I'm looking at my first baitcaster, everything that I hear about
the Shimano Curado is good, and I'm told that it is a good place
to start. I noticed on the Curado, the backlash is adjusted by
opening a little door on the side and sliding some plastic
sleeves. I see other reels with an external adjustment which
seems to me like it would be a lot more convienent. Wouldn't I
have to adjust the backlash every time that I change baits? I
was told to adjust it so that it smoothly drops, wouldn't that
change with the weight of every kind of bait? Would it be
more advantageous to buy a reel with an external adjuster, or do
I set it and forget it making it no big deal?
You set it for the wieght of the lure so as long as you use close to the same wieght lures with that reel you'll be ok.You might have to use your thumb a little more or use the other adjustment to fine tune but that is normal day to day for wind, distance,etc.I tried alot of different reels at first to see what I liked.You can always sell them if you end up with one you don't like.It's hard to try them out without actually using them fishing.
i'd just get one basic setting and use your thumb once you get used to it all. for muskie lures, i can go from throwing a lighter Mepp's to a heavy bulldawg lure, so external adjustment is nice. but for bass and stuff, one general setting and using your thumb will work fine,
Location: On an Island in the west coast of New England
Posts: 13,132
RE: baitcaster question, Curado, backlash
Another tip that helped me when I first started with bait casters is don't load up your rod like you do with spin cast gear. I use stiffer rods for baitcasting and flick the lure rather than letting the rod bend and fling the lure. backlashes are common until you get the hang of it and try not to throw light lures into the wind.
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Too busy with fishing to spend much time here.
I have two Shimano Curado baitcasters and I can attest to the fact that they are dollar for dollar one of the two best baitcasters you can buy. The other would have to be one from the Abu Garcia line, but the Shimano is smoother and generally easier to use without backlashing.
Do a bit of experimenting with the Curado and you'll find that you can set it and forget it. It is the easiest to use baitcaster I've ever owned and I've owned dozens of baitcasters.
I've used my Curados for everything from walleye to musky. I've use the two that I own for musky for the seven years before I had to begin doing any type of repairs. Musky fishing entails throwing heavy baits, which is very hard on high-speed reels (meaning they retrieve the line very fast compared to standard reels). I'm amazed at how well they performed and held up over the years.
I'm primarily a caster when it comes to musky fishing and I can tell you that I put more stress on those Curado reels in the last seven years than most guys would put on them in a lifetime.
One more thing...I'd recommend you buy the high-speed version...you can always slow the retrieve down by cranking the handle slower, but it can be awkward to try to speed up the slower version when you try to burn the bait through the water to trigger strikes in warmer water such as those hot summer days.
baitcaster question, Curado, backlash
