ソルトウォーターフィッシングを楽しむアングラーなら、誰でも「一度は手にしてみたい！」「このリールを使って記録更新を図りたい！」そんな思いが募るリールが<20SALTIGA>です。新型のソルティガの開発が始まると同時に、早く手にしてみたい、早く釣りに出たい、早くリールを見てみたい。そんな思いが募るばかりでオフィスでの仕事も弾むように進んでいった気がします。

ご存知の通りニュージーランドは小さな国、パシフィック海域とタスマン海域に囲まれた小さな国です。２つの海流や海域が入りまじり、自然にも恵まれ、そんな環境を好んだ大型のヒラマサ狙いの最高のフィールドとして随分と前から有名となりました。

物心がついた頃から、ヒラマサと言う魚が私にとっての１番の対象魚となり、国内の様々な場所を舞台に大型ヒラマサに出会える事を楽しみに釣り歩きました。ヒラマサと言う魚の強さや賢さ、途切れる事の無いエナジーに対応する為に、必ず必要とされるのが信頼できるタックルです。自分が結んだノット、選んだロッド、それに合わせたリール、全ての選択肢が正しかったのかを改めて考えさせられる。そんなバトルを繰り広げてくれるのがNZのヒラマサです。そのバトルに太刀打ちでき、自信を持って使用できる。それがソルティガだと私は思います。

非常に有難い事に、私は初回のフィールドテストへと参加させて頂く事ができ、グレートバリアーアイランドと言うオークランド州西部に位置する海域へと、日本の開発陣と釣行へ向かわせて頂きました。オーストラリアからの開発陣も参加となり、船中泊を楽しみながら、世界一の大型SWリールを開発するという思いを込めてキャストしていた事を今でも覚えています。一投一投のキャストへの想い、チームでの開発に対する想い、物づくりというものの素晴らしさや苦労など、色々な勉強をさせて頂く事ができました。

フィールドテスト初日のコンディションは抜群、見つけたナブラへルアーをキャストすると同時に数え切れないほどのヒラマサからのルアーに対する猛攻が目に見られ、テストコンデシションとしては申し分が無い状態でした。

ポイントに到着し第一投目で感じたことは、前作と比べて滑らかなライン放出による飛距離UP。ヒラマサのキャスティングゲームに持ってこいのリールだと改めて実感させられました。

20SALTIGAはモノコックボディにG１ジュラルミン製 タフデジギアを搭載。大口径なドライブギアによる軽やかな巻き心地と力強いリトリーブが同時に感じられ、前作との大きな違いがすぐに感じ取られました。

フッキング直後の強烈なファーストランにおいてもATDは滑り出しも良く、大型のヒラマサを相手にしても何１つとして不安無くファイトを楽しむ事ができました。

今まで様々な大型SWリールを使用してきましたが、<20SALTIGA>に勝てるものは無いと言っても過言では無い様な気がします。テスターの腕が上がらなくなるまでルアーをキャスト＆リトリーブし続けた数日間、リールの耐久性をテストするには文句のないコンディションとなりました。テスト後のリールのコンディションをチェックしてみると、テスト前と同じスムーズな巻き心地。歴代ソルティガや他社の大型SWリールと比べても歴然の差です。「もう一投だけ！」「もう少しだけ！」と子供の様な事を言いながらテストの終了を迎え、リールを手放したくないと言う気持ちしかなかった事を思い出します。

その後、しばらくして、最終フィールドテストサンプルの完成のメールが届いた日には、嬉しさと期待を押し切れずにメール受信から３０分以内で最終テスト用の釣行準備を整え、天候と潮の流れが良い日にはいつでも出陣できるようにと手配をかけました。国際郵便の配達が待ち遠しく、毎日の様に追跡番号からの検索を入れたと言っても過言ではありません。

最終テストのフィールドとして選択されたのはやはりグレートバリアアイランド周辺です。前釣行と同じような文句なしのコンディションの中、自分も一番大好きなジギングをメインとし、２０ソルティガのリミットをテストする事となりました。最終テストでの目標は２０キロオーバーのヒラマサとのファイト。ジグを引ったくる様なヒラマサからのバイトとフッキング後のファーストランからのリールに対する負荷は容易に対応できるものではありません。

