FishCity.tv Urban Fishing by Taro Murata

Appearance

A side-by-side comparison of the old green Bantam Curado SF and the new Curado E7.The Curado E7 has a new beautiful look. It sports a sparkly green finish that is a great spin off from the classic green Bantam Curado. The reel has a modern appearance and looks more expensive than it costs.

SCORE: 4.5

Construction

I’ve owned this reel for over a year and it fishes exactly the same as the day I bought it. My only concern is the graphite side plates. It doesn’t seem to effect the reel much (it still feels solid thanks to the aluminum frame), but aluminum is preferred for rigidity and durability.

SCORE: 4

Egonomics

The Curado E7 features a ultra low profile thanks to a recessed reel foot.The reel feels great in your hand due to a recessed reel foot and low profile that allows it to sit close to the rod. The Septon grips feel good and grip well, even when wet. The only room for improvement here would be to make the reel lighter, however this would likely increase the price. While testing, it paired nicely with a light weight Carrot Stix LTX cranking rod (C721P-C), which brought down the overall weight of the combo.

SCORE: 4.5

Casting

The Curado E7’s Variable Brake System is accessed by flipping over the side panel.The Curado 200 E7 has the ability to cast heavy and light baits with distance and control. The Magnumlite Spool provides extremely low startup inertia that helps increase overall casting distance. I have let many beginners on my boat who have never used a baitcast reel, and gave them the Curado E7 to use. By the end of the day they are casting like pros. This reel is extremely user friendly (backlashes are very controllable). It doesn’t cast quite as well as some of the high-end Shimano reels like the Chronarch, but it also costs $120 less. The Curado E7 casts very well when compared to other reels in its price range.

SCORE: 4

Retrieve

In my opinion, this is the best characteristic of the Curado E7. For a reel with high speed gear ratio, it has amazing fish moving torque. Shimano’s High Efficiency Gearing allows for a super-fast retrieve and unbelievable fish-moving torque at the same time. I exclusively use this reel when pitching heavy jigs in deep water and punching extremely thick cover with heavy baits. This reel excels in these situations because it allows me to set the hook hard and fast, and I’m able to keep the pressure on all the way to the boat. Most reels on the market that have high speed gear ratios don’t have the same fish moving power and torque. The new Curado is a rare breed!

SCORE: 5

Drag

The drag star clicks in small increments.The Dartainium drag on the Curado E7 delivers silky smooth performance and a max drag of 11 lb. The drag star clicks in small increments and locks in with each click, so it is easy to make small adjustments.

SCORE: 5

Innovation

The E7 is a big improvement on the last model – it is a leaner and meaner. It’s durability and construction has improved as well. Shimano has dome a fine job in creating a new breed of reel that combines speed and torque along with castability.

SCORE: 4.5

Price

One of the best things about the Shimano Curado E7 is its price. This reel is made with quality components. It casts and looks like reels that cost over $200.

SCORE: 4.5

Conclusion

Over the past year, the Curado 200 E7 has become a staple in my lineup of reels. There are lighter or better casting reels that I prefer to use in certain situations, but nothing that is in the same price range as the Curado E7. It’s a versatile reel that looks and casts extremely well for its price. The thing that I found most impressive about the reel is its ability to haul in fish with a lot of power and torque at high speeds. It’s my goto reel if I’m making long casts to deep weed lines because it lets me keep the pressure on when fighting fish – even if they start to swim towards the boat. When considering the amount of quality and fishability you get for the price, the Shimano Curado 200 E7 is hard to beat.