Generally "200 size" is steelhead size.
"300 size" is salmon size.

But yes, you can land them on a 200, I have.
The 300 gives you more room on the spool for heavier line.

Don't get too axle-wrapped on "lbs of drag".
The marketing people want to get in your head with that stuff.
With a levelwind you always have your thumb to supplement the drag.

My Curado 201 is a custom direct drive, so I have no drag.
I back reel/forward reel during the fishfight depending on what is needed.

 

I have an Curado 300e for this and love it. It’s not too big in my opinion, and power for days. Recently picked up a Curado 150DC and it’s a whole other level of awesome. I’ve been using it for about anything I can cast it at and really like the braking system.
Pretty hard to beat a nice Curado….

 

301 curado e big single handle or double paddle. I just love mine . It’s just right for 25-30 kings. Nice on big 15 lbs hot silvers. But anything smaller it’s a bit big. Enter the 201 curado for anything smaller. same kind of handles available. Two of my very favorite reels heavy hi viz braid with proper leader tied on with a uni knot is my set up

 

I use my 200 size Curado for Kings to 30+ lbs all the time. It really comes down to what lb test line you plan to use. Up to 12 lb mono is good to go on a 200 size Curado. Anything over 12 and I’d jump up to the 300 size.

 

This. I also like the smaller size because I like my hand holding the rod up and on the reel so I can easily thumb the spool. For me, this just feels better and reduces fatigue.

 

But, have you looked for an Aldebaran on Digitaka? Step up from Curado and only available on Japanese market. Digitaka has silly fast shipping and good prices.

The Alderbaran is sold in the USA. Why would you suggest a 50 size reel for this application? It holds about 65 yards of 12lb and has less than 8lbs of drag.

I agree with you on Digitaka. Fantastic resource, particularly with the current exchange rate. The reel there I'd recommend to the OP is the Scorpion MD. Very similar to the 300 Curado with a beefier drag and sweet JDM flavor.

 

Oopsies! Sorry about the huge mislead on my part fellas. I just assumed that the Aldebaran line followed the same sizing but with higher end parts. I didn’t catch that it only covers a BFS and an MGL sizes. Not a salmon reel!!!

Back to Curado speak…. I’ll edit my previous post to get rid of the bologna.

 

Good info, Then a coworker said "keep the Curado out of the salt water" and to get an Okuma with stainless gears. I'm stickin to the Shimano, leaning towards the 300. but now worried if I use it in the bays, it may rust out. Personally... I never saw a dead Shimano. I have 2 from the 80's that I still use.

 

Your gut is correct, and co-worker should stop with the meth. If you really want something that has better salt capabilities look at the Shimano Tranx or Diawa Coastal. The Curado will work great though, and I wouldn't hesitate.

 

I believe the current model of Curado is approved for salt use, but if you are going to be using it more than "occasionally" in the salt, I would get a Shimano Tranx. They come in the same sizes as the Curado (200, 300, etc.) but are made for the salt with better seals and corrosion protection. That said, any reel will eventually fail with saltwater use if not properly maintained, so just make sure you regularly follow Shimano recommended maintenance for saltwater use.

 

Get the 301. You will love it. I have the 300's on my springer rods. I plug fish and have 30 pound braid on my reels. Handles the bigger fish in June just fine as well. 200 will work, but might blow out on you on a big fish or reeling in to clear a big chunk of weeds.

 

Now that I think about it, I'm not gonna use this rod for salt use, I have plenty of rods for that. I'm looking at river use, to cast maybe 50 to 70 feet, and that'll all be fresh water rivers. Which now leads me back to a 201, BUT I run 60lb braid on my meat stix so the 300 may hold line better... But will it cast okay?

 

You might only be casting 70', but when you free drift your float another 50 yards and a big one hits going the other direction, it's nice to have the line capacity of a 300. A 300 shimano curado, tranx, or scorpion will all cast great.

