Coarse Fishing Tackle Review: The Shimano Catana 2500 RA Reel
If you are a coarse angler then you know the challenge of stalking a variety of fish species. When looking for barbel, bream, daces, perch, pike, grayling and more, your coarse fishing tackle needs to be as versatile as possible. As an angler, you often need to quickly adapt to a variety of locations, baits, and fishing tactics. I personally like pikes because they put up a terrible fight and present a great challenge. Regardless of the thick species you like, you will need tackle that is durable and effective. Since I can’t afford top of the line fishing gear, I always look for quality tackle at a reasonable price. I wanted to share my thoughts on a great cheap reel from Shimano – the Cantana 2500 RA.
Shimano Catana 2500 RA Coarse Fishing Reel Key Features
This reel is ambidextrous and fairly lightweight, a feature that is important to me during long fishing sessions. It has 2 stainless steel ball bearings for smooth operation and will hold up to 200 yards of 6 pound test line. The gear ratio is 5.2:1 and the gear is cold forged. Cold forging is a process in which a metal, often aluminum, is forced into a die, where it deforms in a controlled manner and takes the shape of the die. In the case of cold forged aluminum, the metal also undergoes a heat treatment tempering process that strengthens it. The Catana 2500 RA comes with a replacement extralight graphite spool along with the standard aluminum spool. Despite its exceptionally low price of around £24.99, it features real 3D CAD-CAM designed gears for precise operation and exceptional smoothness.
More information about the Catana 2500 RA reel
Another high-end feature found on this affordable royal is the progressive multi-disc rear drag system that has a surprisingly wide range of adjustment. This makes it really suitable for everything from heavy spinning to light match fishing. The Dyna-Balance® function can be considered similar to balancing a car tire. This technique eliminates rotor wobble during recovery. The Varispeed® oscillation feature ensures correct line placement. Finally, the Super Stopper II® of the 2500 RA makes it easy to set the hook instantly. For the price, this reel is packed with features normally found on more expensive models. One of my angler friends also has this reel. When I asked for his opinion, this is what he said: “I can use them for light float, feeder/ledger, and spinning. As an all rounder, they are not too big and not too small. The reel looks and feels well made, A cut by on top of ‘budget’ actuals without getting silly on the price.”
Final Thoughts on the Shimano Catana 2500 RA Coarse Fishing Reel
This reel was a great addition to my collection of coarse fishing tackle. I find myself reaching for it more often than some of my other more expensive reels. I am happy to rate it 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.