Shimano makes major updates and upgrades throughout their reel lineup
 

Introduction: It has been a busy season for Shimano and the company updates many of their popular reels with upgraded features and styling. Prior to the show we obtained details of the refreshed Curado E and Citica E baitcasters which focus on increased refinement and improved ergonomics. The same theme can be found throughout on many of Shimano's other changes this coming season. 

Justin Poe, Shimano's Rod Product Manager holds up the new Curado E and Citica E

As usual Shimano's lead reel PM Jeremy Sweet was on hand to walk us through the latest offerings from the company. There is no doubt that the launch of the Curado E and Citica E are a major event for the company, and there was heavy emphasis on these new reels.

The Curado E looks and feels more refined than the D version

Key to both these reels is the vastly improved overall size and weight. The new 200 size reel boasts the high capacity of the predecessor and improved overall feature set while smaller than the previous 100 size.

The new lower weight is a welcome ergonomic enhancement

The reels felt great in hand, and should pair nicely with the latest generation of rods, which also have strived for overall lower total weight. While the Curado will find homes with fans of the series, especially since the redesign was not accompanied with a price increase, the new Citica E will likely blow anglers away that never would have considered the previous reel.

The lightweight and compact Citica E isn't as refined as the Curado, but it felt very fluid, and anglers are going to love the great value this new reel offers

The Citica E makeover is fantastic, starting with the fact the reel makes use of the same tooling as the Curado, and thus benefits from the same level of ergonomics. While the Citica E has three less bearings than the Curado E it does feel surprisingly smooth. While there is no doubt that the Curado E is the more refined reel, the Citica E will be among the best values on the market with a price of only $119.00.

Jeremy Sweet, Shimano's Reel Product manager and Jimmy Houston hold up the new baitcasters

How about new Shimano spinning reels?