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Daiwa is known and respected for making affordable, well-made, reliable fishing reels. The reels are also known for their longevity. Whether you’re looking for a simple spincast reel for pond fishing, a baitcasting reel for bass, or a surf spinning reel for stripers, you’re sure to find something here. These are the best Daiwa reels for all types of fishing.
Best Spincast: Daiwa Goldcast
Best Spinning: Daiwa Revros LT
Best Baitcaster: Daiwa Tatula CT
Best Trolling: Daiwa Lexa 300/400 Line Counter
Best Budget: Daiwa Sweepfire
Best Spincast: Daiwa Goldcast
Specs
Type: Spincast
Ball Bearings: 1BB
Gear Ratio: 4.1
Weight: 9.3 – 12.2 oz
Pros
Very easy to use
Almost tangle free
Surprisingly durable
Cons
Limited for some techniques
The easiest fishing reel to use is a spincast reel. You press and hold a button, then release it when making a cast, allowing your line to come off the spool. Spincast reels sit on the top of the fishing rod—just like a baitcasting reel—but the components are covered by an outer cone with a hole at the top. That prevents dirt and grime from getting into the reel’s gearing, and allows line to come out aligned with the reel’s guides.
Spincast reels are ideal for beginner fishermen. They are easy to learn how to use, and there’s little that can go wrong in terms of bird’s nests and tangles. That said, serious anglers like spincasters because they are easy to make pinpoint casts—you simply press the button to stop the line from coming out. That’s an advantage when fishing weed beds with small openings.
The Goldcast features a metal body, which is much more durable than plastic, which is found on many other spincasters. The handle can be placed on either side, so both lefties and righties can use it. The Goldcast is a solid choice for a long lasting spincaster.
Best Spinning: Daiwa Revros LT
Specs
Type: Spinning
Bearings: 4BB, 1RB
Gear Ratios: 5.2:1 – 6.2:1
Weight: 7.4 – 9.9 oz
Pros
Good price point
Excellent gearing
Good for finesse techniques
Cons
Spool is a hair shallow
The Daiwa Revros LT Spinning Reel is constructed with lightweight carbon material. It’s very lightweight and smooth. A machined aluminum handle and powerful gearing make for a strong reel.
Spinning reels have become ubiquitous in freshwater and saltwater fishing, because they are easy to use, reliable, and can be made small to handle very thin line, or large for extremely heavy line. They are not as easy to learn how to cast as a spincaster, but most people pick it up in less than an hour of practice. Spinning reels won’t tangle as easily as baitcasters do, and with the right maintenance, will last a long time—especially a Daiwa.
Best Baitcaster: Daiwa Tatula CT
Specs
Type: Baitcasting
Bearings: 7BB+1
Gear Ratios: 6.3:1 – 8.1:1
Weight: 7.2 oz
Pros
Incredibly lightweight
Great for cranking and jigging
Buttery smooth casting
Cons
Higher price point
The Daiwa Tatula CT Casting Reel is a great option to pair with almost any bass rods. You can use it to throw crankbaits, plastics, topwater lures, jigs, and more. It’s light but strong and features Daiwa’s signature T-Wing System, which allows for long free-spool casts while also reducing backlashes.
There are several good reasons to go with a baitcaster. Baitcast reels sit on top of the rod and release the line directly off of the spool and through the guides. Because the line spool sits perpendicular to the rod, the line doesn’t need to turn 90 degrees, as it does on spincast and spinning rods. That practically eliminates the chance of the line kinking. It also makes it easy to control casts, by using your thumb to control the amount and the speed of the line coming off of the spool.
The hardest part about using a baitcaster is making sure the spool doesn’t let out more fishing line than is necessary. When too much line comes out too quickly, it can gather in a backlash. But for the experienced angler, baitcast reels have several key benefits. You have more line control, which can pay dividends when you’re casting. The reels also can hold heavier fishing line for their size than spinning reels, and are stronger and better equipped to put the brakes on bigger fish. The learning curve is higher than that for spinning reels, but if you want to fish for big largemouth bass and other powerful species with big lures, a baitcaster is the reel to get.
