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Enthusiast Review


 

Shimano's Conquest 30/31HG Delivers a Joy and Enthusiasm Not Felt Since...

 

Date: 7/8/24
Tackle Type: Reel
Manufacturer: Shimano Japan
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 8.58 + ULTIMATE ENTHUSIAST AWARD

Introduction:
In 2022, Shimano Japan introduced a shallow spool variant of their popular Metanium platform. I wasn't very interested in that model waiting instead for the update to the Metanium DC. I also didn't see any benefit to having a reel that sat between conventional and finesse applications. Then, this year, Shimano Japan did the same thing in another platform, Conquest. This time, they caught my attention because, well, it's Conquest! So onto the waiting list at JapanTackle I went, and now it's time to take a closer look at Shimano Japan's '24 Conquest Shallow Edition 30/31HG.

 

Shimano Japan's '24 Conquest Shallow Edition 30/31HG Specifications

Line Capacity - Rated 0.235mm (JP 8lb)/100m (110yds)
Line Capacity - Spool Volume 7.4 cm3
Retrieve Ratio 7.4:1
Inches Per Turn (IPT) - calculated 21 - 29
Weight 7.8 oz
Spool Weight 15 g
Handle Length 84 mm
Bearings 13+1
Bearings per Knob 2 bearings
Levelwind Bearings 2 bearings
Rated Max Drag 4kg (~8.8lbs)
Origin Made in Japan
MSRP 59,600 JPY (~$402)


Introducing Shimano's 2024 Conquest 30/31HG

Impressions: Shimano Japan's new Conquest 30 platform is presented in a new color scheme. Traditionally presented in a polished brass or gold kind of hue, Conquest has more recently also been offered in a dark grey tone as seen with the current DC and BFS variants. However, this new Conquest 30/31 is a different color than any of its predecessors. It is a dark, cool grey meaning it as a bluish tint. Warm greys have a yellow or orange tint to them. This one is decidedly blue.

 


This new Conquest is cast in an different shade

 

It's shape, of course, is identical to previous models (round) and its size, at first, appears similar to the BFS and 100 size variants, but when I took a pair of calipers to measure the distance from the bottom of the reel foot to the top of the top bar, while the BFS and 100 variants were identical at forty four millimeters (44mm), this new Conquest was one millimeter shorter at forty three millimeters (43mm). Such a small difference, yet a difference nonetheless - curious.


Conquest paired with Conquest

Real World Tests: Oddly enough, my biggest challenge, at least early on, with this reel was deciding which rod to pair it with. I knew it had to be something in the range of medium to medium light in power and after sorting through a couple of JDM options, I finally settled upon my G.Loomis Conquest MBR842C. Should have been a no brainer, right? However, I seldom take decisions like this lightly.


Spooled with Varivas Monster PE Si-X

The next challenge was which line to spool onto the reel. This decision was relatively simple. I decided to order another spool of Varivas's Monster PE Si-X, this time in PE #3 specifically with the Conquest 31HG in mind. The rated diameter of a PE #3 is the same as standard JDM eight pound test (0.235mm) and this reel is rated to hold about one hundred meters (100m) of 0.235mm diameter line.


This reel is very easy and comfortable to palm

Casting: Equipped with Shimano's latest SVS Infinity braking system, as you might expect, the Conquest 30/31 casts all manner of baits down to about a quarter of an ounce (0.25oz) quite easily. This is a centrifugal brake system as opposed to the magnet based system in the BFS and electronics based system the DC. Quite honestly, it is Shimano at its best. With the externally accessible dial on the non handle sideplate, the angler is afforded twenty steps of adjustment.


Shimano's SVS Infiniti (right) vs their old school, set it and forget it system (left)

There's no flipping open the sideplate to set and forget the brakes, no dials on the inside to tell the reel what type of line you're using, no magnets to choke off your cast, and no sound to annoy those who would be annoyed. Just set the dial, wind up, cast, and adjust accordingly via that simple dial on the outside. This is really a fun little reel to cast.


Adjustments to the casting brakes are made via an external dial on the non-handle side of the reel

Retrieve: Click that spool over after your bait has landed, turn the handle, and you can literally feel the precision in this tiny little machine. Shimano's Conquest reels are always smooth and solid, but the smallest models exude an extra joy that's difficult to describe. You can only understand once you've had one in hand, out on the water, casting and retrieving. For me, it was a familiar feeling, to paraphrase another Dark Lord, "it was a feeling I'd not felt since..."


This reel comes with a 7.4:1 gear ratio

On the ratio side of the retrieve equation, the 30 platform is only offered in one : 7.4:1. This might seem quite fast for a round reel, but given its size, this only really equates to twenty one to twenty nine (21 - 29) inches of pick up per turn of the handle (depending on how much line you have out). Really, since you always have some amount of line out, the 29 inch calculation is moot.


Compact and mighty

Next Section: Power in a small package?

 

   

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