 

I think braid will cast ok. It’s much thinner mono . Also depends on how heavy your lure/tackle is

 

Of the 2 if I could only have one. It would be a 300/301. It does it all and pretty nicely. I have to big hands and it’s small enough for me. It’s a winch when you need the power for that once in a lifetime fish . About 3 ounces difference in weight between the 200/300 series

 

I kind of want to clarify my earlier response. When I fish rivers with a bait caster, I'm constantly casting and retrieving and not back trolling or plunking. So, for me the 200 size is the ticket. For super small stuff for summer run steelhead, I go to a spinning set up to avoid bird nesting a bait caster. I like to fish gear and terminal tackle as light as possible.

 

I have the steely gear, but I want to get a good bait caster for Salmon. I could probably pull my Abu 6500 off my 7.5 foot Kanai Killer and put this reel on instead. Probably don't need it but, I want a Curado.

 

My 301 rides on a 8.5 gloomis hrs 1021 c imx. I find it works very well on 30-40 kings and bigger silvers

 

I'm sorry... Are you saying you catch silvers over 30-40 lbs??? I wanna fish with you.

 

Sounds dumb I know, but I wanna get a Curado bait caster. I'd like it to handle salmon in the rivers, and maybe bay action too. I'm looking at a 301 cause it's has 18 lb drag. A guy I know said a 201 will work fine. I like the smaller lighter size but will a 201 handle 20 to 30 lb kings that I catch at an undisclosed location?
I caught something on my Calcutta 201 at Draino when we used to tie up on the cliff wall that ripped off, no drag could stop it and burned both thumbs before it spooled me and broke off. Kinda why I'm looking at a 301.

It doesn't sound dumb at all to me.

Curados have been my reel of choice since they replaced the Shimano Bantams many years ago. The only thing I wish they had was the old "direct drive" button, but I got used to the thumb bar pretty quickly. I can't remember exactly when the Curado line first came out (too lazy to research) but I remember buying my first Bantam in 1982. It is a silver colored 201 and I still use it occasionally just for fun.

I just fish in rivers for salmon and steelhead, so I'm sure others will have different opinions.

 

Silvers 15 lbs with shoulders

 

Sounds dumb I know, but I wanna get a Curado bait caster. I'd like it to handle salmon in the rivers, and maybe bay action too. I'm looking at a 301 cause it's has 18 lb drag. A guy I know said a 201 will work fine. I like the smaller lighter size but will a 201 handle 20 to 30 lb kings that I catch at an undisclosed location?
I caught something on my Calcutta 201 at Draino when we used to tie up on the cliff wall that ripped off, no drag could stop it and burned both thumbs before it spooled me and broke off. Kinda why I'm looking at a 301.

I have a like new 300E that is about 8 years new. I spooled it up to use for steelhead from my boat. It doesn’t fit well in my rod holders. It’s been in the box since. I did transfer the braid to another reel. If interested PM me.
Thanks,
Larry

 

Got the 201, works great. BUUUUT had trouble at Malamuse with a large salmon and a seal. Drag on normal but cranked up and burned thumb when fish tried to out run the salmon, Boink- reeled in a head, awesome. I'll keep it for steelhead.
Now to get a Curado 301 for salmon Salmon. Ah jeez, now I need a new rod to go with it.

 

Can't think of a reel that has enough drag to stop a large Salmon being chased by a seal - at least not one you could hold all day.

 

The DSV version of the Curado 300 is what you want. It’s a slimmer profile version of the E, which has a bit of a wider feel to the frame. The DSV sits very flat against the hand and is deep spooled vs wide spooled.
I use mine for everything from pulling plugs, trolling, rock fishing, lings and stripers.
The reel has enough juice and torque to handle fish in the 40lb class and not feel Undergunned. It can chuck 5oz pretty well and not suffer the wear and tear that modern reels tend to.
The DSV can be found for around $100 on eBay. Occasionally cheaper. Highly recommend. The handle can be swapped for a Daiwa or other shimano handle with a little conversion effort.

 

Curado 301

 

Love my 301. A fine winch in a proper sized package