Shimano Exsence Delivers Peak Performance for Inshore Anglers
February 25, 2021
What fills your dreams on frigid winter nights? Perhaps it’s bull reds – or gator trout – or muscular stripers – or bountiful bonito. Few events warm the blood and set the heart racing like powerful hooksets and drag-peeling runs when pursuing these inshore monarchs.
When up against the best, anglers – and their equipment – must be at their best. Built for all inshore applications, the new Shimano Exsence represents a blend of technology and intelligent design while embracing the perfect balance of lightweight feel and durability in Shimano’s lineup of MagnumLite series of reels.
Exsence stands at the pinnacle of performance within Shimano’s MagnumLite series of reels, equipped with the revolutionary MagnumLite (MGL) Rotor and engineered to optimize the balance between weight and durability. Thanks to a completely new approach to rotor design, the MagnumLite rotor provides a 14% weight reduction in conjunction with an improved balance that ensures low rotor inertia and rapid reel response every time.
New for 2021, Exsence provides enhanced cranking power and silky-smooth operation with Shimano’s HAGANE Gear and MicroModule Gear II. The cold-forged HAGANE Gear is more dense and durable than machine-cut or die-cast gears, providing supreme durability. MicroModule Gear II technology represents the culmination of an exacting refinement of every gear surface and tooth, delivering effortless operation with minimum sound.
Exsence delivers the ultimate in fish-fighting flexibility with its onboard Rapid Fire Drag system, perfect for situations when anglers need to adjust the reel’s drag force rapidly. The Rapid Fire Drag technology is especially effective for anglers finesse fishing with light line where a high drag setting can be used for the hookset and then quickly decreased when fighting the fish.
Shimano designed the Exsence reel body to optimize reel performance while minimizing angler effort and fatigue. Exsence is encased within the light – yet rigid – HAGANE Body to eliminate flex and deliver maximum reeling efficiency and power transmission. Simultaneously, the reel’s all-magnesium HAGANE Body construction makes Exsence lighter for reduced fatigue. Shimano’s X-Protect technology guards Exsence against the corrosive effects of saltwater intrusion and provides added protection while fighting fish in the toughest of conditions. By combining exclusive repellent coatings with unique, water channeling labyrinth construction, X-Protect provides high-level water resistance without sacrificing the silky-smooth operation that anglers expect from Shimano.
Arriving this spring to tackle retailers, the two new Exsence models are ready to elevate the inshore fishing experience to an entirely new level. When hunting for gator trout or a throng of flounder, choose the EXSC3000MHG (MSRP $539.99) with its 6.0:1 gear ratio, 11+1 ball bearings, 20-pound max drag, and capacity for 150 yards of 10-pound test PowerPro. For bull reds in the marsh or bonito on the rocks, step up to the EXS4000MXG (MSRP $549.99), with a higher gear ratio for faster retrieves, room for 110 yards of 30-pound test PowerPro on the spool, and an even more powerful drag system to halt powerful runs and bring more fish to hand. Learn more about Exsence by visiting fish.shimano.com.
Key Features: Shiman Exsence
SilentDrive
Long Stroke Spool
Rigid Support Drag
One-Piece Bail (Ti)
X-Ship
Aero Wrap II
G-Free Body
Propulsion Line Management System
S A-RB
Exsence Retails for $539.99 – $549.99
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.