Daiwa JDM Saltiga 15 Star Drag Slow Jigging Reels

The Japanese refresh of the Saltiga star drag reels can’t come to the US soon enough, so we decided to import some to have available for the guys who are looking for the peak of slow jigging reel performance. These are very specialized and well made pieces that will make jigging a lot easier and even more fun. They have made some ergonomic changes that make the reels more comfortable to thumb when you’re slow jigging, machining away metal that would get in the way of being able to guide your line or thumb your spool. We brought in the higher end model that comes with a carbon fiber handle which saves some weight which makes the handle very easier to turn with very little resistance especially when combined with the larger power knob.

The jigging specific features include an auto-engage system so you will never have to manually flip the gear lever, you can just go ahead and turn the handle and it will engage on its own once your jig as at the right depth. It also comes with a spool lock for when you need to get unsnagged from the bottom. Another change is the clicky drag system which lets you know when the fish is taking drag, this is especially important for both being able to land a fish but also protecting your reel and drag. This might not sound like an essential feature on most reels, but that’s only because most reels are nowhere near as smooth in their operation. On most reels you’ll feel the drag being taken, the bearings turning and so on but on the Saltiga line there is nearly no resistance in the bearings and the drags are as smooth as they get.

Along with the ergonomic improvements they have also made some changes to the the salt water resistance that their reels provide, avoiding some of the galvanic corrosion on the internals that comes with dissimilar metals by using specialized coatings and different materials. The carbon fiber handle also helps with that since you’re avoiding aluminum touching stainless steel.