DAIWA SALTIST REEL

[Corr]

In my youth you could use any type of reel, as long as it was a Pen49 (a) and did they last & last and pull many Yellowtail. I wonder how many of you still know what they look like?

After an absence from fishing for a number of years I started again in 1990 and quickly saw that there were far better and lighter Japanese reels around and bought a Daiwa SL50SH. I now own 4 of them and the original one I bought is very badly worn, but anyone who sees what I do with them, will understand that they are extremely rugged.

We now again have newer generation reels, with anti reverse bearings, smoother retrieves, butter smooth drag systems and stronger everything.

Last week I impulsively purchased a Daiwa Saltist 40. It has a beautiful drag, very smooth and it breaks free without any snatching, has lots of lb pull, it is probably what most anglers dream of in a drag. Guess what, I have an unexpected problem, you can not tighten it as much as I want. I now realize that the “old snatchy� drag systems that require a lot of pull to break free, are more suitable for my fishing then these fancy “new generation� ones. I don’t think the drag is defective, it is just that I do not think it is designed to produce more then a certain amount of pull, and you can not over tighten it, like some other reels.

I am sure the drag will quickly tire a small Tuna or Yellowtail in deep water, but when you want to tame a Yellowtail near underwater structure, you MUST stay in control of the fish, not the other way round. If he succeeds to get his head facing away from you, even a small one will pull you in to the kelp. These creatures are immensely strong (when they want to be), determined. and have an instinct to head for structures.

What I am saying is not a criticism of the reel, just an illustration of how different the needs of fishing can be.

Does anyone else own one of these reels and what do you think of it?

[pEsCaDoR]

though i am also a daiwa fan myself, i agree that with most of their new reels that are "designed for use with spectra lines" you will not be able to get the drag to lock down completely. maybe check out some of the midrange shimano line like the torium. they are comparable to each other but i believe the torium will lock down better than the saltist. or you may even dabble in the world of leverdrags.

[Corr]

pEsCaDoR
I have not heard guys that have the Torium complain, so I guess you're right at that.


I have usually spent my time making drags smoother, now Iwill have to learn to do the opposite.


I already have it better then it was at first.


A "friend" suggested 600 grit water paper washers...

[obm7]

I have a Saltist 30T, love the power and freespool. I can lock it down completely except it take more turns on the star drag than old Sealine to lock. I would suggest check a few others at the shop and see if you have any problems.

Also for the your type of application which I assume you need the sudden tied drag to turn the YT's head
check Avet's. They are lever drag but free spool awesome and you could go from Strike to Full drag lock in a matter of a second

[Corr]

Mine is a 40 H, 6.4:1, must look up the difference.


Very interesting that yours can lock. Does it have 4 washers?


I can not see any apparent reason why it wont tighten solidly and have had the mechanism on my workbench 4 times now. I am going to turn it in to a "dry" system using Smooth drag washers and see what happens.


I think it is a nice reel, it freespools beautifully, casts well (needs a fairly heavy weight) and pulls fish nicely as well, once you stopped them.

[JeremyTA]

wouldn't know the problem..im to broke to buy one hahaha<!--
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[KaiMan]

Corr,


The known issue from what I have read from other boards deals with too much grease getting into bevelle washers. Decreasethe grease a bit in these areas, and one should get more drag.

[Corr]

Thanks for the info on the drag and I will look at the lip on the washers.


The drag had the problem from day one. I got it to an acceptable level by removing grease from the washers as you also suggested. That grease is (Teflon I think)put there by the manufacturer. I also replaced one of the fiber washers with a “Smooth drag� one and reduced the space between the star lever and the last washer. I have also got used to fishing with a bit looser drag and actually find it acceptable now. Only when the fish gets close to shore do I have to tighten it up more, but it seems OK now.


Just beware, these fiber washers break easily!


Just something else you may find interesting, the clutch lever is made of a metal shaft in to a plastic lever. This breaks very quickly and the shaft starts to rotate within the plastic then the whole thing does not work. They are now sending me the second replacement so I can’t complain about the service.


They will have to re design the part.


I am still not sure if I really like the reel or not but time will tell. If anyone is considering purchasing a Saltist, chat to me first as I am using it everyday and should by then have a fair opinion on it.Edited by: Corr

[sourcreamnjive]

Ohhh, to fish everyday! You're so lucky....[img]smileys/[/img]

[Corr]

Originally Posted by sourcreamnjive

Ohhh, to fish everyday! You're so lucky....[img]smileys/[/img]

Not entirely true, in practice 4 to 5 days per week sometimes only for 2 or 3 hours at a time, in Summer.


The fishing here is very physical, if I fish a few consecutive days, all day, I crawl home[img]smileys/smiley11.gif[/img]