Used & Abused: Shimano Baitrunner Xt-Ra - 26/02/2010
Tester: Jon Bones
Test Period: Six weeks
These new Shimano Baitrunners are the successor to the Aero GTE Baitrunners, which I have owned, and used, for over a year without complaint. Out on the bank the XT-RA serves up no surprises. Its overall performance is excellent. It’s silky smooth, the gearing is brilliant and, to be honest, it just works – and works well, with the Baitrunner pedigree shining through.
This is the first Baitrunner to incorporate Shimano’s new S-Type bail. This prevents any slack line from wrapping around the roller on the cast, or at any other time for that matter. The AR-C spools, including a supplied spare, are an improvement in the reels in this price range and feature a tapered lip. They’re designed to allow the line to peel off the spool in a number of smaller coils, which in turn reduces friction through the butt ring, allowing you to cast further and prevent wind knots. While I can’t vouch for this adding yards to my cast, because I haven’t used them at range or measured any casts with them, they certainly cast smoothly. Everything about this reel’s mechanics is sound, although the line lay when using thicker-diameter lines didn’t look the best.
The third new feature is the XT-7 body, which is a slightly different shape to past Baitrunners. It’s solid and looks good too. One thing I’m not sold on, though, and it’s the most immediately obvious feature, is the colour. It’s a metallic green, and takes some getting used to. Reels are black or silver, right? Well not any more and it could be a Marmite situation. It’s not my cup of tea, but that aside this is another very good addition to the Shimano Baitrunner family.
VERDICT
√ It performs brilliantly and is built to last; typical Shimano quality.
× The line lay with thicker lines is not the best and I’m not sold on the colour.
