Fishing Tackle Trade Show 2011 - Daiwa New Releases

It's was a run and gun affair for us at the trade show this year. Two days on the Gold Coast and one of those being devoted to Compleat Angler meetings meant one day to do a three day show. That said we did manage to get around and see pretty much all of the big wholesalers as well as a few of the smaller niche companies.


Beacuse of the massive amount of product to discuss here we will do individual blogs for the big companies and then we'll do an overview of all the other goodies we found. Be aware though that this is just a sample of the new product that was released so come through, email or phone if you want to know what was released for your particular needs.
Daiwa was the first appointment that we had at the show so we figured that was as good a place as any to start off and as alwasy they had plenty on offer.

Saltiga 6500 (Available August)
The big news here was that the long awaited Saltiga 6500 in the new series has finally arrived. Cosmetically it looks the same as the smaller models released earlier in the year but the exciting news is that like the older models before it the drag stands at a whopping 30kilo (still not sure how you hang onto that) which will keep those throwing poppers at GTs, Stickbaits at monster Kings or Jigs at Samson fish happy. The reel features Mag Seal which eliminates water intrusion into the body enhancing both the feel and durability of the reel, Ultimate Tournament Drag to give you one of the smoothest and strongest drags on the market, Zaion Air Rotor to cut down weight while adding sensitivity and strength. Also included are tried and tested Daiwa features like Real Four, Hyper Digi Gear, Twistbuster II and a host of others. Once again this reel is available in a high 5.7:1 and a low 4.3:1 ratio.

Caldia U 2011 (Available December)
The Caldia series of reels have been a popular reel and here Daiwa have implemented some of the features from the 2010 series to really step up the quality. Zaion Composite body and rotor (which is becoming available in a lot more of Daiwa's reels) along with Mag Seal body and Waterproof UTD - Ultimate Tournament Drag have all been added to make this unbelievable value. The reels are much lighter in the hand which will win over a few that thought the older series a little heavy and are super smooth to wind. We feel that at the price this reel will see the death of the Luvias as we know it.

Ballistic (Available October)
Here again Daiwa have taken technology like Zaion and Air Rotor which were originally designed for their top end reels and used them in a mid priced reel. New technology here is the addition of Oil Seal. More economical to use than Mag Seal used in Certates, Saltigas and Caldias it still stops water intrusion to the body while maintaining the smoothness that is lost when waterproof gaskets are used.

Freams (Available August/September)
The Freams is, for all intents and purposes a slower geared version of the Ballistic. Beside the fact that the reel has fewer bearings the list of specs is almost identical from one to the other. For anglers looking for a great mid level reel to chase bream and trout this could well be the answer.

T-3 (Available September)
The problem of having a levelwind that allowed freedom of line off the spool while still able to lay it neatly through the retrieve has plagued reel manufacturers since level winds were first used. Many different systems have been employed to solve the problem and really none have ever achieved it. Daiwa's T-3 is the first of Daiwa's low profile bait casters to incorporate TWS or T-Wing System. This unique T shaped level wind allows more freedom during the cast but locates the line into the small center slot while retrieving line. This keeps the line evenly laid onto the spool keeping things more balanced and neater overall. If we have one concern with this system (and we are splitting hairs here) it's that the center slot is so narrow that a lot of leader knots wouldn't fit through. Not that big a deal given that most anglers using bait casters keep that knot out of the level wind during the cast anyway but it is something to consider when buying the reel. The reels also feature a Zaion body that is not only light but extremely strong and rigid which helps transmit signals from the rod through to the hand. Better feel means more fish.......simple as that.

T-3 Ballistic (Available October)
This is really just a spec'd down version of the T-3 with the main difference being fewer bearings, the lack of any CRBB bearings, a slightly heavier spool and the lack of the Titanium coated T-Wing System. That said the Ballistic still has 5BB, TWS, Zaion Body along with most of the other features of the top T-3 including Magforce 3D which gives you better adjustment over cast control than ever before. We really think this will be the reel that anglers go for being a little more user friendly on the wallet.

Pixy Type R (Available August)
This is Daiwa's Finesse bait caster (although with 4kg of drag it's no lightweight in the fighting stakes) and was designed for fishing ultralight lines and lures in high pressured water. The shallow Super Duralium spool will turn with even the lightest lures so meaning bream and trout anglers will be able to throw lures with pin point accuracy.

