Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

I have the new Citicas on all my rods as of now but saw this new Shimano and was curious if its comp to the Citicas...size, shape, etc. Looks to be the same, little less weight and cheaper bux.
I think the Citicas are the best bang for the buck as of right now.

The size is close, but its not quite at the same performance level. It is not a Super Free reel, and it uses a graphite frame. They do fish really well though.

Had one of these given to me. Got Dan at reelex to do his magic on it. Just tried it out this past weekend. This is a great reel. Need to get a couple more of them. Low cost, high quality.

Thinking myself about picking up a couple, just curious what did you have Dan do ? Also if I want to change the handles can it be done and with what make of other Shimano will work. What do handles run now a days Thanks for any insight.

we upgraded the bearings to ABEC5 cermic/hybrids and polished the spool shaft pinion gear.

Dan

Dan, are the handles on this model inner changeable with other models and if so which ones, I have other Shimano's but just wondering if I can buy other handles if needed. They look like they can but perhaps I'm not seeing maybe the obvious, thanks for you help.

Yes you can swap handles on the Caenan with ones from the Curado E or Chronarch D.

Thank you bantam1

I installed the Boca Bearing ABEC 7 Orange Seal spool bearings. Great improvement! I have Smooth Drag working on a set of Carbontex drag washers.

you DO NOT need an aftermarket washer. You can use an E-5 drag washer and trim/sand to fit. They work awesome, great in the Caenan.

Dan

Im a distributor for Smooth Drag so why would I pay for Shimano? Im also a distributor for Boca Bearings.

Anything over ABEC 5 is a waste in a fishing reel. The spool speeds will never see 30,000 RPM like that bearing is designed to run at. I would stick with the stock drag washer. The reel has a graphite frame and is spec'd for a certain drag range. Exceeding this will place strain on other parts of the reel. With the additional money invested in the Caenan you should have bought the Citica and then you would have a reel with Super Free and an aluminum frame.

The ABEC 5's are not sealed so I go with the orange seal ABEC 7's You are correct he ABEC 5's are fine and no for me the Shimano drags for ME are not fine. I like a drag I can lock down. It doesnt matter if you lock down a set of Shimanos if you can find ones that will or if you use Carbontex they are the same size and thickness just a different material that you can lock down your drag better. It causes no more stress than a locked down Shimano.

If you are locking it down then it is no longer a drag system. The drag is there to let the line slip slightly and prevent premature wear or failure to other components in the reel. I realize this is not all that important with bass applications unless you are using lighter line. Just remember that the Caenan has a graphite frame. It will be limited to what you can do. Once you start boosting the drag spec then there is potential for damage. I have used this reel with stock drag and 65 pound Power Pro. I never had a problem with the drag slipping while fishing Calico bass or big largemouth in Texas. But to each his own. Just know that if something fails the warranty may be void because you changed the drags.

Hi WesternBass members,

I have a Caenan reel and i want to upgrade it with abec 5 bearings.
Before to upgrade it i need to know ho to remove this bearing:



I know i must to remove this little part:



But i don't know what is the good process to remove it, on a side of it i see a little toolmark and i think i must hit with a center punch to the other side...

What do you think about that?

We have a special press in our repair department to press this pin in and out. You can modify a pair of pliers by grinding half of the jaw off on one side. This way you can press the pin. Use a small pair of side cutters to finish pulling the pin out.

Thanks for this tip!

Maybe i can do a drill hole (bigger than the pin) on one side, and my pair of pliers will be safe ?

That will work too. Make sure you either grind all the "teeth" off the jaws, or wrap them with a lot of tape to prevent damage to the spool shaft.

Yes you're right, i go to use tape.

Thanks for your help.