Revolutionary one handed slack pickup and twitchin' with the
Daiwa Viento
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Date: |
8/17/05 |
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Tackle type: |
Reels |
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Manufacturer: |
Daiwa |
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Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 9.0 + INNOVATION AWARD!
Introduction:
Daiwa is among the very
first reel manufacturers to officially release their new 2006 products. In a
surprise move the company announced availability of the Viento, Luna, and SOL &
Fuego spinning reels at the Bassmaster classic, just days after the conclusion
of ICAST. The Viento is a unique baitcaster that sports more than just a
new-fangled paint job and profile. This reel’s innovative integrated “twitchin’
bar” is designed to change the very way that anglers bring baitcasters into play
when targeting bass.
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Daiwa TD
Viento
Specifications |
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Line Capacity (lb/yds) |
12/120, 14/100 |
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Gear Ratio |
6.3:1 |
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Weight |
8.3 oz. |
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Bearings |
6BB + 1RB |
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Additional Features |
Twitchin' Bar,
Free floating perforated aluminum spool, Magforce, infinite anti reverse,
low profile, seven disc
composite drag,
titanium nitride line guide aperture, precision machined high strength alloy
gears |
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MSRP |
$199.99 |
Impressions: Keeping
with the tradition of Spanish element names like the Sol and Fuego, this new
baitcaster is pertinently named the Viento. In Spanish “Viento” means “wind” and
the name seems to fit the intense blue color and the key features of this reel.
Recent Daiwa reels certainly have become colorful, a major departure from the
silver and gold traditional Daiwa’s in the past. The colors make identifying
combos quicker, but what we are also seeing is that each Daiwa baitcaster really
does seem to have it’s own style and personality. The Sol is sleek and
purposeful, while the Fuego is robust for a magnesium based reel and also rather
multi-talented in nature. So what type of traits would the new Viento display?
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Introducing
the SUV of Daiwa's baitcast lineup, the new Viento |
The Field Tests: The
Viento was high up on our list of new reels we really wanted to get out on the
water for an actual test after seeing the product firsthand in Las Vegas. We
spooled the reel up with 12lb Sufix Elite and head out on the California Delta
and two local lakes for some serious “twitchin.” While the reel is principally
designed for jigs and plastics we also wanted to see how well the twitchin’ bar
would handle jerkbaits and topwater lures.
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Complete Rig
for Daiwa TD Fuego Field Tests |
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Rod |
GLoomis GLX BCR803 |
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Reel |
TD Viento |
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Line(s) |
12lb. Sufix Elite |
Casting: Before
spooling up line we played with the twitchin’ bar and found that if you
depressed the bar slowly the spool would advance at a predictable and constant
rate. If you press down on the bar aggressively and promptly the spool would
actually go into a prolonged spin. The handle rotates when the twitchin’ bar is
activated and with a firm push we were actually able to spin the handle all the
way around. It was for this reason that we began to become really inspired and
wonder what would happen if we tied a jerkbait at the end of the line.
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Basic
components, the Viento features a aluminum frame and right sideplate |
Casting
distance with our ½oz test plug was pretty respectable. We were able to cast our
test plug nearly 120 feet with 12lb line in light wind conditions. The casting
doesn’t seem as effortless as the SOL but the reel does seem to start up rather
smoothly. Cast control isn’t as refined as the Fuego or SOL’s Magforce Z system
as the Viento makes use of the older but still reliable traditional Magforce. As
with many of the latest Daiwa reels adjusting the cast control with one finger
on the fly was quick and easy. Because of the quick startup of the perforated
spool the Viento felt right at home casting smaller jigs and plastics when it
came time to actually start fishing. Overall I found the Viento simple to cast
and quite accurate when it came to tossing ¼ oz weighted lures and up.
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The Viento
with perforated aluminum spool |
Retrieving: Let the fun begin! The Viento underwent a wider variety of
retrieve tests than any other baitcaster we have tested to date. Before heading
out to the water we tested the twitchin’ bar in our test tank where we could
visually see exactly how lures react when the feature is activated. We noticed
immediately that the spool spin we were able to generate when there was no lure
tied on was instantly altered once we had weight at the end of the line. You
actually can feel the weight of your lure at the end of the line. While this is
a good thing it also means that you draw in a lot less line then we normally
projected. Pressing the twitchin’ bar slowly eases in 4 inches of line, a quick
press draws in more line, but overall retrieve is affected by the weight and
type of lure you are using. We found that pushing down slowly on the bar creeps
lures forward but they remained on or close to the bottom of the tank. If we
mashed down on the bar even a ¾oz jig would surge up and forward in a brisk
underwater vault then settle back down on the bottom. I’ve never seen a jig
react so much like a retreating craw in my life. We then tried to replicate the
same effect with a standard setup using the rod to twitch the jig up and forward
while retrieving. While we were able to produce a similar effect it was awfully
tricky to create the same effect repeatedly. With the Viento all it took was the
push of a button.
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The aluminum
frame houses the twitchin bar, notice the twitchin' bar's spring on the
inside of the frame |
After seeing what we could do
in the test tank we head out to the Delta and some local lakes to twitch for
fish. We tied on a purple 1/2oz Rodstrainer jig and began our tests. On the
forth cast as we were twitching the lure back we suddenly felt resistance on our
line. What we initially thought was an unfortunate run in with structure turned
out to be a 3lb bass. The twitchin’ bar had not only created fish catching
action but “set” the fish in the process! While very cool this wasn’t the norm
during our test. Most fish took the jig after the lure settled in between hops.
Rather than use the twitchin’ bar to bring the lure all the way back to the
surface once we felt the lure had exited the key strike zone we used the normal
handle and hauled the lure back in. We found the twitchin’ feature very
effective for fishing both traditional jig and jig and worm setups.
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The Viento
makes use of original Magforce cast control technology |
Retrieve continued...
