Daiwa Cast'izm Feeder reel - "stuff of dreams"
If you’re looking for the best possible distance-casting feeder reel, check out the latest stuff of dreams from Daiwa – the Cast’izm Feeder.
Designed around the proven spool geometry of the original Cast’izm, this ‘super shallow spool’ edition has been specifically designed for use with thinner diameter mainlines.
As you might expect from a top-end Daiwa reel, features abound. Its super-tough Zaion body is incredibly lightweight, and is matched with Air Rotor, Air Bail and HIP High Impact Line Clip, alongside a precision QD front spool. These features make it ideal for all big-fish work when using distance feeder tactics.
A major advantage the new Cast’izm Feeder has over the original model is the refinement of the LC spool lip. This is said to assist control of your line release on the cast, thus providing the optimum amount of line travel without causing unwanted backlash. Basically it will help you to cast those extra few yards that could make all the difference at the end of the day.
Price: £250
Specs
Weight: 15.2oz
Ratio/Crank: 4.7:1/96cm
Bearings: Four
Line capacity: 150m of 0.28mm mono
Maximum drag setting: 12kg
DAIWA NINJA 3012A MATCH REEL
Looking for the perfect companion to the Daiwa Powermesh Float rod?
The eye-catching new front drag Ninja Match reels in 3012 and 4012 sizes are both suitable for floatfishing, although you may find the larger one a little bit
on the heavy side if you’re holding the rod for sustained periods.
Air Rotor, Twist Buster, Air Bail and a spare spool all come as standard, and geared-down oscillations furnish the reels with substantial retrieving power.
Price: £49.99
Daiwa 16 TDX Fishing Reels
BUY NOW for £250 from Chapmans Angling
Is it just me, or are these new Daiwa 16 TDXs the best-looking match, pleasure and specialist reels ever to grace these pages?
Yes, they do carry the sort of price taglikely to draw a ‘you’re having a laugh’ comment from the wife, and telling her they’re must-have kit will cut precious little ice, believe you me.
But just look at them… like puppies in a pet shop window, they’re irresistible!
The all-new bells-and- whistles 16 TDX reels (the number 16 refers to their year of introduction by Team Daiwa) arrived here in the UK a tad late – but they’ve been well worth waiting for.
Their striking red-and-black looks are matched by technical credentials that wouldn’t look out of place inside the cockpit of Sebastian Vettel’s F1 car.
Zion carbon bodies and rotors offer super-lightweight handling, but with more strength and power than any aluminium-bodied reel.
Housed within is a gear alignment system with zero distortion, no matter what the weight loading, matched with rotation so smooth that stirring your morning cuppa feel like hard work by comparison.
If that still doesn’t impress, then check out the other patented Daiwa features – precision Quick front drag system, HIP high-impact line clip, Air-bail, Twist Buster and Digi-Gear.
The icing on the cake (and not before time) is a spare spool included as standard.
There are six 16 TDX reels to choose from, with single and double handle options, enough body sizes to suit all angling styles, and even a high-speed version, sure to find favour with the discerning lure angler.
Mark Sawyer
BUY NOW for £250 from Chapmans Angling
Daiwa TDM fishing reel
These eye-catching new Daiwa TDM reels should set match angler’s hearts racing. In a classy matt-black and deep red livery, the full TDM range has five models in all, the powerful TDM 4012 QDA (shown here) being the largest.
All feature the latest Quick Drag system. In the event of aggressive runs from big fish, line is given freely without over-runs, and rods are saved from being dragged in. The adjustment is so precise that little more than a half-turn from left to right on the front of the spool instantly puts you back in charge.
This QD system, much favoured by carp anglers who prefer big pit-style reels to freespools, is sure to catch on quickly with match anglers who visit waters renowned for their big, power-packed carp – Boddington and Earlswood reervoirs spring to mind.
The aluminium-bodied TDM reels with single and double handle options are up there with Daiwa’s very best. To Twist Buster line retrieve and super-smooth Digigear meshing, lightweight Air Rotor balance and durable hollow metal Airbail arms you can add mono-friendly line clips. These are ideal when fishing a Method feeder at range or for short to medium range bomb work.
PAY AROUND
£159.99
Daiwa EM MS fishing reels
PAY AROUND
£155 SSP
Daiwa's recently released EM MS limited edition reels were originally intended to appeal mainly to discerning lure and sea anglers.
