IM THINKING OF BUYING ONE OF THESE REELS , AND LIKE TO GET SOME PROS, AN CONS ON THIE REEL. WHATS YOUR THOUGHT. i KNOW THEY ARE SPENDY. HOWS THE PERFORMANCE????

These reels are another prime example of "You get what you pay for". I love mine. They are light as a feather, cast very well with little leads, and tough enough to handle very large steelhead. Besides....they look cool!

1st one I had was a lemon but the replacement has been awesome. I use it in the salt at times and no problem, just rinse it really well in fresh water.

The Dartanium drag is strong enought to stop a Chinook . The warrenty programs(Platinum service) for these reels are a lot better then it is for the other reels they carry.

I own just about every reel shimano makes including the calais, great reel ,I use it for steelhead, kings(in freshwater only) I've had mine for 2yrs. and have had no problems at all. other than having it cleaned once a year that is the only thing I've had done. I must say that I also own a curado super free and I like it as much as I do the calias, holds a little more line casts a mile , and costs half as much , takes a little while to get used to the spool spinning so fast , but once you get it tuned in it is really sweet. I don't know if I would have bought the calais if they had the super free available at the time ,But I have no regrets because they are both great reels, by the way they warn you Not to use the Calais in Salt Water but you can use the Super free in salt. they both have really good drag systems and I noticed the differance playing a fish the first time I used them ,it's almost too easy. try one

I too fish all Shimanos, and the Calais, as others have said, is no doubt a Cadillac of reels. I think the only other baitcaster that measures up is the top-of-the-line Daiwa.

However, if you're looking for a great reel that isn't $300, get a Curado, either Super-Free or regular. I have both and love them; awesome reel for steelies and even salmon if you play it right. They cast a mile and are controllable.

But if you want the best of the best, get a Calais. I love mine, but I doubt I'll be buying another soon!!

I'm a huge fan of the Curado here. I own both a standard and BSF and would recommend either. It'll handle anything you'll want (within reason of course). My dad landed a 25+ pound chum up on the Frazier with his Curado and only 10 lb Big Game line. There's not much else that'll fight harder than that.