Shimano Calais

[Gilbert Scales2]

Anyone have or use a Shimano Calais CL 200. I have a chance to pick one up NIB for $300.00. Are they worth the money??



Bubby

 

[Mini]

My tourney partner has a couple of em. They are nice, but I woulkd save your money. They arent THAT nice.



Have you ever lost a rod and reel overboard? Think about that.



Funny thing is my tourney partner did....we threw a bouy, factored for wind, drift and current. Sun was going down. Light was getting less and less....couldnt find the damn thing....so he takes his lure from his other Calais combo (with the same All Star Titanium on it) holds the lure in his hand, free spools the calais and tosses it in the water!!!!! It was for a visual reference he said....WTF? He now has $1000 worth of rods and reels oin the drink!!! Well he got that oneback pretty easy and I said to him "Lets go check by the bouy".....the darn thing was right next to it. At one point we were 100 yards downstream/wind from the bouy looking everywhere!



BTW it was in 5 feet of gin clear water on the south shore of St Clair.

 

[Eric Aasen]

My wife has a 100 and I have a 200. They really are nice but I think the Curado E is the most bang for the buck you can get now. My Calais will cast a mile but I get more backlashes in it than any other reel. The Curado might not cast quite as far but I get no overuns. Also they are impossible to clean yourself. The screws are so hidden, you really have to search to find them all. $300 is a good deal but I don't think you'd be unhappy with a Curado for $179.



NoCAL

 

[Gilbert Scales2]

Thanks guys. Mini, you got me to thinking. Last year I lost a new Curado and rod overboard. It was in 3' of water, in this Louisiana marsh. Went over, and searched for hours. I did not find, and I was sick for weeks. This is why I love this site, makes even dummies think.



Bubby

 

[southernchamplain LMB]

I have 2 calais 200A . love them, use them mainly for froggin

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

HA on Mini!



hijack commences



I lost an expessive rig to a catfish flipping it overboard last year....strap your unused rods down!



But, bubby, I can not answer your questions as I use Quantum reels for the most part for bass fishing.

 

[Dan J.]

They are great reels! I would call them the "Snap-On" equivalent in the fishing industry. I've got quite a few, used for fresh and salt water fishing (NOT the Mg5's in Salt!), and they get used hard in all conditions and environments with the least trouble in a reel I've experienced. They are very durable, but not inexpensive nor light in comparison to many other reels. I feel that they are very worthy of the long-term investment. IMHO