Daiwa Shrapnel?????

[trav]

So, when this reel showed up on facebook, it was all that everyone was talking about. Now that is being sold retail, no one has posted any kind of review, just seeing a lot of them for sale "only casted a few times."  For you members that have this reel, could you give us some pro's and con's?  Maybe tell us what applications this reel would be best used?  Im not seeing anything posted on this reel, unless its in The Black Market.

[igl00jx]

Don't buy stuff without the wife not knowing, lest you want to sell your stuff. lol

That was my situation, otherwise I'd have kept the two that I had.

The reels were great big bait slingers. It was my go to 250SS reel. Didn't have any baits >6oz, but I do not see any issues with it if I did. Can see this being used for Mothers and the like.

 

Great reel for cranking slammers and anything else that needed to get down, even with the 6.2:1 ratio. I found it had way more power than the new Conquest 3/400 reels. I felt the Conquests didn't have the torque necessary to pull diving swimmers or baits with heavy water resistance. Great reel to pair with a rod that cast 5+oz, but doable with lighter weights with the correct rod.

Casting wise, I found the Shrapnel to be phenomal. Not sure if it was due to the synchronized levelwind or not, but it allowed me to bomb cast the above 250SS and slammers a good distance.

Didn't have issues with palming, though it was wider than the CQ401. Height of both reels were similar, but the CQ was more compact.

 

That's all I can think of at the moment. Just received an older CQ401, so I'll have a comparison with that reel as well if needed.

Hope this helps you and future owners. Don't hesitate to buy the Ryoga.

[trav]

Thank you. You'll like that Conquest, Im pretty sure it was mine once upon a time, its got some big fish on it.

[Bruce]

Its a really nice reel i personally dont like the size of it or any round reels over a 300 size, but for fishing it was great casted a long ways smooth and plenty of power. the braking system is different from the other Daiwa reels and seemed a little more touchy than the regular cast control system. 

[igl00jx]

Its a really nice reel i personally dont like the size of it or any round reels over a 300 size, but for fishing it was great casted a long ways smooth and plenty of power. the braking system is different from the other Daiwa reels and seemed a little more touchy than the regular cast control system. 

Make sure to swap the brake blocks if you haven't done so. The reel comes with the smaller blocks stock. I found switching to the larger blocks mitigated any sloppy braking.

[mcm83]

I’ve fished this reel for most of the season. I’ve sold it since, but I will try to share my short-lived experience with it. 

 

I preordered the Shrapnel thru Jun at Japan Tackle in early spring. I believe it was priced around the mid $400’s at that time. I purchased the right hand retrieve version. If I remember correctly, the reel was received in April of this year (2015). 

 

It came packaged in the a black Daiwa box; wrapped in a plastic bag with no reel bag/cover or oil. It came with a set of larger brakes and a manual that was printed out in Japanese. 

 

The specs for this reel is as follows:

RH and LH

6.2:1 gear ratio

13.7 oz

22 lbs of drag pressure

12 bb + 1 roller

 

I was pretty excited when the reel arrived. I went through all the motions of getting a new reel - opening the box, admiring the reel, spinning the handle, etc.

 

Some things that are noticeable right out of the box is the 90mm handle and the Serpent Bite knobs. Although they are thicker than regular knobs, the Serpent Bite knobs are extremely comfortable.

 

The four-point riveted reel foot stands out as well, although I highly doubt that the reel would separate from the foot while fishing for Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted Bass or Snakehead.

 

Another thing is the synchronized level wind. This is one feature that I wish would be incorporated into more reels these days.

 

One of the most noticeable things on this reel is the width. Most reels I fish now days are narrower and that is what I have become accustomed to.

 

The non-handle side plate screws off revealing the centrifugal brake system which consists of just two brakes. The brakes slide up and down freely, so use caution when putting the side plate back on.

 

The clicking drag star and drag are also a nice touch.

 

Next thing was to mount it on the rod of choice. I had built a custom rod just for this reel. The rod sported a size 18 Fuji graphite reelseat. Everyone who’s been fishing for sometime knows that Fuji is the standard when it comes to rod components. Most all [freshwater] reel feet fit like a glove when mounted onto Fuji reelseats. Not the Shrapnel. The design of this reel’s foot is bent - think elongated “Mâ€. I wish I had a photo of this, but I do not. The “M†design did not allow the reel foot to fully seat itself. I really had to lock down the reelseat nut to make sure that the reel wouldn’t pop off during a battle. Because of this design, the reel now sat about one centimeter forward of what other reels sat (compared to Daiwa Z, new Conquest 300, and Calcutta 400D). This was an issue with me because now my fingers would have to find a new position to “rest†when palming the reel/rod - thumb on top of reel, pointer finger in front of reel, middle, ring, and pinky fingers underneath and wrapped around reelseat.

 

As I was trying to adjust to palming this reel, I noticed something rubbing or more like cutting into my fingers. The four-point riveted reel foot design and placement was interfering with where my middle finger and pink rested. I adjusted my grip a few different times and settled on cradling the reel/rod.

 

Next thing to do was to spool it up. At the time I was experimenting with a new line that was just released by Sunline - Defier Armilo - I’ll do a review on that separately. This reel holds A TON of line - it is designed to hold about 174 yards of #6 PE or .405mm line (20# Big Game is .460mm).

 

I took it out to the lake and did some casting. At first I did have a little bit of trouble due to not setting the brakes properly and casting a 9†Gliding Gizzard into the wind. Once I got it set to an okay spot, I was able to launch the Glide and a SS250 with ease. The retrieve was smooth and effortless. The knobs felt extremely comfortable. The only issue was palming this reel and rod combo. I didn’t hook anything on this trip but it gave me a pretty good idea of what it could be capable of.

 

When I got home, I swapped out the brakes for the larger brakes and casted a bit outside. I preferred the larger brakes and felt that they were ideal for this reel and big baits. 

 

I fished this reel regularly throughout this season and landed quite a few Largemouth, upwards of 5 pounds (I’m in MI). I was also able to land a couple of little Muskie but nothing to really challenge this reel.

 

I sold it before the season ended here so I cannot comment on the durability of this reel. 

 

I do miss the power and look of this beast of a reel from time to time, but I probably would not purchase another one just because of the reel foot design.

 

 

 

[mcm83]

Ryoga Surpassing Sharpnel

[kahai808]

Mcm83 thanks for the review man!