Daiwa Reel Spools
Daiwa's spools are interesting enough on their own!
Whether you’re into uber-fashionable classic reels, or shiny space-age specials, the chances are that you’ve got a set of Daiwas. Just as its 20-year-old SS3000s, Longbeams and Procasters are discovered by a new generation of carp fashionistas, the Japanese giant continues to push the boundaries of what we thought possible in terms of reel technology. It’s not often we dwell on the out-and-out technological side of tackle design, but given that Daiwa now produces popular reels with spools in several different shapes and sizes, we thought we’d help you cut through to decide which might be best for you and your fishing…
The big questions
1. When is a spool not just a spool?
When it’s a Daiwa spool. Scratch below the surface (not literally, that’d be costly), and you’ll discover that they all look subtly different. Some are slightly shorter, some deeper and all serve different purposes. If you’ve never considered whether your reels are working for your style of angling, then it’s about time that you did, and we’re here to help. You see, when they design a reel, Daiwa has a particular end-user in mind. Now that might be a lot of people, or relatively few, indulging in specialist pursuits, and matching spool design to your fishing can make a big difference to your results.
2. Into your casting? Weight saving is key, right?
You need to be looking at the 45mm spools that Daiwa makes. We’re talking the shallow, high-performance jobbies that you’ll find on flagship reels like the Basia. They’re much shallower than some others, which allows significant weight savings that, in turn, allow you to move your rod and reel through the air much quicker, compressing the rod quicker and increasing your casting potential. Think of them as the high-performance car in the range, something like Audi’s R8. They look and feel amazing, but you need to look after them and they simply aren’t cut out for the rough and tumble of continental boat fishing for instance (apart from anything else, they just don’t have the line capacity).
3. So you like a bit of extreme boat work, in the most demanding conditions?
Okay, so you might be in a minority, but Daiwa does make reels with spools that suit your needs. You want to be looking at reels with a 35mm spool. They’re like the off-road car in the range, we’re thinking Audi A4 or Q5. Although the spool is shorter than the Basia-style 45mm, they carry a heck of a lot more line! Workhorse reels like the Windcast are examples of Daiwa’s with 35mm spools and they’re fearsomely robust. It’s no wonder Darrell Peck turned to them for his Orient escapades: they hold a prodigious amount of line, and they’re built to withstand being clanked around in boats and dragged through mud!
4. Okay, so you don’t know where you’ll be from one weekend to the next?
Then allow us to introduce the 25mm spool, it’s perfect for you. Think Audi A3: classy, yet suited to pretty much everyone. The compact Daiwa Cast-izm features a 25mm spool and, despite what you might think, they can be cast a hell of a long way. Darrell Peck was able to cast nearly as far with a Cast-izm as he was with a Basia. How? Well, each rotation of the Cast-izm handle pulls on 96cm of line - the same as a Basia. As a result it will cast a long way, even with such a compact body. That all means that you literally can be banging leads to the horizon one week, then fishing an intimate pond the next and your Cast-izm, and its 25mm spool, will not let you down.
5. Still undecided?
Well, we’d suggest taking them out for a spin! There’s nothing quite like trying before you buy, and many of the shows and open days now allow you to flex some carbon to see what suits you best!
The science behind the 25mm spool
Prior to the spring 2014 Cast-izm launch, Darrell Peck revealed he’d managed to cast within 4yds of his best chuck with a Basia. So how the hell does this match fishing-sized reel, the Cast-izm, achieve virtually the same distance as the big brute that is the Basia? Well, it’s for these three reasons…
(1) Firstly, it’s compact because of the shorter spool. The 25mm stroke size means Daiwa can get away with a shorter body. But (2) it still sports a spool diameter the same as the Basia (65mm), a 66mm spool skirt and a large (and rather clever) spool lip. (3) In essence, a higher spool diameter increases the efficiency of line release and reduces spool lip resistance. For the Cast’izm, Daiwa have combined these two features which has resulted in this spool diameter of 65mm and a spool taper angle of 2-degrees. This optimum spool shape combined with an improved lip profile delivers long distance casting with reduced line trouble. Combine those three elements together and you have a reel which is producing extraordinary casting results.