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One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:00 pm
by Cal
One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

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Introduction: Every lineup needs a flagship, and in Shimano’s low profile baitcasters series the one reel to rule them all is the Antares A70, the smallest and most advanced non-DC equipped Antares the company has introduced. Designed to usher in a new benchmark in refinement and casting performance, with the implementation of the new MGII spool design, this reel might just be the company’s most sophisticated yet.

Complete Article: http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanoantaresa70.html

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:43 pm
by cndbasshunter
Sucks to be lefty... :(

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:37 pm
by Dalleinf
Thank you for the review.

I will ask you to consider this (your own words) in relation to the many TT reviews:
“It is always amusing to me when I watch some youtube videos of cast comparisons, or see arguments about how far reels cast, and whether one can out-cast another, and how max casting distance is used as a singular factor of how “good” a reel is. The fact is that there are an incredible number of factors that influence casting performance, and when you are dealing with the difference between yards on premium reels everything from the user’s varying casts, to the type of line used and the condition of that line, or even a gust of wind during the cast, can impact the max distance significantly. I can get the Antares A70 to outcast the Bantam pretty easily, but I could also out-cast the Antares with the Curado 150 DC when I really tried.”

I started reading TT reviews many years ago and really enjoyed them. Perhaps because of my progression, I take less and less away from TT reviews today. They are simply not in-depth enough and you more or less point this out yourself while being amused with how others comment on reel performances. Why not go more in depth with how various types of line affect casting/performance for the many reels you review? Casting distances and casting performance in different conditions. Or how reels behave on different rods (lengths, actions). There are so many variables to consider when buying a reel and TT - being the premier tackle review site (thank you for that) - could inform on so much more than what is found in most TT reviews at present. I hope this does not offend you guys - it is not meant to. I know you are busy. Just a suggestion from someone who enjoys your site and would rather see fewer but more in-depth reviews. Let the rest of us offer the simple stuff...

Cheers Michael

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 3:53 pm
by Aquaftm45
Hard to please Danes aside :lol: jkjk

I thought this was one of the better TT reviews, possibly because I have been interested in this reel as my 2nd stab at owning a Shimano. It was great to see the internals and what constituted the 220 gram weight in such a small package. For me, I would be looking to utilize braid and pair it with a well balanced rod for mid-weight duties.

Thank you for the very good review...but, this is a well rounded enthusiest-oriented site, with alot of individual who look for the entire profile of information. I will add, what I suppose you no longer choose to speak of..

1. The reel is readily available in Left Hand Retrieve
2. The reel is readily available in 2 gear ratio's 6.2 and 7.4
(one of your site sponser sells both of these, although they are currently out of stock)
3. Many people will be mislead by your 1/10 oz jighead speak, thinking this reel can cast 2.8 grams with some type of efficiency on the rods you mentioned. You could have a 7 inch Dot Crawler whacky rigged on the end of that jighead for all we know. Point bieng, it would be helpful to point out the total casting wieght of of lure as to give a good reflection of the lower end range of the reel.
4. For those not afraid to forgo the US warranty....well I guess I don't even need to say it.. (this always make me think of the $10 insurance plan they want you to buy for a $40 toaster at Walmart)

All in all a great review..and possibly pushes me over the edge to my 2nd Shimano experiment

Thanks..

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 5:02 pm
by Zander
Aquaftm45 wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 3:53 pm
Hard to please Danes aside :lol: jkjk

I thought this was one of the better TT reviews, possibly because I have been interested in this reel as my 2nd stab at owning a Shimano. It was great to see the internals and what constituted the 220 gram weight in such a small package. For me, I would be looking to utilize braid and pair it with a well balanced rod for mid-weight duties.

Thank you for the very good review...but, this is a well rounded enthusiest-oriented site, with alot of individual who look for the entire profile of information. I will add, what I suppose you no longer choose to speak of..

