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Revolutionary one handed slack pickup and twitchin' with the
Daiwa Viento (continued)
  Now it was time to think
outside the box. We tied on a Rapala Husky Jerk and proceeded to use just one
hand and see if we could effectively run the hardbait. While the twitchin’ bar
was enough to bring life to the lure it took some serious thumb exercises to get
the lure to jerk to our satisfaction. In the case of this bait the use of the
standard handle still is preferable. Knowing this it would have been futile to
try and keep a buzzbait on the surface with the twitchin’ bar alone, but what if
we used a topwater lure like a small spook or popper? We found that the
twitchin’ bar was good enough to bring life to topwater lures in stillwater. While you
would still want to use an aggressive retrieve and plenty of rod movement in
windy conditions we were able to entice a number of fish to strike our surface
baits when they were twitched forward slowly on top of placid water.
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The Viento
is actually smaller than it looks and weighs in at 8.3 oz, that's .2 oz less
than the Team Daiwa Advantage |
In standard operation the
Viento is a fast reel with a 6.3:1 gear ratio, capable of drawing 26.4” of line
per turn. We played with the twitchin’ feature so much during our Viento field
tests that at times we even forgot that we had the option to retrieve in
traditional fashion simply by turning the handle. The twitchin’ bar is downright
addicting, and with practice you can twitch, crawl, or hop lures forward with
precise control.
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Adjust the
Magforce cast control on the fly |
Drag:
The Viento’s drag consists
of fiber composite discs sandwiched between stainless steel washers. There are 7
discs in all within the Viento's drag system. In our lab the drag delivered
6.1lbs of maximum drag counter pressure. In the field the drag felt near
identical to the Fuego’s, and line was stripped off the spool smoothly when we
got into decent fish. Drag adjustment is easy and precise with the micro-click
metal drag star.
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The Viento
sits higher than the SOL but is still rather low in profile |
Ergonomics:
The SOL reminds me of a
lustrous sports car the Viento is more akin to a capable SUV. The profile of the
Viento is wider in the front to accommodate the twitchin’ bar. For this reason
the reel takes on a squarer look and feel than the SOL or TD Advantage reels.
Comfort-wise the reel still isn’t much bigger than a Fuego and is easy to palm
when fitted on most rods. In fact, we found that palming the reel while
activating the twitchin’ bar with your thumb was the most comfortable way to
operate the trigger. The only thing we would have loved to see is an aluminum
twitchin’ bar instead of the coated plastic one. While aluminum would be
stronger and more refined the plastic bar didn’t display any signs of damage
when we deliberately over stressed it in both directions. The Viento makes use
of the same quality drag star, handle, and enlarged grips as the Fuego. In terms
of aesthetics the Viento isn’t as attractive as it’s gold and red siblings, but
makes up for it with plenty of personality.
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Talk about
an easy way to fish, anglers can retrieve lures with a baitcaster using just
one hand |
Durability:
The Viento does include
more non-drive gearing in its construction than other reels in order to support
the twitchin’ feature. We haven’t had time yet to conduct any long term tests
but up to this point the Viento has performed flawlessly. The reel makes use of
all metal components, and we have not identified any potential problem areas.
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The familiar
oversized Daiwa knob found on the Advantage and Fuego is used on the Viento
as well |
Applications:
Most rigs require the combination of reel and rod movement to bring life to
lures, the Viento can do it all on its own. While the reel is optimized for
fishing jigs and plastics it can offer anglers fishing topwater lures a way to
be deadly effective in still water. We also found that using this feature was a
quick and easy way to set the hook in certain occasions, making it really
possible to fish a baitcasting rig with just one hand. This was certainly the
first time I was able to field to test a baitcaster’s retrieve while drinking a
beverage with the other hand.
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The Viento
allows anglers a new way to fish a variety of lures but absolutely excels in
twitching jigs and plastics |
Price: I
originally estimated that the Viento would at least cost as much as the Daiwa
SOL and Fuego baitcasters but the reel is actually priced lower with a MSRP of
199.99. Daiwa was able to bring down the cost by manufacturing the Viento in
Korea rather than
Japan, but to our delight the build quality does seem on par. Is the Viento
worth 200 greenbacks? If you routinely fish jigs and worms the answer is a
resounding yes. This is one reel that allows you to improve the range of action
you can deliver to your lures.
Ratings:
|
Daiwa TD
Viento
Ratings (?/10) |
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Construction/Quality |
The Viento is not as refined as the Fuego
or SOL but it is built quite well. The rigid aluminum frame is a quality
housing for the machined oversized gears. Only thing we would have loved to
see is a aluminum twitchin' bar in place of the plastic one |
8 |
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Performance |
The Viento isn't just any normal new
reel. This reel delivers features that are unmatched and are really
revolutionary when you consider the ability to fish a baitcaster with just
one hand. The Twitchin' Bar makes it easy to replicate the perfect jig
retrieve time and time again |
9.5 |
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Price |
The Viento is a great price when you
consider the features. Where else are you going to find a reel with a
twitchin bar like this? |
9 |
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Features |
Feature-wise the Viento can't be beat.
Its fast, powerful and can twitch. The only Daiwa feature that is really
missing from this reel is the exceptional new Magforce-Z cast control system |
9.5 |
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Design (Ergonomics) |
Profile-wise the Viento may not be as
attractive as the Fuego or SOL but it is almost as comfortable to palm.
Fishing with one hand never felt so good... literally. |
8.5 |
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Application |
The Viento is a excellent reel for
fishing jigs and plastics but we found other uses for this innovative reel
as well |
9 |
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Total Score |
9.00 |
Pluses and Minuses:
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Plus Minus |
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J
Twitchin' Bar ...nuff said |
L
Doesn't have Magforce-Z |
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J
New way to fish jigs/plastics |
L
Not as refined as Sol or Fuego |
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J
Fast & powerful normal retrieve |
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J
Quality ergonomics |
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J
Quality drag performance |
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J
Reasonable price |
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Conclusion: The
Viento is new in every sense of the word. Like the “wind” the Viento brings
change to the way that anglers fish jigs and plastics, and really allows anglers
to get creative. It’s really good to see Daiwa innovate this season. The Viento
isn’t about being prettier, smoother, or lighter…it’s about offering something
new and allowing anglers to fish more ways, more successfully. Twitch jigs or
dart worms forward with a simple press of your thumb, no other baitcaster on the
market offers this inimitable attribute. We are all over this feature, and the
blisters on our thumbs prove it. Not only is the feature novel but it’s also
deadly effective to employ when subtle lure movements entice even the most
diffident of fish to commit. The Viento is one of the most interesting
baitcasters we have tested to date, and unquestionably among the most
innovative.
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