Best for Trolling: Daiwa Lexa 300/400 Line Counter
Daiwa Lexa 300/400 Line Counter Reel
Specs
Type: Conventional trolling
Bearings: 2RBB, 4BB, 1RB
Gear Ratios: 5.5:1 – 6.3:1
Weight: 8.5 – 16.6 oz
Pros
Useful for fresh or salt
Smooth operation
Quality line counter
Cons
Expensive
The Daiwa Lexa Line Counter conventional reel is a high-quality option for trolling. The sturdy aluminum frame is durable, and the mechanical line counter is precise and reliable. Daiwa’s Infinite Dual Anti-Reverse means you can set the hook with real power.
If you do a lot of trolling, whether it’s from a big boat or a small kayak, a trolling reel will make the process easier. A trolling reel is necessarily strong, because it has to handle the pull of a lot of line behind the boat along with the weight of the lure—and, according to the plan, a fish. Daiwa makes trolling reels with manual line counters, which enable you to cover various water depths and put lures where you find biting fish. Premium trolling reels have electric line counters, making it easier for you to get and keep your lures in the strike zone.
Best Budget Daiwa Sweepfire
Specs
Type: Spinning
Bearings: 2
Gear Ratios: 4.6:1 – 5.5:1
Weight: 6 – 22 oz
Pros
Affordable
Versatile
Varied sizes
Cons
Not the most rugged
Daiwa makes an array of fishing reels that are offered at all price points. With premium reels, you’ll get high-quality material and more bells and whistles. But the brand is really well known for its budget reels. If you’re looking to save a dime, Daiwa is a great fishing reel manufacturer to choose.
What do you get from a budget reel? In short, performance. Inexpensive reels from the company are well made and tend to be quite smooth. That said, you will still likely run into the same shortcomings that you find with other budget reels. The reel may not last for many years, and may be heavier than more expensive reels. The price of the Sweepfire is so low it looks like a typo. It still boasts a sturdy aluminum spool and a digital gear design. It’s a great starter reel for fishing lakes and ponds for bass, pickerel, walleyes, catfish, and more.
How We Picked the Best Daiwa Reels
These reels were chosen based largely on our own experiences fishing with the Daiwa brand. We’ve used their reels for a variety of fishing scenarios over the years, and we’ve really gotten to know the brand. When choosing the best ones for this list, we also considered the following:
Case Use: What angling scenario is this rod best for? Are there specific species we’d target with it?
Reel Type: What type of reel is it? How does the performance compare to other reels of this type we’ve used?
Weight: How heavy is the reel? Is it offered in multiple size configurations?
Value: Does the quality of the components match what Daiwa is asking for this reel?
What To Consider When Choosing a Daiwa Reel
The considerations for Daiwa reels are much the same as they are for choosing any fishing reel. First, you’ll want to think practically about the type of fishing you’ll be doing, and how heavy of a reel you’ll need. Obviously, the bigger the target species, the more rugged a reel required. Daiwa has such an extensive line, there is something in it for just about every style of angling.
Think about the lures and baits you plan to use. For instance, a heavy Texas-rigged plastic worm is better suited for a baitcasting unit. While finesse techniques such as a drop shot call for a lighter spinning rig. The weight of the lure largely affects the style of lure needed.
History of Daiwa Reels
Daiwa reels have been around for quite some time. The fishing supplies company made its first Daiwa spinning reel in 1955. Daiwa is a Japanese company, and like that country’s car manufacturers Toyota and Honda, it’s known for its products’ reliability and innovation. The company pioneered the use of carbon fiber material in fishing equipment. The reels are recognized for their ruggedness and reliability. Here’s how to choose the best Daiwa reel for you.
FAQs
Q:Where are Daiwa reels made? Daiwa reels are made at several different factories in Asia. The company is based in Japan.
Q: Are Daiwa reels any good? Daiwa reels are known for their reliability and longevity. The company produces budget reels, which it’s best known for, but it also has an array of high-end fishing reels.
Q: What is the best fishing reel for the money? The best fishing reel for the money depends on what it’ll be used for, and by whom. That said, Daiwa reels are always in the conversation when it comes to reliable reel brands.
Q: How long do Daiwa reels last on average? Properly cleaned and maintained, Daiwa reels can easily last for years. They are built from quality components and are rugged enough to take quite a bit of abuse. It’s one of the reasons the brand has such staying power with anglers.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re in the market for a spincast, spinning, baitcast, or trolling reel, Daiwa has several good options, most of which are affordable. With one of the best Daiwa reels, you can hit the water with confidence.
Why Trust Us
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
