A little over a year ago I wrote an article about the trend to move towards lighter baitcasters without sacrificing performance. The push for lower weight continues and since then Shimano has released the Core 50Mg which weighs an ultra light 5.5oz., which is equal to the lightest Daiwa Steez reels. Have reel manufacturers gone far enough to reduce the weight of their reels, yes. Have they done enough to make lightweight reels affordable, not by a long shot.  Currently magnesium reels are among the most expensive baitcasters on the market and out of reach of the mainstream angling community. Magnesium is an expensive material to work with and the tooling to build these reels isn’t cheap either. So does that mean ultra-light weight has to equate to ultra high cost? It shouldn’t.

The Shimano Core 50mg makes use of magnesium to achieve a ultralight 5.5oz. weigh in

The Stradic CI4 is constructed out of reinforced carbon fiber which is nearly 2 times stronger  than traditional graphite 

Carbon fiber is becoming a popular choice as it can be wound and molded to deliver an extremely high strength to weight ratio material. The density of carbon fiber is lower than many alloys making it ideal for light weight applications. Other benefits of using these materials include corrosion resistance. Both Shimano and Daiwa are now using carbon composite materials in their higher end spinning reels, Shimano makes use of reinforced carbon fiber in their recent Stradic redesign and the latest Daiwa Fuego spinning reel makes use of the company’s “Zaion” construction which is described as a super-carbon material. Both spinning reels are lighter, perform up to par with aluminum models and are more corrosion resistant. Will savvy reel manufacturers make use of similar materials and techniques in higher end baitcasters? They should.