New reel: Shimano Flame

[spookybaits]

i like the handle but I'm with ya on the knobs, I'd swap em too.
I have some and don't like em. They'd probably be a good fit for saltwater fishing though.

[Bootytrain]

Finally got to fish it for about 30 min today, I only threw a 3/8 Oz zman diesel chatterbait on some spare 8lb supernatural I had laying around. It only spooled up to about 3/4 full. Started put with 4 brakes on and 6 on the dial and distance was poor as to be expected. The turned the dial to 1 and slightly loosened the cc and did a lazy overhead cast and nearly spooled it lol. This thing is a great caster. No back lashes at all. Retrieve was smoother under the load of the lure than when you take it out of the box and crank it. With the big handle the retrieve was pretty effortless. No fish but I'm really happy with the reel. If you want the curado 70 form factor with a slower gear ratio then this is it.

[LowRange]

Will it skip DEEP under a dock thumb free? I moved the Alphas SV down to a Zodias 610ML and now need a reel for the Zodias 72M.

[Bootytrain]

Will it skip DEEP under a dock thumb free? I moved the Alphas SV down to a Zodias 610ML and now need a reel for the Zodias 72M.

I don't do a lot of skipping but with the range of braking this thing has I don't see anything it can't handle casting wise. It's a cool little reel that I doubt I'll see anyone fishing with lol.

[LowRange]

Just picked one of these up off ebay. They're going for scorpion 70 money making them hard to pass on. I'll be paring it to a 1st gen Diesel Glass CB rod to toss 3/16-3/8 cranks.

[Bootytrain]

Just picked one of these up off ebay. They're going for scorpion 70 money making them hard to pass on. I'll be paring it to a 1st gen Diesel Glass CB rod to toss 3/16-3/8 cranks.

They added a high gear ratio recently. It's a solid slick looking reel. I think they beefed up some internals for SW fishing, it feels different than shimano bass tackle.

[LowRange]

Just picked one of these up off ebay. They're going for scorpion 70 money making them hard to pass on. I'll be paring it to a 1st gen Diesel Glass CB rod to toss 3/16-3/8 cranks.

They added a high gear ratio recently. It's a solid slick looking reel. I think they beefed up some internals for SW fishing, it feels different than shimano bass tackle.

how does it cast compared to scorpion 70? In what ways does it feel different than other shimanos?

[Bootytrain]

Just picked one of these up off ebay. They're going for scorpion 70 money making them hard to pass on. I'll be paring it to a 1st gen Diesel Glass CB rod to toss 3/16-3/8 cranks.

They added a high gear ratio recently. It's a solid slick looking reel. I think they beefed up some internals for SW fishing, it feels different than shimano bass tackle.

how does it cast compared to scorpion 70? In what ways does it feel different than other shimanos?

Spool is a little heavier but it casts awesome. No difference noticed between it and the scorpion. I think they may have used thicker main shaft.

[LowRange]

Just picked one of these up off ebay. They're going for scorpion 70 money making them hard to pass on. I'll be paring it to a 1st gen Diesel Glass CB rod to toss 3/16-3/8 cranks.

They added a high gear ratio recently. It's a solid slick looking reel. I think they beefed up some internals for SW fishing, it feels different than shimano bass tackle.

how does it cast compared to scorpion 70? In what ways does it feel different than other shimanos?

Spool is a little heavier but it casts awesome. No difference noticed between it and the scorpion. I think they may have used thicker main shaft.

Where does it fit in with your shim fleet and what do you use it for?

[spookybaits]

I think we should unofficially refer to this reel as 'the snapper mule' from now on
Much cooler than 'the flame'

[LowRange]

snapper mule of faint atari deep

[Bootytrain]

Just picked one of these up off ebay. They're going for scorpion 70 money making them hard to pass on. I'll be paring it to a 1st gen Diesel Glass CB rod to toss 3/16-3/8 cranks.

They added a high gear ratio recently. It's a solid slick looking reel. I think they beefed up some internals for SW fishing, it feels different than shimano bass tackle.

how does it cast compared to scorpion 70? In what ways does it feel different than other shimanos?

Spool is a little heavier but it casts awesome. No difference noticed between it and the scorpion. I think they may have used thicker main shaft.

Where does it fit in with your shim fleet and what do you use it for?

LOL I have ALOT of redundancy in my fleet of Shimanos. I have at least 5 reels that can do the same job as the Engetsu. So far Ive only used it a few times to throw chatterbaits, small flat sided cranks, and slow roll keitechs. It should excel at spinnerbaits because its got a lot of power especially with the stock handle. It should handle those weights pretty easy.

[Bootytrain]

[LowRange]

On Diesel Glass CB MH


On Zodias ML

Reel arrived today. It's my 1st Shimano and immediately I'm impressed with the small profile and clutch engagement. This is a small and crisp platform. It's tiny like a Daiwa Alphas but more narrow and every bit an ergonomic as the Alphas. The handle spins very freely unlike my Daiwas but the reel is a little geary in that that it vibrates a little bit as the handle is turned which is unlike most of my Daiwas. It is very different from my Daiwas which is good in that I wanted something different. The spool is surprisingly heavy and surprisingly shallow. I'll have to limit the reel to small diameter lines to keep from spooling it when casting. I test casted it on some #12 junk mono throwing a 1/4 crank paired to the Diesel Glass and was nearly spooling it with one brake block on, medium spool tension and the dial set on 6. The large diameter mono occupies too much space for this shallow spool and can't get out of its own way at higher RPM. This spool definitely likes smaller diameter and softer lines.

It's more geary than I was expecting from a micro brass geared reel which is odd. It's not as smooth as most of my non-micro Daiwas but it's not bad. It's strongly reminiscent of my TD-Z R+ in that a fine vibration is felt through the reel when the handle is turned. You could spin that as a smooth, refined mechanical feel perhaps. It looks really sharp on the Zodias 1610ML and pairs well to it. It's probably going to stay on the ML Zodias for a while as a small crank/top water and jerkbait combo. May have to nab a Casitas MGL for the Diesel Glass.

[earthworm77]

Low- Is that the Flame or Engetsu?