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Daiwa Big Bait Special Rod

Author: Rob Belloni

Rod Length: 7'9"
Line Rating:
12-30
Number of Guides: 9
Materials: Graphite

Overview: Like some of the popular G Loomis rods often used for swimbaits, this Diawa rod is labeled as a back bouncing rod for Salmon. It's a 7'9" graphite blank with a medium action, cork handle, Fuji reel seat, and aluminum oxide guides.

Pros: This blank retails for a bottom basement price. Coming in around $65, it's about as cheap a rod as you can find that will adequately throw a big bait. For an angler who wants a rod dedicated to throwing swimbaits but doesn't want to make a real investment yet, this is a good place to start. The price is the number one reason to buy this rod.

The rod is rated 1 to 8oz and 12 to 30lb test. Honestly I would not throw 30lb test on this rod unless it was braid. This rod will fish 25lb ok, but really feels right when you put a 20lb reel on it. I also would not try casting any 8oz lures with it. This rod will fish most 9" baits just fine. When you get in to the 5 or 6oz size lures, it starts to overload the rod on the cast and it just isn't right. As a medium to light swimbait rod, it performs just fine.
When I demoed this rod, I wanted to keep it not just for swimbait stuff, but for a heavy c-rig, frog, and heavy crankbait rod. The blank is fairly light and the 7'9" size felt good in those applications. The rod feels good as a braided line rod also because it's a little bit whippy. Something for 50 or 65lb braid. It's always a plus if you can get some bonus usage out of a rod.

Cons: Ok so you are all wondering, at $65 is this thing a piece of junk or what? And the answer to that is no, it's not a piece of junk, but to a certain extent you get what you pay for.

You may notice in the spec that the rod only has 9 guides. It's a little skimpy and the spacing seems a little off with so few guides. The reel seat and cork handle are adequate, no problems there. The wraps are decent but not great.

My main gripe with the rod is the bounciness of the blank while casting a big bait. When you go to lob out a large lure on this rod, it will definitely wobble as the cast pays out. It just doesn't have the umph to make a strong fluid cast with the heavier lures. 5 inch and 7 inch baits should be no problem. Some of the 9" baits are not bad, but the heavy rubber ones start to overload the rod. It's not a bad rod, it's just a little light. For $65, we shouldn't complain too much!

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Copyright © Robert Belloni 1997-2012. All Rights Reserved.
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