New Overhead Reel With Counter from SHIMANO

Do you remember the SHIMANO’s overhead reel with counter, OCEA Conquest CT?

That is very interesting reel that you can see the fall speed by counter so that you can control game fishing very clear.

Now new countered overhead reel is out from SHIMANO again – Grappler CT’19.

Fall Lever and Counter – Gives You More Game Fishing Strategy

Most interesting feature of this new Grappler CT’19, is this Fall Lever. Past Grappler CT’19 also has counter which tells you how deep your jigs are, but needed to thumb to control the fall speed.

Now, by this Fall Lever you can just adjust the fall speed by one simple lever, very easily, and can even keep the same fall level at all the time, when you find the right fall speed!

While you try to find the right speed, you can see the fall speed by counter, which is also the new feature of new Grappler CT’19, and once you get the hit pattern you set the right speed by Fall Lever and then you will be able to keep the right fall speed without your thumb. This fall speed control is very important to slow jigging and Tai Raba, as you may know if you have already tried those methods.

Toughness and Water Resistance

This new Grappler CT’19 also has some of new features as others. HAGANE Body is the tough metallic body which gains of course toughness. X-Protect, the SHIMANO’s high-end water resistance feature is also installed to roller clutch with X-Shield.

Exciting Drag Sound is also installed as well.

Comparing to other Countered Reels

SHIMANO also has other countered overhead reels such as the previous model Grappler Premium and OCEA Conquest CT. Now let’s compare Grappler CT to these reels.

Grappler CT vs Grappler Premium

Grappler Premium is the 2018 model which got counter and fall lever for previous Grappler.
Now comparing to those, the differences are:

Weight: CT – 255, Premium – 265
Bearing: CT – 5/1, Premium – 7/1
Feature: Micromodule Gear for Premium

Micromodule Gear is, as you may know, the new SHIMANO’s gear that is smoother and stronger than old type gears, SHIMANO says.
Premium is 10g heavier than CT but has 2 more bearings, with Micromodule Gear. Which means, from the catalog spec you can expect Premium is smoother to round the handle than CT.

But because of that, price is expensive than CT of course, and the difference is 14,000 yen (RRP).

Better feeling with expensive price? Or cheaper price with “OK” feeling? That’s the point of choice.

Grappler CT vs OCEA Conquest CT

Those differences are very easy actually.
AS OCEA Conquest CT is more expensive model than Grappler CT, and the target of that is bigger fish species at deeper area, the size is bigger, heavier, and have more bearings such as 10/1 or 12/1 depending on models.

Also, OCEA Conquest CT has different sizes, which are 200 / 300.
Of course, price is more expensive, in difference of 35,500 yen.

Spec and Release Date

This Grappler CT only has one size, one gear ratio with left / right handed.

This will be released on May 2019.

SHIMANO Grappler CT’19

Price: from 21,546 yen

Buy SHIMANO Grappler CT’19
(Rakuten)

Official Site

* Braided line capacity is based on SHIMANO Ocea EX-8.
* All product information and images are basically from SHIMANO official website.