The manufacturer says –
Shimano’s multi-disc rear drag system is one of the finest in the world and combined with Fighting Drag offers instant adjustment whilst playing fish by simply moving the Fighting drag lever.
It was always going to be a hard task to replace the original Stradic GTM reels with newcomers offering significant improvements. Retaining the familiar, much-loved pearl-white body cosmetics, Shimano have achieved this in style with the Stradic GTM RC range, including the added bonus of a 1500 model alongside all-new 2500, 3000 and 4000 versions.
Features include XT-7 body and rotor, AR-C Spool, Zinc Diecast Gear, Cone Type bail plus single anodised cold forged alu spool with XT-7 spare. As with the TPCi4, the 4000 spool is a new shallow version with equal line capacity to the 3000.
Model: STR2500GTMRC
Weight: 315 grams
Bearings: 4
Roller Bearings: 1
Line Capacity: (lbs/yds) 6-200 / 8-140 / 10-120
Gear Ratio: 6.0 : 1
1 Spare spool (XT-7)
RRP: £104.99
Reviewer says –
In looking for what is known as a ‘match’ reel, I wanted a fast retrieve and around 6 : 1 is generally as fast as they get. This reel is going to be used for a fair bit of long trotting and when you come to the end of your trot, you need a reel that is going to cut down on the time the bait will do nothing except come back to you. For feeder fishing, I might suggest a slower retrieve ratio, possibly around 5 : 1 or your end tackle could end up and a terrible tangle.
So what attracts me to the Shimano?
Quality is the first word that comes to mind. You can depend on Shimanos, they are reliable and long lasting and when it comes to resale value, they just can’t be beaten. In fact, taking everything into account, although they’re amongst to dearest to buy initially, because of their high resale value they work out to be one of the cheapest and obviously best investments you can make.
The 2500 size suits match fishing perfectly although there is now a new 1500 size should anyone want a smaller reel and a slightly larger 3000 version, but I couldn’t think why I would want this model as it weighs 1oz more than the 2500. I might be proved wrong in time, but I’ll stick with my choice for now.
The looks of this reel are something quite different. The Stradics used to have a pearl white finish, but this has now been changed to a pure white finish. It has a kind of I-pod look about it, which seems to be a colour trend many manufacturers of different product are now following, including cars. Perhaps white is the new black, though for the life of me I’ve never understood that kind of statement.
Whatever, this reel looks good on the rod. In use it is pure genius!
I landed many fish up to over 7lbs on just 4lbs line by merely flicking the drag lever over a touch at a time to apply more drag or less as was required. This feature has always been a winner for Shimano and never was there a more useful one!
My only problems with casting was in not allowing the float and end tackle to go too far else it would end up in the swim of my friend opposite. I can only say after many casts on the day I tested it, it worked beautifully and without any incident (it was coupled with my new Preston Excel float rod.) Each fish landed in short time without putting excessive strain on the tackle or the fish, all in perfect unison one could say.
That was on a lake, of course. Now we are about to start the river season, we’ll see how it performs on a narrow winding river – the Colne! In all honesty, I can’t think of any better reel to use on a stillwater or for trotting on any river.
9/10