1. The reel is readily available in Left Hand Retrieve
2. The reel is readily available in 2 gear ratio's 6.2 and 7.4
(one of your site sponser sells both of these, although they are currently out of stock)
3. Many people will be mislead by your 1/10 oz jighead speak, thinking this reel can cast 2.8 grams with some type of efficiency on the rods you mentioned. You could have a 7 inch Dot Crawler whacky rigged on the end of that jighead for all we know. Point bieng, it would be helpful to point out the total casting wieght of of lure as to give a good reflection of the lower end range of the reel.
4. For those not afraid to forgo the US warranty....well I guess I don't even need to say it.. (this always make me think of the $10 insurance plan they want you to buy for a $40 toaster at Walmart)

All in all a great review..and possibly pushes me over the edge to my 2nd Shimano experiment

Thanks..
Hi Aquaman, thanks for all the comments and as always highly appreciate any feedback. Good points, let me address each one:

1&2. while there is only one official sku in the U.S. currently you are correct regarding the non HG versions in the JDM market. They are really hard to get however. On my last trip to Tokyo just a few weeks ago I tried to pick up the lower speed version but couldn't find it at any of the local shops in Shibuya. I did add a link to JapanTackle as Jun is much more resourceful when it comes to obtaining these for US anglers.

3. Also a good point, I actually was able to cast a 1/10oz. Z-Man Power Finesse Shroomz jighead unrigged on 8lb. line, something I wouldn't normally do with casting, though most tests were with a TRD rigged on 10lb line. I've added that portion to the article so there is no confusion.

4. Lol, too funny. But I feel you, and also why I didn't bring up the non domestic versions originally. I don't even think twice about the warranty when I hand carried a Antares DC or Exsence DC back from Tokyo. What warranty? Enthusiasts will always find a way to feed their passion.

Thanks again for the inputs and thanks for reading.
Best, Z

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 5:19 pm
by Aquaftm45
Thanks for the response and again, the great write up. I might have missed some of that information on my first speed read. You just cost me a five spot..thanks!

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 5:40 pm
by Zander
Aquaftm45 wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 5:19 pm
Thanks for the response and again, the great write up. I might have missed some of that information on my first speed read. You just cost me a five spot..thanks!
Lol :lol: , sorry to fuel the addiction!
Tight Lines, Z

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 7:12 pm
by Zander
Dalleinf wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:37 pm
Thank you for the review.

I will ask you to consider this (your own words) in relation to the many TT reviews:
“It is always amusing to me when I watch some youtube videos of cast comparisons, or see arguments about how far reels cast, and whether one can out-cast another, and how max casting distance is used as a singular factor of how “good” a reel is. The fact is that there are an incredible number of factors that influence casting performance, and when you are dealing with the difference between yards on premium reels everything from the user’s varying casts, to the type of line used and the condition of that line, or even a gust of wind during the cast, can impact the max distance significantly. I can get the Antares A70 to outcast the Bantam pretty easily, but I could also out-cast the Antares with the Curado 150 DC when I really tried.”

I started reading TT reviews many years ago and really enjoyed them. Perhaps because of my progression, I take less and less away from TT reviews today. They are simply not in-depth enough and you more or less point this out yourself while being amused with how others comment on reel performances. Why not go more in depth with how various types of line affect casting/performance for the many reels you review? Casting distances and casting performance in different conditions. Or how reels behave on different rods (lengths, actions). There are so many variables to consider when buying a reel and TT - being the premier tackle review site (thank you for that) - could inform on so much more than what is found in most TT reviews at present. I hope this does not offend you guys - it is not meant to. I know you are busy. Just a suggestion from someone who enjoys your site and would rather see fewer but more in-depth reviews. Let the rest of us offer the simple stuff...

Cheers Michael
Cheers Michael, and thank you for first reading the entire review, being a long time reader, and for your comments. No offense taken whatsoever, and I actually really appreciate the input. Those of you that have been reading TT a long time will likely have seen the evolution of our site and articles over time. Let me address the comment on casting first, and our current approach and why next.

In regards to my "amused" comment: The fact is that there are so many factors, and that it is incredibly subjective how well a reel casts. I never profess to be a great caster, and constantly get humbled by professional anglers that will take the same reel and rod, that I have been using all day, and out-cast me by ten feet. My point is that there are in incredible number of factors when it comes to casting, and after testing so many reels, rods, lines (in various configurations) in various environments I don’t even feel qualified to quantify the “max” distance on a consistent basis. If I start isolating control factors like specific rods, lines, conditions I could get closer to a repeatable process but it wouldn’t change my impression of how “well” the reel casts, versus focusing on how the reel is different than other reels, which in this case has more to do with the MGIII spool’s quick startup and how that impacts casting feel, and pinpoint casts with lightweight lures.

