The Shimano Nexus Baitrunner

This is what Shimano say:

The Pedigree
Shimano were the first manufacturer to introduce the revolutionary Baitrunner feature which has not only become an institution in carp fishing circles but also has a lot of followers amongst Barbel, Pike, Bream, Tench and even Bass anglers. Carp match anglers have also switched en mass to the Baitrunner for method fishing and long range heavy feeder work.

We live in a world of change and fishing is no exception. Things have changed dramatically in the world of carp fishing with the size of fish much bigger on average than ten years ago and anglers regularly catching twenty and even thirty pounders with some occasionally latching onto forty and fifty pound fish.

Carp have been subjected to increasing pressure and seek solace at ranges far beyond most anglers casting capabilities a decade ago, the fact is that many anglers can and do have to cast upwards of 100 yards to get in touch with the fish.

Line breaking strains have also increased as anglers have to push close to snaggier swims, play big carp through weed infested waters and all these increased handicaps mean extra demands on angling skills and, in turn, tackle with a great deal of this strain being heaped unceremoniously onto long suffering Baitrunners.

A few years down the road and tens of thousands of sales later the Shimano Baitrunner is still the most popular carp reel available, well that’s not about to change but something quite momentous has.

Shimano don’t subscribe to change for changes sake, but are committed to innovate and improve products to suit customers needs and move with the times or new angling situations. All these above factors have been duly considered and accommodated resulting in the incredible Nexus Baitrunners which have been developed to cope with the stresses and strains of the 21st century.

At first glance you’d be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is about, the exterior looks vaguely reminiscent to the previous Baitrunners, a bit sleeker and futuristic for sure but that’s where the similarity ends since the new Nexus Baitrunners are jam packed full of upgraded and improved features bursting to get into some serious action.

For playing really large fish the transformation becomes much more evident. No more rod pulling and reel pumping; just turn the handle and the Nexus Baitrunners do the rest effortlessly.

High specification material upgrades on gearing & driveshafts with the equivalent of 10 ball bearings on GTE models makes the revolutionary Nexus Baitrunners the most technologically advanced carp reels in the world.

Add to that the brand new Active Response Clutch System (ARCS) and you have a range of reels that supply uniform smoothly tensioned line in the Baitrunner mode as well as when the rear drag clutch kicks in as the baitrunner is disengaged.

Having a wider band controlled tension settings in each clutch mechanism of the Nexus Baitrunner means both clutches can be set according to a wide variety of fishing situations, i.e., fishing close to snags or virtual free spool mode for minimum drag running lead work.

Embracing both Nexus and Stress Free Features, the new Nexus Baitrunner is a robust, smooth, mega powerhouse that will effortlessly meet all carp anglers future requirements and expectations with a quantum leap in performance and longevity.

Nexus Baitrunner GTE
With the equivalent of 10 ball race bearings (the previous Baitrunner GT had only 4) the new GTE is the smoothest specialist reel on the market today and features both Nexus and Stress Free Systems.

A lightweight XT7 graphite and aluminium hybridised body provides power without excessive weight gain offering superb fish playing advantages.

Aero system supplies perfect line lay which is an essential attribute for longer casts, smooth controlled runs on the Baitrunner and fish played using the rear drag clutch.

The Rotor Cast Control means more confidence when casting extreme ranges without risk of accidental line breakage which when combined with Positive Bail means that the bail arm only closes when asked to, an important safety feature when winding up for the big one!.

A new double handle comes as standard for instant playing access and superior balance with improved tactile soft touch rubber grips.

The Hyper Gear provides more transmitted torque per crank making it ideal for hit and hold snaggy situations when the angler has to be in total control.

Baitrunner trip mechanism upgraded to three positions instead of two provided an instant disengagement of the running spool onto the rear drag setting.

Available in 5000, 6000 & 8000 sizes each reel is supplied with two spools both of which feature Shimano’s innovative Stainless Spool Lip (SSL) for increased casting potential.

So when Shimano set out to cater for the 21st century specialist angler then it’s safe to assume that the GTE it’s up to the harshest and toughest treatment such situations can bring, run after run, fish after fish, year after year.

Nexus Baitrunner RE
Featuring all the upgraded specifications that the Shimano Nexus and Stress Free System have to offer the main differences between the GTE & RE is two fewer ball bearings (which means that the RE only has the equivalent of 8 !!), a single crank handle and standard graphite spools. (There is no spare spool with these models).

Like the GTE, the new Super Baitrunner RE features Shimano’s patented Aero Wrap system for improved casting performance, whilst Rotor Cast Control and Positive Bail combine to eliminate any potential problems when casting at range.

As a successor to the hugely popular standard Baitrunner the Nexus Baitrunners future is assured and whilst its looks may be mildly reminiscent of its predecessor, it’s performance, thanks to Shimano’s innovative and groundbreaking Nexus and Stress Free features, is unparalleled.

This is What We Say:
I saw the photographs first and wasn’t particularly impressed. After all, what was there to be impressed about? It hardly looked any different and the Baitrunner reels I already owned were still going strong. They were good reels and it was difficult to imagine how they could be improved much.

So I didn’t take a great deal of interest after that. For a while anyway. Wasn’t the so-called upgrade just another way of re-launching what was already there? But one thing really puzzled me. Most ‘upgrades’ of this nature are usually entirely cosmetic, just eye-catching ‘new’ features, but nothing really new at all. They just look different.

The Nexus Baitrunners are just the opposite of that. Apart from the spool colour and one or two other bits and pieces you wouldn’t know them from the old ones.

It’s not until you pick them up, spin the handle, and play around with them, you realise just how different they are. You realise instantly that the engineering of these reels is in a different class than the old ones.

I honestly don’t think Shimano have done themselves any favours by not giving the reels a more radical face-lift. Most anglers, because of that, believe they’re no different to the old ones.

I won’t go into any more technical detail about them because that’s all been said in the paragraphs above by Shimano. What I will say is that if you have an engineering background, as I have, you know the difference straight away, even before you actually use them for real.

They feel good. They feel right. They feel, and are, so much better than the old models. You can especially feel the difference in the torque when you play a hard-fighting fish. And there is no ‘play’ anywhere – you know, no sloppiness before anything kicks in, particularly in the anti-reverse which is extremely positive. The rear drag is better than the front drag on some other reels I use, not slightly better, much better.

I could argue about the claim for ‘perfect line-lay’. It isn’t perfect, but it is pretty good compared to many fixed-spool reels I’ve used.

I’ve had a pair of them for several weeks now, and I actually look forward to using them for their own sake. It’s not often I’ve felt like that about an item of fishing tackle.

If you’re happy with the Baitrunners you’ve already got then do yourself a favour. Don’t handle one of the new ones. It could cost you a lot of money.