Not just for
Saltwater, the Daiwa Zillion Coastal (continued)

Casting:
The Zillion Coastal casts just like the other Zillion reels, no better and
certainly no worse. The Magforce-Z system continues to impress and when it comes
to making minute adjustments to the casting system on the fly this system still
sets the bar for externally adjustable systems.

To access the spool use a coin and
unscrew the spring loaded lock
When casting saltwater
lures like irons a simple lob cast was all that was necessary for proper
placement and it is when lure fishing with reaction baits that the Zillion
excels in casting. When fishing for Stripers we utilized a lot of topwater lures
as well as ripbaits and the Coastal was able to cast the complete range of
weights well.

A look at the inductor that pairs
with the Magforce-Z cast control system
While some saltwater reels
are good for just tossing heavier lures the Zillion is excellent at the complete
range. It can handle large plugs and even swimbaits for stripers but is equally
at home tossing weightless Senkos for bass, something I did quite a lot of both
at the Delta and at Lake Falcon.

The entire spool is anodized blue
for improved corrosion resistance
Retrieving:
The Coastal also feels identical to the other Zillions when it comes to retrieve
and is a refined reel that exhibits a smooth yet connected feel. This is one
reel that constantly reminds you that you are in control of the bait and when
there is a fish on the line in freshwater situations the high speed 7.3:1 gear
ratio makes it possible to easily keep up with fish that charge the boat when by
pulling in up 32” of line per handle crank.

The Zillion Coastal takes Inshore
fishing to the next level and it is a big step up from the original Coastal
Inshore which was based on the TD-Advantage
Even though the reel has a
high speed gear ratio big fish don’t feel like they are loading up the gearing
except in one situation, vertical jigging. When fishing baits in less than 20
feet of water we didn’t notice this stress at all but once we started fishing
for Lings in 50 plus feet of water cranking fish up vertically felt fairly
heavy. In these vertical situations a round reel with a lower speed gear ratio
is much easier to fish when it comes to winching up sheer weight.

The original Coastal Inshore reel
used the Centriflex anti-backlash system that required anglers to take down the
sideplate to make adjustments
The previous gen Coastal
Inshore baitcaster cannot even be compared to the Zillion Coastal when it comes
to retrieve, the new reel is infinitely more refined and feels much smoother
over the long term. The Magforce –Z casting system is also preferable over the
old centrifugal system which required anglers to take down the sideplate to make
even the smallest cast control adjustment.

The
Zillion Coastal looked right at
home on a Power Paragon rod
All in all the Zillion
Coastal is just as good as a freshwater reel as it is a saltwater one. The fast
retrieve ratio makes this a first-rate reel for working reaction baits in both
fresh and saltwater or simply flipping and pitching plastics. This reel proved
extremely good for the outer California Delta region which has plenty of
brackish water areas. I could fish the reel without concerns over corrosion and
it proved excellent for both largemouth bass and stripers running in from the
San Francisco Bay. When it came to rockfishing I still preferred the sheer
muscle of the Daiwa Luna or Pluton but the Zillion Coastal can get the job done
if you are looking for one reel that can do it all.

The reel has all the nice
"clickies" making minute adjustments to both the drag and spool tension easy
(and audible)