What happens when beauty and brawn come together perfectly, the Calcutta CTE300
 

Total Score: 9.08 + EDITORS CHOICE!

Introduction: The original Calcutta reels had a well earned reputation for quality and performance and the Calcutta TE's ushered in a new echelon of refinement for the esteemed family. Up till now most of my experience with the Calcutta TE's has been with the smaller freshwater oriented GT and DC reels. I was raring to go to test one of the saltwater positioned TE reels, and ultimately opted for the mid sized CTE300. 
  

  
Impressions: When Shimano introduced the TE’s freshwater anglers established a newfound love for the Calcutta series. Here was a lineup of reels that had the power of a saltwater round reel with the refinement of a low profile baitcaster. Since then the TE DC versions have only further increased the freshwater following for the Calcuttas. We decided it was time to turn the spotlight back to the saltwater variants and see how well they stand up to the test of time. The CTE300 (Calcutta TE 300) falls right between the CTE200 and the CTE400. Surprisingly while both the 200 and 400 come in both right and left hand retrieve the CTE300 is currently only available in a right hand configuration. The reel is quite a bit larger than the GT models and major differences include the absence of the Lo-Mass drilled spool in favor of a deep spool for more line capacity, oversized knobs, and a clicker recessed into the sideplate. 

Materials: The CTE300 is extremely refined, and looks is among the most eye-catching saltwater levelwind reels I have ever fished. The reel is devoid of plastic components and features a machined aluminum frame and a stamped aluminum sideplate. Unlike the GT models which feature a drilled crossbar the CTE300 is solid in design, stressing frame rigidity over weight reduction. Weighing in at 12.5 the reel is still relatively light for a reel of this size, though it certainly is heavier than the freshwater GT versions.

The Field Test: We committed to an 11 month test of the CTE300, effectively fishing for 2 seasons targeting a combination of Salmon and Rockfish. The CTE300 is built to be the transition reel between the light and heavy series of TE reels. We fished the reel with 25lb mono for Salmon trolling & mooching, and 30lb PLine Spectrex IV braid for all our bottom fishing. We then paired the reel with the Lamiglas Backbouncer to bear the burden of heavy 3-8oz jigs.

Casting: The first thing I noticed when casting the CTE300 was that it felt very different than the smaller GT models. The reason is that these reels do not have Super Free to reduce friction between the pinion gear and spool shaft on outcast. Why remove SF on this TE reel? The answer in all honesty is that it is not necessary in a reel of this size. Since the CTE300 is aimed at saltwater anglers the reel will be used to toss much larger and heavier lures than anything the sub 200 size models will ever see. The weight of these lures is more than enough to guarantee a lengthy cast. Using 4oz Megabait jigs we were able to get about 50 feet with a lob cast and near 75 when we really put our arms into it. All of which really is moot considering most anglers interested in the CTE300 won’t require vast casting distances for their applications.

What I did find absolutely eminent was the implementation of the non-disengaging levelwind system. This is only found on the CTE300 and larger TE sizes and allows the levelwind to track back and forth during the cast which reduces drastic line angles that cause unwanted friction and backlashes on these wider-spool reels. The upshot is improved line management, a better overall line lay, and a cleaner more effortless cast and/or vertical drop.