You mentioned “let the rest of us offer the simple stuff.” Unfortunately many people really don’t get the opportunity to really fish/experience a reel like the Antares before taking the dive and purchasing the product, this is why we feel it is important to share how the reel feels, behaves, the defining characteristics of the reel versus deep diving into how much further it will cast with XXX rod or XXX line. As with all configurations, and the individual angler, that max cast is going to vary, but how that reel feels in hand, or how it performs in various applications may be "simple," but are key factors in whether or not the reel may be right for their unique applications. Finally, I do feel that some anglers are too obsessed with “max casting” distance, as it not only varies with the factors that I discussed, but it doesn’t really improve the fishing experience when you get to reels of this level where distance gains/and losses are incremental. It is easy to go out and make casts and say XXX reel casts better than yyy reel. But delve into the specifics like how old your line is, what type of line, wind conditions, how old or maintained one reel is versus the other… the list is endless…and so are the variables. Anglers should take all of this into consideration before simply saying one reel is better than another, because it casts further in the “test.”

So why not go into more depth? We try and strike a balance between depth, tests, experiences, and being an article that people actually want to read. As a long time reader you probably know remember our test metrics, and reported results changed a few times over the decades. While I certainly appreciate that you feel we do not go into enough depth there are also many readers that feel we go too far. I get emails all the time saying certain reviews are too long, nobody cares about how much a spool weighs, that they just skip over all the data and go straight to the conclusion etc. Then there are others, like yourself, which would like more data, more details on lab tests, or configurations etc. We have had to make adjustments over time, and without getting into too much detail we had to move away from an excess of data because our readership was dropping off on those articles. We simply were not getting impressions as many reraders were tuning this out, and if we don’t get impressions we can’t afford to purchase tackle, or even run a site. I know you would prefer even in depth articles at the expense of more articles, but I also get plenty of input from other readers saying they would like shorter and more articles, and for us to get complete reviews up quicker. This is something I just am not comfortable with compromising. We will do previews but we won’t release a review until we are comfortable with our takeaways, that we have done enough in the lab, and in the field, to justify our conclusion and recommendation. In an age where many people would rather just watch a video, or jump to the conclusion, we need to strike a balance with long form content. I certainly appreciate every single one of our readers, like yourself, that read every word that we write. That’s what fuels us to keep buying tackle, testing, writing, and sharing our passion for tackle, and fishing.

Some of the ideas you mentioned could certainly be a standalone article, like configurations to increase casting distance, so I’ll certainly consider that. But for reel articles we need to try and cover all the attributes, and strike a balance. As always my hope is that there are takeaways where anglers can make their own decisions based on what is important to you. I know, and want, each angler to read the reviews with their own view of what factors are meaningful to them, and what may be simple to you may still be complex for someone else that is just getting into their tackle/angling journey. Finding that balance is hard, but I will always try and support our enthusiast readers, because we share your passion.

Thanks,
Z

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 7:28 pm
by Dalleinf
Zander, thank you very much for that very in-depth reply. I have nothing to add really, except the “big thanks”, and that I get what you are saying. Also, are there truly people out there who do not want to know the spool weight :shock: :shock: :shock: :D

OH, and TT is great =D>

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 9:19 pm
by Zander
Dalleinf wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 7:28 pm
Also, are there truly people out there who do not want to know the spool weight :shock: :shock: :shock: :D
Lol, Right?!! :lol: I personally find spool weights, and how line affects overall weight/balance fascinating. :D

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 12:02 am
by Zander
Thanks Slazmo for identifying a pic that was being pulled from the SLX article ](*,) . It has now been updated on page 3 of the Antares review.

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 12:14 am
by Slazmo
No worries...

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 2:01 am
by TravisNY
Great piece sir. I'm getting one. Thanks.

Ps: I think you also traveled back with a Complex CI4. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Well done.

Re: One for the Enthusiasts: The Shimano Antares A70 Baitcaster with MGIII

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 6:44 am
by Zander
TravisNY wrote:
Sat Jun 29, 2019 2:01 am
Great piece sir. I'm getting one. Thanks.

Ps: I think you also traveled back with a Complex CI4. I'll be interested in your thoughts.

Well done.
Thanks Travis, yup brought back a Complex from Tokyo and have been fishing it quite a bit over the last two weeks, and really liking it. The drag isn't quite as refined as I hoped, but really liking how it casts, and the CI4 handle is slick. I just really like how the Complex isn't something you see everyday, and it isn't crazy expensive either.