Editor’s Note: This story is part of a larger package on Shimano gear. Click here to see more.
Caenan is about progression: Moving from one reel to another; growing from a once-a-month angler to a weekend warrior or filling out an arsenal of reels with a limited budget.
“If you grew-up in fishing your entire life but only experienced spinning gear, and now you want to enter to baitcasting, Caenan is the right product for you,’’ said Kenichi Iida, a Shimano product manager.
Caenan is the reel to start with, finish with and do everything in between without sacrificing quality, reliability or budget.
“You can fish worms, jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, everything you want in one reel in one package,’’ said Marc Mills, a Shimano regional sales manager.
“I remember when I first started baitcasting,’’ said Dave Mercer. “You had to make a huge investment in the rod and the reel. Now, Shimano has come out with a price-conscious setup that just about anyone can afford, but it still performs.”
The quality and affordability is something that Shimano believes every angler should have as an option.
“Shimano has never really been known for making high-end quality equipment at under a hundred bucks, we just never have, it’s never been something we focused on,’’ Mills said. “Caenan is the first model that we built in that price point sharing the same tuning that we used for Curado and Citica, Caenan’s older brothers.”
But there’s nothing cheap about Caenan.
“When I picked that reel up, I couldn’t believe this is a hundred-dollar baitcasting reel,” Mercer said. “It’s got seven ball bearings. It’s got VBS — variable brake system — so whether it’s your first time fishing or your 50th time fishing, you’re gonna be able to cast it effectively.”
For Shimano, it was an answer to the needs of so many anglers who have all of the sudden become extremely aware of quality while battling with a budget.
“We know the economy is different than it was four or five years ago,’’ Mills said. “But every angler still needs great equipment. We think that a lot of these new anglers, once they experience the Caenan, they’ll step up to a Citica, maybe they’ll take two jumps and go to Curado. It’s kind of that first real step into baitcasting equipment.”