Okay just wondering if anyone has got their hands on these reels and how they would compare them to a shimano. I can't seem to find them locally in the L.A. or SFV area to check them out. They look pretty good and reasonably priced.

They'll be on the market the end of the month. They are being produced right now.

Oh ok, thanks for the info. I thought they were already out because Cabelas & BPS have them on their website. I appreciate it.

I have a Nemesis and I love it. Smooth and strong and it casts super far. I have had zero problems with it. I do not have a VS to compare it to, but I was playing with one at the Fred Hall show and I was impressed. It felt extreemly smooth and tight.

www.mattlures.com

Hey Matt,

How would you compare it's performance to any of the shimano's? Thanks!

Well I only own two Shimanos and they are calais's. The Nemesis casts farther than the Calias but the Calias is smoother. I havent had any problems with either. Also the drag on the calias is a little smoother. Now I dont realy think it is fair to compair a $389 reel to a $89 reel. I will say this, when I was handleing the VS it realy did feel comparable to the Calias. I know everybody swears by the curado but To me they just arent that smooth. I have nothing against Shimano, I do like there products but for the money I would go with the Okuma. I have fished a borrowed Curado before and It is about the same quality as the Nemesis but for some reason I can cast the nemesis farther than any other low pro reel. I have it spooled with 17lb test and when I cast a rattletrap as hard as I can, I almost empty the spool. It has about 10 wraps left.

www.mattlures.com

Thanks for the info Matt. I love my shimano's but couldn't help but notice the new Okuma's. They have a lot of features for such a low price. Plus I'd rather have a reel that casts further then one that has a smooth retrieve.

That just doesn't make any sense to me. Why not have both? Smooth and good freespool is the way to go. I checked out those VS reels and I think they're too heavy and they feel kinda cheap to me, but I'm used to Chronarch Mg and Calais 100. }(

acording to cabelas the Shimanos, (Chronarch and Calais) weigh between 9 and 9.5 ounces and the Vs weighs 9.6 ounces. Not much diference in weight. Again I have nothing agains Shimano But I think the Okumas are a much better buy for your money. To make a fair comparison I would say the Nemesis is about the same as the Curado in smoothness but it definatly cast farther than the Curado and is $30 cheaper. I havent fished a super free Curado, maybe they can cast as far but the your talking a $60 diference. One more thing I forgot to mention is how comfortable the Nemesis is. It is very low and easy to palm.

www.mattlures.com

gotta love the CH50MG at 5.9 oz, not fair to compare it to an Okuma- but anyone who thinks a Nemesis or VS is in the same ballpark as any Calais has been dabbling in the hippy lettuce- apples and lemons-errr, I mean apples and oranges }(

if you want an epic little reel, pick up a CU100B, these things are sweet little pieces of metal at 120 clams-

I just think that you pay for what you get. They're saving money somewhere in that reel for how many bearings it has. Made in China vs. made in Japan, I would trust the Japanese over a third world country

>Made in China vs. made in Japan, I would trust the Japanese
>over a third world country

China is now Japan's biggest trade partner. There are sooo many Japanese products that are manufactured in China today--it's much less expensive for them to contract with overseas (China, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea) factories instead of producing them at home. A large number of so-called "Japanese" brand lures (Daiwa, Shimano, Evergreen, etc) are actually made in China.

Only Shimano's higher end products are still made in Japan. Everything else is farmed out to the emerging industrial nations...

yeah, stuff like Calais and Chronarchs...

>yeah, stuff like Calais and Chronarchs...


Yea, their Top Shelf reels are still made in Japan. Their high end rods like the Crucial series are made in China.

so what's your point? Tight tolerences in top end reels are golden- rods are a bit different- still high quality blanks that are wrapped with top end Japanese hardware, mechanical things made in China have a little more room for slop- I can vouch for the Crucials, they stand up to the Calcutta rods made in Washington as well as a bunch of custom rods I have made right here in OC- Fish a Tica or an Okuma for a few seasons and get back to me- Daiwa still makes a bunch of sick ass reels made in Japan, and companies like Avet and Pro Gear beat the crap out of any reels made overseas not produced in Japan- I don't buy the 89$ Okuma matching a Calais for one minute, neither would you if you fished both of them. Obviously, they are not in the same league, but the original Cardiff 100 is the best round reel ever made for under 100$, only Cardiff made in Japan, but epic. Grab one of those off E-Bay if you get the chance-

>so what's your point?

Just putting the "made in China" thing in perspective. The "made in China" stigma is comparable to what was said about the quality of Japanese manufactured products decades ago. Japanese made products were once considered der crappiest of der crap...

China now has the industrial/engineering/technological capability to produce (or reproduce...or bootleg) goods of outstanding quality and precision. The quality of these goods is most likely up to snuff with Japanese standards since they're contracting with the Chinese factories for so many items. Japanese labor is expensive so they export the work overseas. As manufacturing technologies improve and become even more readily available (and as long as there's a cheap source of labor), the gap between the quality of Japanese made vs Chinese/Malaysian/etc products is gonna diminish. It won't be long before the quality of some Chinese manufactured goods will be considered equal to that of Japanese made products.

That said, I'd still rather fish with my Chronarchs and Scorpions than Okumas. Or a Saltiga over a Catalina...

To answer Mag's question of why not have both. I too have Calais's, 50mg's & 100mg's. Honestly though, do you really need a reel that expensive to catch fish. No you don't, but we just buy them because we like to have the best gear possible. Honestly though, for people who are on a budget I think a longer casting reel is more important to one that cranks in smoothly. You have to be able to reach the fish in order to crank them in.

I think some of you mis under stood me. I didnt say the Nemesis was as good as the Calias. It is not, but I can cast a little farther with it. I think the Nemesis compars with the Curado but the Nemesis casts farther and is more comfortable. Like I said before I havent actualy fished a VS but It felt realy smooth and tight. It honestly felt as good as my Calais. I know some of you guys are loyal to your brands and Shimano makes great products but I think you would be suprised at how nice the Okumas are and how much you get for your money.

www.mattlures.com