All five in the range boast a raft of features such as the latest Automatic Tournament front drag system, graphite Air Rotor, and super-lightweight yet tough Zaion-built body.
These combine with proven Daiwa technical wizardry such as Digigear (which makes for smoother rotation and meshing of the gears) and Twist Buster (combining an oversized line roller with clever rotor geometry to eliminate up to 90 per cent of line twist).
The winding power of these EM MS reels is quite phenomenal, not to mention a faultlessly flat line lay with mono up to 10lb. So it's little wonder that they are being snapped up by all-round feeder fans or specialist barbel and big-fish hunters from the freshwater fraternity.
Daiwa Black Widow reels review
Left: Black Widow LD. Right: Black Widow 25A
Black Widow LD
Aluminium spool
Graphite body
Graphite rotor
Twistbusterv
Infinite Anti-Reverse
85cm line per handle crank
Price: £79.99
Black Widow 25A
Graphite body
Line-friendly line clip
Abbreviated drag range
Twistbuster
Metal handle
Infinite Anti-Reverse
Price: £64.99
Keen carp anglers on a budget should keep an eye peeled for Daiwa’s superb value Black Widow reels, including the new all-black 25A version.
This combines impressive looks with technical features including an abbreviated drag for swift engagement of freespool mode, a line-friendly clip giving perfect distance casting control, and a robust, light, graphite body.
This latest member of the Black Widow clan also delivers a geared-down retrieve of 4.6:1 that recovers 92cm of line for every turn of the handle.
The larger-bodied LD Black Widow reel has a tapered ‘bucket’ spool holding an impressive 530m of 0.35mm line, making it the ideal tool for when baits are rowed out beyond casting range.
Daiwa Emblem BR25A reel
PAY AROUND
£199.99
Aimed at the growing army of river barbel enthusiasts, this reel is built around the same compact chassis as the award-winning but strangely named Cast’izm.
Being smaller, it’s ideal for use with specialist barbel and big-fish rods, as well as lighter carp set-ups.
It cranks in an impressive 107cm per handle turn, and a host of features include Ultimate Tournament Drag, High Impact line clip and Air Rotor – arguably the best freespool reel Daiwa has yet produced.
Daiwa Tournament QDA reel
PAY AROUND
£350
If you like the look of this new reel, wait until you get to pick it up! The modern shape combines sleekly with all-black livery in a big pit that serious carp anglers will appreciate.
Its aluminium body delivers solid gear meshing when under load tension and a geared-down retrieve generates serious winding power. The lightweight Air Rotor makes for an easier winding start-up, and a QD front drag system and HIP line clip complete its ‘must-have’ design.
Daiwa Black Widow reel
PAY AROUND
£79.99
Another new big-pit from the Daiwa stable, the Black Widow has dark good looks, high performance and a low price ticket.With its geared-down retrieve it delivers immense winding power, hauling in 85cm of line per crank of the ergonomic handle.
The enormous tapered bucket-style spool holds 530m of 0.35mm diameter line, making it an excellent reel for when baits need to be rowed out beyond casting distance.
Daiwa Cast'izm BR 25A reel
TECH SPEC
Weight: 512g
Ratio: 5.3:1
Line capacity: 270m of 0.35mm
Spool: Compact Cast’izm 25mm spool concept
Features: Redesigned BR system, Mag Sealed, Air Rotor, Air Bail, Twistbuster, six ball-bearings, aluminium spare spool
PAY AROUND
£299.99
Daiwa has just introduced the second generation of its mini big pit reels in the form of this new Cast’izm BR.
The reel is the company’s first mini big-pit, freespool model, developed, refined and field-tested with the UK Korda team, and finished samples are already seeing plenty of action in the hands of top carpers Darrell Peck and Danny Fairbrass.
Despite its modest size, the Cast’izm BR eats up to 107cm of line in one handle turn. Unique features include a special Mag Sealed rotor which is protected from the intrusion of soluble debris and fine abrasives, resulting in a long life and smooth action.
“The Cast’izm BR freespool is designed around the proven spool geometry of the Cast’izm ‘mini big pit’ offering the best of both worlds,” said Daiwa marketing manager Steve McCaveny.
