reel sits fairly low on all
rod seats
The Curado
200DHSV has a very wide opening at the top for enhanced access to the spool