Casting: To help improve casting feel and overall performance Okuma engineers worked together with the spool tuning company, Dream Tackle. Their goal was to help take the Hakai’s castability to the next level. We asked John to describe the collaboration with Dream Tackle.

The cast control is magnetic and externally adjustable

“Very much like our Makaira story on the saltwater side, Okuma made the effort to collaborate with industry experts such as Dream Tackle to try and build a better mouse trap,” John explained. “Okuma engineers and Dream Tackle were involved on most design elements of the Hakai but were Dream Tackle really brought the expertise was in the design construction and concepts of the Flite Spool and Flite Shaft.  These are two key elements of this reel that provide weight reduction and enhanced performance for castability, allowing the Hakai to stand out from other reels in this price class.”

Okuma isn't shy about the fact they worked with Dream Tackle to create the new Flite Spool. Notice the small SUS balls embedded at both ends of the spool

The Flite Spool is Okuma’s fancy marketing name for this tuned spool, which has a 33 mm outer diameter, and a 0.4mm thickness. The entire spool assembly weighs 9.7g (measured) which is impressive for a spool of this diameter that is not heavily ported.

The spool weighed in at 9.7g in the lab

Where things really start to get interesting is when we look at the spool’s shaft. The Flite Shaft is a patented design that features a hollow center. Why make the shaft hollow? Doesn’t this decrease rigidity? Okuma believes that the steel used to construct the shaft is strong enough to handle anything that is thrown at the Hakai, and this design enables the company to press two precision SUS balls, one on either end of the shaft.

So, what does this Okuma and Dream Tackle design mean in terms of actual casting performance? Simply put this is not only the most unique feeling Okuma baitcaster to date, but also the best casting one as well.

The Hakai startup on cast is quick and efficient. It took me a little bit to dial in the settings but once I did the reel really impresses on both long distance casts as well as accuracy in shorter strategic bait placements

Stainless steel spool shafts have long been the industry standard because the material is durable, stiff and corrosion resistant. The stiffness is important to ensure smooth operation during both casts, and when the spool is under the pressure from fighting fish, and especially with low-stretch lines and dialed up drags. After fishing the Hakai for two months I found the reel continued to hold up well in this respect and asked how the company addressed this with the hollow shaft design. John explained:

“Okuma’s design goal was how do we keep rigidity and overall strength, but shave weight to help the overall target of a lightweight reel.  The development of the stainless-steel hollow Flite Shaft provided the best all-around design.  It reduces weight and retains rigidity.  This design had to be thoroughly tested to ensure that strength would not be compromised, in the end, we feel that we have a very unique design that not only enhances performance it also separates the Hakai from all others in the market.  The addition of the floating balls at the end of the shaft is an added bonus as this is a feature that not only helps castability, but is also very innovative.”

While the Hakai is great at launching heavy baits it also excels across the weight range

The startup on the Hakai is very quick and effortless, and early on I found I had to dial up the magnetic cast controls a bit to manage just how quickly line peeled off the spool during the first few seconds of each cast. This quick startup not only makes the Hakai a great long-distance caster but also a very accurate, and effortless, pitching reel. Even lightweight 1/16 baits were easy to cast with the Hakai once I had the cast control settings dialed in.

I feel like Okuma and Dream Tackle have really accomplished something quite interesting with this new design. The SUS balls may seem gimmicky, but the performance is real, and so is the effect on how the reel feels each time you cast it. When I went back to compare the Hakai with older Okuma Helios reels they felt so much less fluid during casts.

Shorter pitches are effortless

After about six months of use I did notice that the casting distance did seem to drop a little bit, and the reel didn’t feel quite as effortless to cast as the day it came out of the box. This is where the Flite Shaft does require a quick bit of maintenance. The two balls at the end of the shaft can use a drop of fine oil to restore original performance as well as increase overall longevity.

After extended use I did find it beneficial to add a drop of oil to the SUS balls

How often anglers lubricate the SUS balls depends on usage but after speaking to John he agreed that reels that are in operation on a regular basis could be oiled twice a year, while normal use would only require this probably once a year. This quick bit of maintenance only takes minutes and helps restore original casting performance.  

The cast control system is really easy to tune with the externally adjustable dial

Next Section: A beautifully machined brass maingear