The Shimano Caenan, a Mainstream Contender (continued)

Price & Applications: So just where does the Caenan play? This reel is positioned below the Citica series and is the mainstream performer of the bunch. The 90 dollar price point is always a tough section of the market to compete in, and anglers have to be willing to make some sacrifices in terms of materials and refinement, in the case of the Caenan those sacrifices are noticeable. I prefer the Citica E over this reel in both performance and ergonomics, and the price premium in my opinion is worth the extra delta. While the E-Series reels are still available now that option is quickly disappearing as reels are being gobbled up at retailers and e-tailers nationwide as sale prices are in place to liquidate the remaining current generation reels and make room for the incoming G-Series.

The Caenan makes use of a ceramic line guide and is rated for mono, fluorocarbon, and PowerPro lines

In the future the liens further blend together as the G-Series Citica and Curado reels now feature the exact same form factor as the current Caenan, but make use of a more rigid aluminum frame. We haven’t fished the new reels yet but you can be sure we will be comparing them in detail once they become available. Do the new aluminum frames improve and fix some of power issues we saw with the Caenan? Will consumers welcome the updated look and feel of the Citica and Curado G reels, or will they be left wishing they had stocked up on the E-Series? Only time will tell.

The Caenan is made in Malaysia

I personally still prefer the clean compact look and feel of the E-Series, and while I am glad that this can still be had via the updated Chronarch E-Series I am also sad to see the elegant Chronarch D get phased out. Shimano was looking to better tie the Citica, Curado, and Chronarch series together, and while the new Chronarch reels look a lot sportier with their two tone finishes I find it hard to get over the fact these are simply slightly up-tuned Curado’s from yesteryear.

The Caenan is great for smaller fish but with bigger fish and more pressure on the line the cranking power loss is noticeable

Keeping the new reels in mind the Caenan continues to slot in below the three brothers (Citica, Curado, and Chronarch) and even though it came out first it is basically the down-spec version of the Citica and Curado G reels. The reel gets the job done and can be used in saltwater, thanks to the absence of a metal frame and shielded ball bearings, but it is the lack of a aluminum frame that gives this reel somewhat of a hollow feel and less power under load. Overall the Caenan is a decent workhorse reel for a sound price, you just have to be realistic about what it is and what it isn’t, this is by no means a proper comparison with a Curado E, and it remains to be seen how it stacks up to the Curado G.

Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):

Pluses and Minuses: