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Low
Profile Design, Round Reel Muscle, the Shimano Curado 300DSV
(continued)
 Retrieving
(bottom): While the Curado was absolutely excellent for fighting fish that
ran, we found it less powerful than round reels when hauling weight up
vertically. Interestingly the HEG gearing on the Curado 300DSV seems optimized
for fighting fish that run, rather then cranking up sheer weight. This wasn’t
even noticeable until we targeted Lingcod and Cabazon with Butterfly Jigs.
A quick 1/4 turn and anglers can
access the VBS
Once we had one of these
heavy fish on we would crank down on the Curado 300DSV to winch them up. The
Calcutta 300TE felt so much more powerful when it came to this application. The
main reason is due to the difference in power ratios, the Curado 300DSV is great
at keeping up with fast runners like steelhead, stripers, and calico bass, but
heavy lifting is a bit much for the 6.2:1 ratio. The Calcutta 300TE has a more
powerful 5.0:1 ratio, but lacks the speed necessary to work fast lures the way
the Curado 300DSV can. Edge: Round reels like the Calcutta and Cardiff have more
sheer lifting power when it comes to vertical applications.
The handle shank is ported for some weight
reduction
Drag
Performance: One of the biggest requirements of a quality saltwater reel is
a serious drag, one that is smooth, powerful, and above all…reliable. The Curado
300DSV features an oversized dual Dartanium drag design. Our 200 size Curado
reels put out 12.12lbs of drag pressure while the Curado 300DSV dished out an
impressive 15.3lbs of drag counter pressure, that’s less than 1lb off the
published 16lb spec of the Calcutta 300TE.
A look at the familiar SF shaft design
In our tests we hooked into
some decent stripers which were no match whatsoever for the Curado 300DSV, in
fact it was downright unfair. The Curado 300DSV’s drag delivered consistent
performance throughout the range, and can be adjusted in relatively fine
increments with the clicking star drag. Edge: We have to give respect to the Curado 300DSV for delivering round reel level drag performance in such a small
package.
The Curado 300DSV is designed to
cast like a premium freshwater baitcaster
Ergonomics: The
Curado 300DSV is the new sports car of the saltwater world, and is extremely
comfortable to fish with. We enjoyed casting, ripping, and jigging lures more
than ever with the low profile comfort normally reserved for freshwater reels.
The Curado 300DSV really doesn’t feel much bigger than the 200 size when
fishing, this is mostly due to the compact layout which maximizes frame real
estate thanks to the Magnumlite high capacity spool.
A closer look at the reduced mass VBS hub
While the reel itself is
compact, the Curado 300DSV also benefits from a recessed reel foot which brings
the reel down a lot lower than any round reel would rest. The Curado 300DSV also
features the largest SV power paddles in the lineup. These huge paddles make it
easy and comfortable to really crank down on when burning back lures. Adjusting
cast controls on the fly is easy with the Curado 300DSV as well. The ¼ easy
access sideplate makes accessing the VBS system fast, something that cannot be
easily done on most round reels. Edge: It’s a no brainer here, in terms of
ergonomics the Curado 300DSV brings everything we love about low profile
baitcasting to a saltwater application. In fact when I was jigging heavy irons
it almost felt as if I was fishing with bass gear and not a salt rig.
This is by far the sleekest high capacity
reel we have ever tested
Next Section: Durability,
Applications & Ratings
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