数時間のジギングからの自身に対するダメージも半端ではなく、体が悲鳴を上げかけていたその時です。ついに２０kgクラスのヒラマサからのジグに対する猛アタック！！リールから煙が出るのでは無いかと思うほどの速さでラインが引っ張り出されて行きました。自分の体の悲鳴とドラグの音どちらが大きかったのかは覚えていません。<20SALTIGA> 最終テストにはもってこいのコンディションと釣行となりました。

テスト釣行終了後のレポートにはリールの良さが書き切れないほどになってしまいました。中でもリールの耐久性やラインの巻き取りやすさは前作と比べて一目瞭然です。ドラグ性能アップ、G１ジュラルミン製 タフデジギアの強度などと改めて実感する事ができました。

世界各国にてフィールドテストを行い、どんな状況でもどんな対象魚に対しても対応できる、そんなリールが完成したのではないかと私は思います。開発陣とテスター陣の共同作業から生まれた<20SALTIGA> 、リールサイズも新しくなり多数のアングラーにご使用いただける様に完成させられたリール それが<20SALTIGA> だと私は思います。皆さんも一度手にして、私が経験したリールの素晴らしさを感じてみてください。

20SALTIGA - BREAK YOUR RECORD.

DAIWA NZ

SCOTT MALCON

Daiwa 20Saltiga Spinning Reels - BLOG Scott Malcon, DAIWA NZ

The news of a new Saltiga always stirs immense anticipation, that was exactly the case when the news first came across my desk. Sitting in the office, the mind instantly wanders, what will it look like, what are the new features, how much better is it going to be, but most importantly, when am I going to get a chance to fish the new Saltiga. Fortunately, I wouldn't have to wait long.

In New Zealand we are tucked away in our own quiet little corner of the world, the east coast is bordered by the vast Pacific Ocean and to the west lies the moody unforgiving Tasman Sea. Our remoteness provides one distinct advantage, that the waters surrounding NZ teem with abundant marine life, this is where the Yellowtail Kingfish calls home.

Over the years Yellowtail Kingfish have become one of my favourite fish to chase, you can have nothing but respect for these warriors of the reef. To subdue a trophy Kingfish you must have 100% confidence in every element of your fishing gear, this is where Saltiga's come in to their own. Once hooked up to a rampaging Kingfish, there is no time for second guessing your rod, your reel, your drag, your knots, your leader, it's you vs the fish and there will be no second chances. Kingfish are renowned for being one of the hardest fighting fish on the planet.

Our first field testing trip was to the fishing mecca, Great Barrier Island. Located east of Auckland City, The Barrier as it is affectionally called, lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf. We were fortunate to call the good ship Nautilus our home for the next couple of days. Nautilus is an outstanding fishing platform, being a catamaran, it boasts spacious casting room, a high vantage point when casting and stability for going to battle with the mighty Kingfish. The crew for this trip comprised of a field-testing team from Daiwa Japan and Australia. Casting away from the dock and the nose of Nautilus pointed towards the horizon, anticipation levels were next level. You could tell every angler had the same thing on their mind, the first cast.

In typical Hauraki Gulf fashion the next morning dawned blustery and grey, spirits remained high and a plan was hatched to cross the Colville Channel and find shelter in the leigh of the Coromandel, tales from the previous trip told of Gannets raining down on helpless baitfish and marauding packs of Kingfish feasting with reckless abandon. It sounded too good to be true and had all the makings of "we were a day too late". A saying all fishermen know too well.

After a typical rough Colville crossing, we got eyes on the sheer cliffs that dramatically fall into the dark emerald coloured water. Silence filled the cabin until the skipper said, "he could see gannets". A hive of activity ensued, anglers rigging rods, checking drags, donning gimbal belts. As Nautilus rumbled closer to the coast, more gannets appeared and we knew, mayhem was fast approaching.