Daiwa Legalis 1500HA Reel
PAY AROUND
£79.99
New for 2015, the Legalis reel family has five members of which the 1500HA is the smallest. But far from being the runt of the litter, this tiny terrier has an uncompromising tenacity which belies its petite form.
For test purposes one of the spools (it comes with a spare) was loaded with a very fine (0.12mm) braid, which makes the casting of light weights much easier and transmits plenty of feeling. Braid also has a clear advantage over mono lines when using lures because its lack of stretch puts you in direct contact with the fish when you get a take, so setting the hook is a quick and clean process.
However, the downside to braid mainlines is that they will take their toll on any reel not up to the job. Both line-lay and bail-arm pick-up has to be perfect, quick and precise if tangles are not to result. I can happily report that after several weeks of near constant use either side of the live test, not a single tangle could be blamed on the reel.
It’s also important that the line roller guide is top-quality to prevent the braid from cutting in, an area of expertise in which major reel producers such as Daiwa and Shimano really do excel. After close inspection not so much as a scratch was to be seen on the Twistbuster line guide. Other top features on this model include a lightweight Air Rotor system, a hard-wearing aluminium body and machine cut handle built to last and a quick 6.0:1 gear ratio that’s ideal for fishing small lures. And the whole lot weighs only 8.5oz.
Daiwa Saltiga SG6000GT, SG6500 and SG6500H
PAY AROUND
£1,199
Daiwa and top quality reels go hand in hand and from a company that’s produced such legends as the Basia for carpers and the TDR range for match and pleasure anglers comes two stunning new releases for salt and freshwater anglers – and boy are they good!
The Saltiga and Exist range were showcased by the Scottish giants at Japanese trade shows to rave reviews and they landed in Europe at the big Carrefour National Pêche et Loisirs show in France a few weeks back to equal levels of excitement. They’re not cheap but they really do represent the vanguard of reel design and are simply stunning – no further words are needed to describe the range.
For the freshwater angler, the Exist offers two models, the 2506 and 3012 and they’re capable of feeder, float and light carp and predator work including spinning, packed with Daiwa’s award-winning technologies to produce an unbelievably light yet powerful and durable reel.
The machined Zaion body, Daiwa Air Rotor and Daiwa Air Spool technology comes as standard coupled with the Mag Sealed magnetic oil system and a staggering 12 CRBB bearings, meaning the Exist is almost entirely corrosion proof to make it last a life time. A real innovation in particular is the Mag Sealed line roller that does away with line twist while removing any chance of corrosion of the roller’s bearing, which can render a reel useless when it goes! Smooth on the cast and even smoother on the retrieve, you’ll also find the Ultimate Tournament Drag for playing big fish with ease plus a line clip and aluminium machine cut handle with coated cork handle knob.
Moving on to the Saltiga, there’s 11 reels in the range that have been extensively tested for fresh and saltwater lure fishing in countries such as Japan, the USA and New Zealand and are certain to be a hit for lure and sea anglers on home soil.
Beautifully light to complement the slender kit used for this type of fishing, the key feature of the Saltiga range is their resistance to salt water corrosion, which does for many reels within 12 months of use but with the space age Mag Sealed magnetic oil system, a strong seal is formed to prevent water intrusion between the reel’s rotor and body.
Light it may be but the Saltist has bags of power to take on pike, zander and sea species like bass with Digigear™ digital gear design, a 15 bearing system for utter smoothness on cast and retrieve, automatic rotor brake, Ultimate Tournament Carbon drag for putting the brakes on hooked fish and a sealed two bearing line roller.
Saltiga reels will be available in the UK from April 2015 and the Exist models from May 2015.
Daiwa Legalis Reel
PAY AROUND
£79.99
Apparently this reel is not to be pronounced ‘leg-less’ and I was severely rebuked for suggesting that it was for weekends only. Between them, the five models offer an ideal choice of body sizes that will cope with all fishing methods. Boasting fast retrieve rates of up to 6.0:1 as well Daiwa Twistbuster line rollers and Digigear drive mechanisms, the reels come with a spare spool.
Daiwa Exceler Reel
PAY AROUND
£99.99
The latest Exceler range offers improved features, more choice of model size, and a lower price than before. All five models share the same precision-moulded aluminium body for enhanced performance, feel and durability. A new lightweight graphite rotor has also been incorporated, helping to deliver a smoothness of rotation and retrieve that belies its cost. A spare spool is included.