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Here are two pictures of this fish caught off the Channel Islands in June of 09. The Shimano Reel did a great job hanlding this fish, good drags and contorl of the fish on 20lb line. The fish a California Halibut weighed in at 53 pounds 6oz.
Thanks Norm Plott

While casting a blue exude under the mangroves and around my dock on sanibel, fl, I hooked up with this beast. This reel performed amazingly well and with it's smooth, strong, and durable drag system I was able to land this fish. For a small light reel like this to pull out a fat 10 pound snook from under a dock, it proves shimanos amazing quality and strength.

Max M.

Mcadie family bottom fishing in Fraser River, BC

My name is Capt. Brad Fuller. I’m a tournament and charter boat fisherman in Sarasota Florida. Recently, I have had the opportunity to experiment with the Lucanus jig put out by your company. I have seen the “trailers” online and to be honest I thought them to be a bit much. Being the stubborn type that I am, I ordered 6 of these “miracle lures” from the internet. I ordered 1 each of the colors so that I could make my own decisions as to the validity of the claims. Currently, I fish the IFA Redfish Series but like to get offshore on my leisure days and fish for grouper. That being said, I ordered the 7 oz. version of your product.

In September of this year, a client of mine from Seattle asked to go offshore fishing with a Governmental Lobbyist from Nashville Tennessee. I explained to them that I was experimenting with these new lures and really had no idea how they would perform. On their first drop, the lure never hit the bottom and they were hooked up!! This continued for an hour. We caught and released over 40 grouper on the pink and white version.

Now for the real “FISH STORY”. My client, now sweating, tipped the jig with a sardine to see if this would have any effect. Well, I have attached a picture for your viewing pleasure. This is absolutely unretouched.

Even with the $17.99 cost, these are without a doubt, the best lures I have had the pleasure of testing. I will be experimenting with the smaller versions during the springtime Redfish run. Hopefully they, along with my Stradic, will give me the edge and put me in the winner’s circle in the tournament series.

Thanks for another great product!!

Capt Brad Fuller
Sarasota, Florida

P.S. I have only told a few of my closest friends of these “miracle lures” so as not to jeopardize my chances

This is a good one gents. This girl was brought in and released 4mi offshore in OC MD on 11/9/09 (with over 100 of her friends the same day). She measured 45 inches and weighed in at over 40 lbs . As with every rod I have (30+), the line spooled (on a Shimano 3000 Sahara) was PP Spectra Yellow which has never let me down. When I started fishing PP +/-10 years ago, all of my fishing fanatic friends poked fun. Guess what they are all using now?

Thanks for a great product and please let me know if you are going to post this in your Trophy room as my buds will be quite envious.

Sincerely
Jeff Williams

was fishing this weekend (30 Oct 09), and landed a nice 29 inch Coho salmon hen using 15 pound test Maxima line and Maxima 10 pound leader. I was using a Shimano Sedona reel on a Shakespeare medium weight 8 ½ foot pole, and corkies (plastic beads) to catch fish.

We landed about five fish each but some were foul hooked and some were beet up yet fair hooked. I only kept my daily legal limit of two fish a 29 inch Coho hen and a 33 inch Coho buck.

David Gray

Just want to take the time to thank Shimano for a great reel. On 10/25/2009 I took my 6 y/o son fishing in Three Rivers Texas @ Choke Canyon. I used my old trusty 6500 to catch the new lake record. The Blue Cat was 40" and 25.60. Telling all my friends that they need to use
Shimano reels. Dont think my sons batman rod would have cut it. LOL
Thanks again for a great reel. Picture and story posted on Texas Fishing Forum.

