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Event Article:
El Salto with Shimano |
Fishing El Salto with pre-release Shimano Tackle and Jimmy Houston
(continued)
New
Shimano gear: Jeremy (Product Manager-Reels) and Justin (Product
Manager-Rods) armed us with prototypes of their new products minutes before we
hit the water at El Salto. We were equally as excited to fish the legendary lake
as we were to get our hands on the tackle. The initial inspection did not
disappoint. We told the two of them that we were going to beat these products up
and see what they could really do, and to our surprise they told us to go to
town.
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Time to go
fishing... good morning El Salto! |
While
we didn’t have all our normal test equipment with us we did our very best to
stress the reels and rods with a series of torture tests. Letting the product
speak for itself we did everything from crank the reels underwater to
intentionally high sticking the new rods. The team at Shimano really let us try
and tear these products up over three and a half days of fishing, but in the end
the reels and rods simply shrugged off the punishment.
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Alan from
Shimano heads out with Jon the owner of Walton's Pond in San
Leandro, CA |
For all the exact details of the following product we have
to wait until ICAST to give you the full story, but what we can do is try to
stretch the limits of our information embargo and give you as much insight as we
can on the new products.
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Jeremy works
some submerged trees with a Crucial rod |
The Reels: For years anglers have been asking
Shimano
for a premium lightweight baitcast reel, one with a complete magnesium
construction, something that really pushed the envelope and could run with the
Daiwa TD-Z and now the Steez. Shimano is prepared to do just that with the
introduction of two new Magnesium reels in a new series. Tackle junkies know all
about the introduction of the Metanium Mg which has already been released in
Japan, but the new US reel actually offers additional features!
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Contact!
Jeremy hauls her in... |
What
will the reel be named? We can’t tell you until ICAST… but here’s a hint, it
rhymes with “more.” but not only will the new reel feature a ultra lightweight
magnesium frame and both sideplates, it features a beautifully anodized red
magnumlite spool (which looks downright sweet), HEG (High Efficiency Gearing), a
cold forged aluminum drag star, Super Free, Escape hatch, VBS, the tapered Ti
levelwind insert that deputed on the Calais 4x8 DC, septon grips, and a rubber
shielded cast control knob.
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...and lands
one of countless 6lb bass that was caught over the course of three days |
The
reel will be available in two speeds, 6.2:1 and 7.0:1, and get this, one of the
versions will even have the Instagage II switch! Jeremy has made a masterpiece
in the new C*** reels, and it is the most enthusiast looking reel Shimano has
ever deputed till date, and we like it!
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Jeremy
checks the weight |
On the spinning side Shimano has gone all out, making
improvements to their entire top end line from Stella all the way through
Stradic. The challenge was a tough one, and the company was looking for a way to
increase all aspects of the spinning reel performance for anglers. These designs
took over three years of development and a host of new innovations.
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The new
magnesium based baitcaster from Shimano |
To do this Shimano
interviewed anglers, the media, guides, and dealers to do their complete
analysis of what they expected, what they wanted, and what did they resign
themselves to accept. The end result was three critical targets, gear
durability, casting performance, and line management. What they came up with was
a new gear durability enhancement called “Paladin,” a new propulsion line
management system, and a new worm gear oscillation system called “Aerowrap II.”
The
reel features a red magnumlite spool
We will disclose exactly what all these features are and do
at ICAST, but can tell you the new Stradic Fl is going to be better than the old
Sustain in many ways, making room for another brand new reel right under the
Stradic called Saros.
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The reel is
extremely comfortable to palm |
The Saros features all of
the enhancements of the higher end reels minus the Aero Wrap II. Some of the
most noticeable changes in the components include the long stroke propulsion
spool, and a one piece SR bail wire. The design elements are both technically
and aesthetically aggressive, and can confirm after a week of beta testing that
you will not only see but feel the difference.
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It looks
right at home mounted on the new rod series |
Next
Section: How about those new rods?
