Daiwa Goes "Ballistic" at ICAST with new reels and rods

Introduction: If you checked out our Pre-ICAST T3 article then you already know about the new T3 Ballistic reel, but just what does "Ballistic" really mean? This new designation describes Daiwa's Zaion Carbon constructed reels and rods and the company is also introducing Ballistic spinning rods and reels this coming season. 

The new T3 Ballistic models make the T3 design affordable (relatively speaking) at $249 each 

The red spool signifies the high speed 7.1:1 model. Both T3 Ballistic reels feature a Zaion frame and are available in left and right hand retrieve

Ballistic Spinning reels:  New from Daiwa are four Ballistic spinning reels that are all constructed out of lightweight, corrosion-proof Zaion Carbon. Daiwa’s lightweight Air Rotor and Air Bail are designed to give the reels a light, smooth retrieve and increased sensitivity.

Ballistic spinning reels feature a lightweight corrosion resistant Zaion body and sidecover

This material rivals magnesium for lightweight strength and rigidity and the Zaion Carbon material is also impervious to saltwater corrosion, making it an excellent choice for both fresh and saltwater reels. The new reels look sharp and feature a black, silver, and red pattern and will be available in a size range that covers most freshwater and light saltwater needs. Sizes 2000 and 2500 are basic freshwater sizes, where sizes 3000 and 4000 give the extra line capacity needed for most inshore saltwater fishing.

The reels make use of Daiwa's hollow AirBail

To better handle the harsh environments and keep the new Ballistic spinning reels running smoothly, the reel’s rotor bearing is protected by a oiled-felt seal between the rotor and body. The drag is sealed as well and to top it off, Daiwa’s corrosion resistant CRBB ball bearings are used in places where water intrusion most often occurs. With special anti-corrosion treatments, these bearings are designed to last up to ten times as long as ordinary bearings in a saltwater environment.

The new Air Rotor design reduces unnecessary weight while distributing stress more evenly throughout the rotor for maximum strength

These reels come with 3BB + 4 CRBB + 1RB and the 2000 to 3000 sizes all feature a 6.0:1 retrieve while the saltwater 4000 size comes with a 6.2:1 retrieve ratio. To give you an example of how light these reels are the 2000 size weighs 7.8oz. All but the largest size retails for $199.95 and the 4000 size is just 10 dollars more.

Tom Komatsu (left), President of Daiwa, shows us the new Ballistic rods

To match the new reels Daiwa introduces the Ballistic rod series

Ballistic Bass Rods: To match up with the new T3 Ballistic baitcasting reel and the Ballistic spinning reels Daiwa is introducing new Ballistic Bass Rods that are being offered in a full range of actions with blank materials that are design specifically matched  to America’s most popular bass fishing techniques.

Daiwa machined a new aluminum clamp nut  which is knurled for sure grip tightening

When anglers put heavy loads on a casting rod, guides sitting on top of the blank work as levers, twisting the blank to one side as you set the hook or muscle a fish from cover. This twisting negatively affects the rod action and can actually cause breakage of the blank. To resist the twisting, Ballistic rods utilize X-Torque bias construction on power actions for worming, jigging, frogging and flipping and is also used on topwater, twitching and spinning actions.

The rods feature a new ergonomic reel seat

For softer action, crankbait and spinnerbait rods use highly resilient and flexible Glatech blank construction, a method that sandwiches unidirectional fiberglass between layers of 90 degree biased graphite for a combination of light tip action and firm backbone.

Rod's feature either GlaTech hybrid fiberglass and graphite construction or X-Torque bias graphite construction depending on model and application

A final look at the "Ballistic" casting reel seat

There are fourteen specialized actions that make up the series, with MSRP pricing ranging from $99.95 to $129.95 depending upon action.  Matching new Ballistic baitcasting and spinning reels, Ballistic rods will begin appearing on dealers shelves in August of 2011.