DAIWA brought its first star-drag reel to market in the mid 1960’s – the Millionaire. From its conventional beginnings other legends sprouted, such as the ever-evolving and expanding SALTIGA, SALTIST, Seagate, and Sealine series’.
Now, no matter how you slice it – even given all the great advancements in reel technology – it’s still a conventional star-drag reel. Pretty fundamental gear for boat, jetty, and surf fishing.
DAIWA, however, isn’t okay with churning out me-too products just for the sake of having something new – not going to happen. So, when it was time to refresh the SALTIST star-drag, the new feature-rich and sturdy 2025 SALTIGA SD was born.
“The new SALTIGA SD promises to be that foundational and trustworthy reel in your saltwater collection,” said DAIWA Field Marketing Manager, Chris Martin. “It’s a reliable, value packed reel for saltwater jigging, casting jetties and surfcasting.”
“And with so many sizes available, you can match a SALTIGA SD to exactly where and how you fish.”
The SALTIGA SD is also a gateway reel. “It’s an excellent choice for anglers wanting to make their first move off spinning gear,” explained Martin. “The SALTIST SD is a very friendly conventional reel with excellent cast control.”
Martin went on to say conventional reels eliminate the wind knots associated with spinning reels, and they put you in a more comfortable and leveraged fighting stance when hooked up.
Beneath its sleek new cosmetics, the SALTIGA SD has the skeletal and muscular frame of a powerlifter. “It sports a strong and corrosion resistant diecast aluminum frame and sideplates,” said Martin. “The aluminum frame also maximizes space for powerful DIGIGEAR gearing and then protects those gears to maintain alignment.”
The SALTIGA SD’s dynamo braking system deserves specific mention, too. “The reel’s centrifugal casting control, also known as braking, is outstanding for throwing lures and fly-lining live baits,” said Martin. In practice, centrifugal braking causes a predetermined resistance on the spool to reduce spool overrun and backlash on the cast. The user controls that resistance, too, based on the weight of the lure or rig.
Martin also called out the SALTIGA SD’s premium drag system, which is guided by the reel’s signature star control. He says DAIWA’s keystone waterproof Advanced Tournament Drag (ATD) employs patented grease that helps the drag respond quickly and smoothy on the hookset, and then automatically adjusts to changes in tension while playing a fish.
Martin closed with his take on reel-size-to-application:
• SLTSD15 and SLTD20: Live bait for larger species like yellowtail, stripers, and black seabass
• SLTSD30: Best all-around model in the series for many fisheries
• SLTSD35: Unique tall and narrow frame with more line capacity for jigging and casting surface iron
• SLTSD40 and SLTS50: Wide variety of offshore casting applications and surf fishing
Daiwa’s first spinning reel rolled off the assembly line in 1955. Since then, the company has grown into one of the largest and most influential tackle companies in the world today. To handle sales and distribution in the United States, Daiwa Corporation first opened its doors on September 26, 1966, operating from a small facility in Culver City, California. Today, based in Foothill Ranch, California, Daiwa Corporation sells tackle throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America. From the very beginning, Daiwa’s emphasis has been upon innovation and quality. The result is a long list of product features, design and materials that have become standards for the fishing tackle industry. Daiwa’s long-standing record of innovation has left a visible mark on the majority of tackle manufactured today and continues to advance the sport of fishing. Learn more at daiwa.us.