The scene was utter bedlam, gannets raining from above, packs of hungry Kingfish herding baitfish to the surface to their impending doom. It wasn't long before our stickbaits were raining from the sky and the kingfish were crawling over each other to slam the lures. Saltiga in hand and my first cast deployed, my initial thought was this casts a lot better than the 2015 model, it felt silky smooth as the stickbait effortlessly slipped line towards the chaos. My first impressions were; the 20 Saltiga has a soft mechanical feel, the power fluently transmits through the handle with each rotation, and it is impeccably balanced. After a few sweeps of the rod tip it wasn't long before an almighty explosion of white water shattered my daydream and I was hooked up. Here I got my first taste of the raw power of the 20 Saltiga. The larger gear surpasses the power of its predecessor comfortably, and the ATD drag greatly reduces start up inertia on each powerful run. From this moment I knew the 20 Saltiga was a gamechanger and heralded a new era in performance spinning reels.

The fishing action was relentless for the majority of the day, hungry packs of Kings competing to explode on the angler's lures. After countless kingfish caught, casting arms wrecked and tired bodies all round, everyone was left with a satisfied feeling only a fisherman knows after a memorable day on the water. The 20 Saltiga performed flawlessly as to be expected and the day was deemed a success. Whilst the remainder of the trip didn't produce fishing to the calibre of the first day, the burning question was when to we get to have another thrash with these epic reels...

Once again, sitting at my desk in the concrete jungle we call Auckland. I received an email that two 20 Saltigas were headed our way from Daiwa Japan, they required final testing done before they were ready to hit the market. My mind immediately hit overdrive and within half an hour, the crew was sorted and a plan was hatched, next weather window we were off. The DHL package couldn't turn up fast enough!

If Great Barrier is a mecca then it must be said the Far North of New Zealand is a pilgrimage, a journey in to the unknown and a journey to what can almost be described as the modern day anglers el dorado. On its day there is nothing the Far North can't deliver, it seemed logical that here would be the chosen battleground for the final 20 Saltiga field testing trip. This would be the quintessential "Kiwi" fishing trip, trailer boat, a couple of good friends and a road trip to a remote destination with a wild plan in mind. The plan being to head 40 miles offshore to a remote reef in the middle of nowhere, no place for the faint of heart or where you want something to go wrong. You're on your own out here. But as predicted the remote destination would not disappoint.

The anticipation of the first drop always gets the blood pumping and it wasn't long before rods were buckling over and the Saltiga's were losing line at a rapid rate of knots. Our chosen method for this trip was mechanical jigging, it has to be one of my favourite methods to do battle with Kingfish. While there isn't the visual element of stickbaiting, there is the unmistakable feeling of when a Kingfish slams your jig and you're hooked up to a rampaging freight train. The next few hours produced one of the most memorable Kingfish jigging sessions of my life. Each drop was getting smashed by Kingfish in the high teens to the late 20kg mark. This was how we wanted to put the new 20 Saltiga through its paces, a baptism of fire.

After what can only be described as a freakish session, it was time to go back over the reels and evaluate what we thought. A couple of things that really stood out for me was, again the ease of start up vs the 2015 Saltiga, by that I mean when hooked up to a monster Kingfish it was easy to get a wind in and get the fish moving. This was a huge improvement in my mind and a massive advantage for the angler over the fish. Even a half turn can sometimes mean the difference between the angler winning or the fish earning its freedom on the reef below. As to be expected the drags operated flawlessly, I was confident from the previous trip, but this session really cemented my appreciation for how good the drag system is. The other feature it which was hard not to notice was the drag clicker, there is no better sound than a rampaging Saltiga and your mates hearing that you're hooked up. Over the course of the day there was no shortage of the unmistakable sound. All in all, the boys were super impressed and we couldn't wait to share our thoughts with the team back at Daiwa Japan.

My final thoughts

One thing I really like is how the 20 Saltiga's were extensively tested across the globe before being ready for market to ensure they were 100% ready. Proving these reels in the toughest stomping grounds was instrumental in getting the 20 Saltiga to where they are. You also have to give credit to the team at Daiwa Japan, the Designers and Engineers. It's their imagination, vision and ability to bring to life cutting edge designs that create these outstanding reels. On all fronts the 20 Saltiga blew my mind and I was super impressed, aesthetically it looks super sharp and the performance in field far surpassed my expectations. All there is to do now is wait for that next break in the weather and get the Saltiga's singing their sweet song once more.

Scott Malcon - Daiwa New Zealand