Shimano recommends that their Waxwing lures be paired with Shimano Terez rods and Shimano high speed spinning and bait casting reels, loaded with red Power Pro braided line. The skeptics sneered, saying it was a poorly masked marketing campaign to sell their lures, rods, reels and PowerPro, which Shimano also owns. Well, I started using a G Loomis swimbait casting rod and an old Shimano Calcutta 200 GT TE bait casting reel. G Loomis is also owned by Shimano so I was staying in the “family”. I had fluorocarbon on the Calcutta TE which didn’t cast as far as braid. I had to crank as fast as the little reel’s handle could spin but had too many follows and no bites so I moved up to the newer Calcutta 200D. It had a slightly faster retrieve but wasn’t really geared to rip small lures.
Curado 300EJ with red PowerPro
I finally broke down and purchased the recommended Shimano Curado 300EJ with a smoking 32 inches of line retrieved per turn, 7 more inches than the Calcutta TE I started with. I spooled the Curado with the red Power Pro and boy does it cast better. Fluorocarbon has a lot of line coil memory which cuts down on casting distance. The Curado retrieves line so fast I was popping the Waxwing out of the water and I had to slow down and let the lure sink a bit.
looks like it worked
On the second cast I caught a small kaku that was hooked in the mouth because it couldn’t overrun the lure and hit it in the middle.
I’ll have to do a lot more testing but I like what I’m experiencing. Far casts and relaxed, fast retrieves. I added a Gamakatsu assist hook which doesn’t tangle like the DIY assist hook I was using. Now if only there were bigger fish to play with. My oama spots are still barren so the predators aren’t inside the reef yet.
Awesome rate of retrieval. Have fun with your new setup.
awesome
I’ve been using a bait-cast set up wipping as I don’t own a spinning rig. I just ordered the Curado 300ej and plan to use it on my 6.9 med. Tiger lite ugly stick.
I’m hoping this will be a good all around set up, I do a lot of casting from shore throwing curly tails. Any thoughts?
Hi Mark,
If you’re like me and are so used to a bait caster that a spinner feels funny, then you’ll be very happy with the Curado 300EJ. That reel is a bargain compared to some of the more expensive Calcutta line of bait casters. The low profile, high speed and easy to access mechanical brakes make it very user friendly.
But there are days in HI when it’s challenging to use a bait caster. I was throwing the 1/2 oz Waxwing on the Curado 300EJ while my friend was using a 9ft spinning rod, heavy sliding weight, long leader and curly tail. The wind was in our face and my lure kept getting held up in the wind. Eventually I had a backlash I had to cut out. Meanwhile my friend could cast much further and was hammering the papio and goatfish. I stubbornly stuck to the light Waxwing and never caught a thing.
I should have found a spot where I could cast with the wind at my back, or used a heavier weight to take out my line. Have you been using curl tails with your current bait caster?
-scott
Scott, yes that’s my story, I gave up spinners years ago, but may have to invest in one for those times when you just can get distance with a bait-caster.
I actually ordered both the 300e and 300ej and plan to keep the one I like the best although the 300ej was $20. less.
How do you like the handle on the 300ej?
The handle of the 300EJ is very comfortable and unlike the power handle of the old Calcuttas that I put on my Calcutta 200TE, the 300EJ is balanced enough where it doesn’t cause the QuickFire lever to trip on the cast.
The 300EJ is almost too fast though. I wouldn’t use it for anything besides ripping a lure back. In fact, when my reel was completely filled the lure kept skipping out of the water. Now that I had removed about 50 yds of line the amount of line retrieved per turn is less and I’m not retrieving too fast.
To answer your question, yes I’m using a Shamino Bantam Mag plus throwing curly tails, its gear ratio is 5;1.
I’m hope the 300EJ isn’t to fast. The 300E isn’t much different (5″ )per crank less.
I planing on using this reel as my all around reel.
Hi Mark,
I finally hooked a fish that tested the Curado 300EJ (see the post on 7/16/15). My reel isn’t completely full because of a birdnest I had to cut out, and yet the retrieve is still almost too fast. I pause and crank,pause and crank since full cranking makes the lure pop out of the water. The drag felt weaker than my Calcuttas, hopefully I’ll find out how it can handle a much bigger fish soon!
-scott