Saltiga Coastal & Dorado (New Models)

Saltiga rods have been an industry leader for several years and here again Daiwa's new models definitely impress. While they have made their name with heavy jig and popper rods we have always found it was the mid range rods that held more interest for us. So we're very happy with the new models. In the Dorado series we see 5 new models with all but one being rated for either 30 or 50lb braid. The exception is the SG BG 85S.F which is an 8'5" 80lb beast of a rod. Happily the rest of the rods will cast weights ranging from as light as 15 grams right through to 100 grams. The new addition to the Coastal range is the Deep 55S.F which at 5'5" and rated for 80lb and 400 gram jigs will be the new rod of choice for those chasing big Samsons, Doggies or Barrel size SBTs. All new rods feature X-Torque blanks and Fujis new Titanium SIC "K" series guides.

Saltiga S-Extreme (New Models)

This is the Saltiga range that was developed specifically for the Australian & NZ markets. This season Daiwa has added a few new models, importantly the Hiramasa 63S and A-Rounder 70S as well as an 8' Popper Rod and a 6' O.head Jig. More importantly with this range is that the price has now been reduced across the range without any drop in quality. There will also be a rolling change over to cosmetics over the coming season.

Steez Megatop Amraam

In the Daiwa Tournament range the Steez rods have always sat at the top of the heap. Last year the release of the Megatop rods with Solid Graphite tips had the light tackle world a buzz with talk of the extra sensitivity achieved. This year to round out the range Daiwa release the 6'8" one pieces ultralight Amraam. This is the lightest of the Steez range both physically (weighing only 99g) and in ability (with a line rating of 2-5lb). With water back in our lakes and rivers this rod will be well received by trout and bream anglers alike.

Black Label SSS Technical & Versatile (Available September)

One would think that the good folk at Daiwa built this range with the current great water levels around the country in mind........but they couldn't have. That said this season is the perfect season to be releasing this range. The trout season is set to be insane, the spring yellowbelly and redfin fishing should go off the radar and one would expect that bass fishing in NSW will be red hot too. So to have a mid level range of rods that mostly fall in the sub 10lb range is spot on. This is mostly a one piece range although there are 2 exceptions in the Versatile series. Daiwa rates these rods up with the Steez but where the Steez is designed for lightness these rods are designed purely for performance at a competitive price.

Shore Jigger (Available October)

Don't let the term "Jigger" throw you on this series. These are serious heavy duty casting rods designed for big fish from the shore. 9'6" and 10'6" these rods are long enough to throw a lure a long distance but with a 97% Carbon blank that keeps weight down you'll be able to put in a long session on the stones without the same level of fatigue associated with heavier rods. Fuji SIC P frame K series guides help minimize casting issues as well as keep line friction to a minimum. With maximum rating of 20lb and 30lb respectively there's plenty of scope for spinning up anything from Salmon and Kings down south to Tuna, Mackerel and GTs up north. Both rods are 2 piece so you can get them into those tricky rock locations you mountain goat anglers love so much.

Lateo Pirate (Available October)

While the Shore Jigger is Daiwa's ultimate shore based casting rod the Lateo Pirate offers way more variety while still maintaining excellent form and function. What you get here is a great range of rods for shore based spinning still featuring 97% carbon blanks. The guides have been down spec'd to K Series Alconites which will still reduce casting issues. The rods have also been built with a minimalist approach to keep weight down........something you'll be thankful of after a few hours of spinning.

Linear Surf (Available August)

The Linear Surf is Daiwa's only new release of Surf rods this season and replaces the old Heartland-A Surf rods. For lovers of cork this is your rod. AAA Cork butts give this rod plenty of feel and the use of IM7 Carbon keeps the weight and costs down when compared to the older Tournament Master Surf and Sensor Surf. So this is not a high priced rod and the costs have been reduced further with the use of std Alconite guides. If you're looking for a top quality surf rod without the associated cost of one this could be for you.

Monster Mesh Max (New Models Available October)

Last years release of the Monster Mesh Max rods was greatly accepted for their actions, durability and performance at a very affordable price. The only issue then was that the rods were all short jigging rods. Daiwa address that this season with the release of a 7'2" Spin rod rated for PE 3-6 and an 8'3" Popper rod rated for PE 8. A little more expensive than the jig version they are still excellent value for dollar.
So there's a taste of all new things Daiwa. We understand it can be confusing trying to pick and choose through such a vast range so if you have any questions please get in touch with us at any time and we'll see what we can do to narrow down the options.
Keep an eye out for the Shimano rundown and as well as the rest of the Trade Show wrap-up that will follow over the coming week or so.

For more information contact the team at Compleat Angler Melbourne
P: (03) 9620 3320
E: melbourne@compleatangler.com.au
W: www.compleatanglermelbourne.com.au

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