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Saltiga Surf Spinning Reel
The most technically advanced dedicated surf fishing reel Saltiga Surf Spinning Reel “The first fish I ever caught was a small tailor at the age of five and that triggered my lifelong passion for the sport”. Starting off, as most kids do, with a basic handline and a small tackle box, over the years Jamie progressed through to using a variety of threadline, overhead and flyfishing tackle. “Even at an early age, I soon realized that higher quality tackle is advantageous. This lead to a keen interested in the design and structural qualities of reels and I developed a distinct preference for reels manufactured to the very highest of standards. Inferior tackle just wasn’t for me. That’s why I chose a Daiwa for my first dedicated surf fishing reel. That model was a silver series 7000 threadline, which caught me plenty of tailor, salmon and bream at the time”. Now, after some twenty five years of beach fishing experience Jamie’s preference for a dedicated surf fishing reel is another Daiwa, also silver in color. Here is what Jamie had to say about the Saltiga surf threadlines; Regardless of the exact style of fishing I do, my tackle must perform well and be a pleasure to use. When you fish as much as me, you just don’t want to be holding onto inferior gear that may also be excessively weighty for extended periods of time. I simply refuse to fish with tackle that may be second rate in any way. So when the Daiwa Saltiga surf reels appeared on the market a few years ago I was immediately interested and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. Prior to buying the Saltiga, I had to choose which model best suited my requirements, the 4500 or 6000? At first, I thought the smaller model may be the better choice as it weighs 15 grams less. However, when I picked up the 6000 model I simply could not believe that a reel of this size could weigh so little. Because of the extra line capacity and slower, more powerful gear ratio, I chose the 6000 to use off my local beaches for mulloway, tailor and salmon. I spooled the Saltiga up with 200 metres of mono with another 300 metres of 10 kilo braid on top and matched it up with a 3 meter custom built graphite rod. This made up an incredibly lightweight outfit that would be well and truly capable of dealing with the largest mulloway ever likely to be encountered. Apart from the weight factor, the very first thing that became apparent was that the design of the Saltiga’s spool meant that it actually increased my average casting distance by roughly ten percent, without changing any other part of my system or casting technique. Secondly, this reel felt amazingly smooth. In fact the Saltiga surf feels every bit as smooth to wind as a small high end threadline like a Certate or Luvias. The incredible torque generated by the 3.6:1 gear ratio meant that there was no noticeable fatigue on myself or the reel as I dealt with fish like large salmon, tailor or mulloway. Even winding a bait or lure back in felt more like retrieving bare line. It’s difficult to describe such a feeling, but it’s a bit like winding a cushion of air! Another important aspect of dealing with large fish off the beach is how a reel’s drag system performs. The Saltiga is fitted with 4 large metal washers and 5 fiber washers, which are sealed off by a rubber ring to prevent water intrusion and capped off with a lightweight drag ratchet which acts as a fifth metal washer The drag knob is very large and as the knob is turned the clicker lets you dial in precise settings that won’t easily be bumped as you fish. The drag is rated to 15 kilos and I would certainly agree with that. After battling a number of mulloway, several very large eagle rays and sharks I’ve found it to perform very smoothly even under quite intense pressure. The bail arm and Twistbuster roller are also extremely well designed and braid friendly. The large line roller sits on two sets of corrosion resistant bearings so it rolls with exceptional ease. One large coil spring sits on a shaft to push the bail arm back into position after a cast is made and this mechanism is another very well made part of the reel that eliminates bail spring problems often associated with other large threadlines. The bail arm is manually opened and closed and the reel features a locking system which prevents the rotor and handle from turning when the bail arm is in the open position. So as a cast is made there is no chance of accidental bail closure, which I’ve seen happen with other large threadlines. Another design fault of some other large threadline reels is a weak anti reverse system. You won’t find such problems here. The oversized anti reverse roller bearing is backed up by a doubled up ratchet system. So even under the most intense pressure, I really can’t see this ever failing. Daiwa’s Digigear drive train is perfectly meshed and is supported by heavy duty corrosion resistant bearings. Another bearing supports a worm shaft oscillating system which ensures line is always neatly packed on the spool. All aspects of the internal mechanics have very fine tolerances and are well thought out, which is why this reel is so smooth. The air metal magnesium body has been ion treated to prevent corrosion and after using my 6000 for nearly two years now, I’m yet to notice even the slightest sign of corrosion on the body or any other part of the reel. In fact, it remains in as new condition. In summary, my opinion is that the Saltiga surf is by far the most technically advanced dedicated surf fishing reel on the market. It is also very stylish and a truly amazing reel to use. Even when the fish aren’t biting I continuously enjoy winding the handle or casting this reel. THE CHOICE The 6000 size, with its slower gear ratio is most suited to casting lures or large baits to big fish like mulloway or sharks, but is also right at home when it comes to casting pilchards or garfish baits to salmon, tailor or kingfish. The incredibly large line capacity means that you could probably chase marlin or tuna with complete confidence as well. The 4500 model also holds a lot of line, but with a faster 4.1: 1 gear ratio it is ideal when spinning for tailor, salmon, kingfish, queenfish and the like. There is also no question that the 4500 will deal with even the largest of mulloway with ease. The 4500 only weighs 15 grams less than the 6000, so the main difference is the gear ratios. The choice is yours and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want not one, but two Saltiga surf reels. That’s how impressive they are.