Bass Fishing Dec 2016 | Page 76

2017 BUYER’S GUIDE 10. Daiwa BG 10 The BG series gets its strength from Daiwa’s HardBodyz design concept, which is basically an aluminum-structured frame and side cover. The spool is made braid-ready, while the gears have been upsized for strength and durability. Daiwa sells it in sizes ranging from ultra-light to extreme saltwater. The bass sizes range from $99.95 to $109.95. daiwa.com/us/ 11. Daiwa Certate Daiwa incorporated the HardBodyz design in its Certate reel, but topped it off with two Magsealed ball bearings and a Magsealed main shaft and line roller. The Magsealed system protects moving parts such as ball bearings with magnetic fluid so the parts won’t corrode and can move freely. $399.95 to $499.95 daiwa.com/us/ 12. Daiwa Luvias 11 Ultra smoothness comes from a nine-bearing system and Magsealed main shaft, while a proprietary body material called Zaion results in a lightweight reel. Daiwa offers the Luvias with a shallow or standard spool. $349.95 to $399.95 daiwa.com/us/ 13. Wright & McGill Skeet Reese Victory II Spinning Reel Wright & McGill lightened up the reel with a bit of re-engi- neering of its aluminum parts. With its 9+1 bearing system, this reel is a good option at a middle price point. $99.99 wright-mcgill.com 12 13 hIGh-SPeeD SPInnInG ReeLS ARe A GooD ThInG 74 Most finesse techniques performed with spinning tackle don’t require burning a bait through the water or catching up with an aggressive bass before setting the hook. Yet that doesn’t mean there aren’t advantages to speeding up a reel’s retrieve speed. You’ll notice throughout this section that several new reels feature retrieve ratios of 6:1 and higher. The Abu Garcia Revo Rocket checks in at 7:1 and can recover 37 inches of line per turn of the handle. This is a promising trend. Fast reels – spinning or casting – allow anglers to haul their baits back in quickly for making the next cast. That equates to time saved during tournament hours. For finesse lures, which are often fished on bottom or vertically over deep water, the presentation doesn’t usually involve moving the lure a great distance. Rather, they’re cast to a specific spot, fished slowly for a bit and then reeled back for another go. Speeding up the “reel back” step should make finesse anglers even more efficient. FLWFISHING.COM I DECEMBER 2016