Harold McKee
New Braunfels, TX

Katie Synowiec (age 11) and Kevin Synowiec (age 37) proudly hold their first citation tautog catches from October 23, 2009. Katie's tautog was 26 inches long and weighed 11lbs. Kevin's tautog was 26 1/2 inches long and weighed 10lbs 8oz. Katie had been home from school inside her room with the H1N1 flu for the last 3 days as per Doctor's order. Katie's fever was finally gone and although she seemed to be feeling alittle better something was still wrong cause she seemed very down. Katie's mother suggested that she may want to get a change of scenery and get some good old fashioned fresh air. By the smiles on their faces, I think this short but sweet tautog trip to the CBBT is exactly what the doctor ordered!
October 23, 2009 My recommendation to Katie this morning after being inside for the last 3 days with the H1N1 flu was to go outside and get some fresh air! Can't think of a better place to do that than on the Chesapeake Bay. Now on the way there, I gave Katie a pep talk which seemed to work cause she was more than ready to go fishing when we got to the ramp. . We headed out to the CBBT. We decided to go pylon hopping. Bait was fiddler crab and blue crab. Hook size 4/0 long shank hook or treble depending on preference and rig was a dropper loop rig. The weight ranged from 6 to 14 oz sinker depending on current). Key is to get line straight down with a mild or slight tension to the line. We then spent the next 20 minutes jumping until finally my line went screaming and I boated one very stubborn 22 ½ inch tog. Five minutes later I pulled up a keeper sea bass that was 13 inches long. (legal limits and within the 3 mile range YUM! ) Katie's rod then went off a nice one had hit her line and it had serious citation potential! She was using a used Shimano Cardiff 300 reel that I had purchased online for a "great price" just recently. Two words for that transaction of buying USED equipment from an online seller (non shimano dealer) “ BIG Mistake! “. Katie got this monster half way up and the reel literally FROZE up on her!!!..
I was upset and almost felt responsible cause I had bought the used equipment for the kids thinking I had gotten a “great deal”. After all, I was just trying to save some money. Kevin then pulled in a puppy drum and threw it back in to let it grow it was about a 16 incher. We then tried to get that monster tog back for the next 20 minutes but no luck. By now it was around 11am. We had been fishing for about an hour and I was starting to get a feeling like we needed to move a little further down so we did. And Boy am I glad we did!. Kevin repositioned the boat we anchored and then set up and I then dropped my line. Wham ! Fish on. Got him to the boat and in the box and dropped the line again. Wham! Fish on again. By now, I had 3 keeper tog and 1 keeper sea bass already on the boat. and then WHAM Fish on! Again. Now this one had some 'stink' to it!. My rod tip was bent seriously and my line was screaming. Got him almost to the boat and the hook broke off in his mouth! Ok, now we all know that Bubba is down there, so what do you think I did next....
Now anyone that knows me already knows the answer to this question. I know that my husband is in need of some pullage. The wind had started to shift now and the boat is rocking up against the pylons. I yell over to Kevin to please come over to where I was. He looked up in almost with a confused look and said “What?” I then said, I have 3 togs in the box already so let me keep the boat happy while you go get that BUBBA that is down here. Now, I have been married over 14 years and I am well aware of “that look”. Classic just got some serious brownie points for that act of kindness. He approached my fishing area with a smile from ear to ear and I then took his spot next to "Mr. Pylon". He set up with some blue crab bait and dropped his line WHAM!! FISH ON! Line BENT OVER and Kevin is working up a sweat. 5 minutes later Huge citation tog aboard the Classicrockfish. 26 ½ inches 10Lbs 8 oz of PURE LOVE. Meanwhile, there sits Katie. No togs in the box yet and still sick with the flu.
“The only cure for the flu in my opinion is a fish on..” I said to Katie. I handed her my brand new Shimano rod and reel set that I had been using. She looked up at me with those sad hazel eyes and for a moment I saw a glimpse of hope there... Kevin then took the Pylon patrol and I then applied what I like to call a “Classicrockfish secret weapon” on the hook I couldn't stop smiling after I told her to drop the line cause I knew what was about to happen.... Two minutes later she yells “Fish ON !!” in that cute little voice she has. She was really working that rod (new Shimano CVC-66XHA) and using my new Shimano Calcutta (400B) reel that I had purchased new within the last few weeks at Oceans East Tackle Shop (a preferred Shimano dealer this time). You can do it, I told her and I lightly kissed the top of her head as she fought this monster tog. Fish approached the water and a HOLY SHIKES the fish torpedoed right back down. Seven minutes later, she proudly boated her first Tautog citation! This monster was 11 lbs 26 inches of LOVE.. She was so excited that she actually kissed the fish when it hit the boat..Katie said the calcutta (400B) was "smooth and mighty". This reel got the job done with confidence. We managed a total of 8 very nice male togs that day. All this and back at the dock before 2pm to get Clara off the school bus. Got to love it! P.S. I believe I know what Katie wants for Christmas this year. A Calcutta 400B!!!

I love fishing with my Shimano spinning reels in any situation but especially from a kayak. The Shimano Spheros 3000 size is perfect for light tackle inshore fishing for it's size, durability, and having a waterproof drag which is extremely important when fishing in saltwater. Here are some pictures from a recent outing in Sarasota Bay where a buddy and I caught 40 pompano, bluefish, gag grouper, spotted seatrout, spanish mackerel, ladyfish and a few other species of fish. You just can't beat Shimano spinning reels for their versatility, durability, and performance and I trust nothing less in my pursuits for saltwater fish!

I also like the new Shimano Carbon Fiber C4 Stradic for its light-weight and innovative design. Would love to see it in larger sizes such as the 3000 and 4000 models since it is very important for me to have at least 200 yards of Power Pro on the spool for casting distance and in case I hook a very large fish that takes a lot of line on a screaming run! Would love to field test this reel in saltwater for large redfish and snook which I know will put it to the test!

Thanks again for a superior product and Tight Lines!

KT

Last weekend I went from fishing to the area of Caño Negro to the north of the country, it is a beautiful place, a river of very life, where beautiful fish like the Tarpon exist, a fish that is very difficult of capture for their dimenciones, this time it arms my spool Shimano calcutta you 300 with their excellent rope, a power pro of 50 pounds, capturing a beautiful tarpon of 70 pounds.

~Francisco Mejias

I caught this fish on a New Talica, I reeled it in all by myself. The reel is the best ever. The fish is nice to!!!!

Using a Shimano Butterfly jig on a Torsa 20 loaded with 65 lb. Power pro, we caught this impressive Amber-Jack in a little over 400 feet of water on the west coast of Florida. The fish weighed a little over 90 lbs. Since switching over to Power pro we have been able to fish deeper and faster than the rest of the fleet. Thanks for a superior product.
Capt. Steve Papen