As many keen anglers know, Daiwa’s original Certate spin reels were introduced in 2004. I started using a 2500-R Certate at about that time, which was also when I began seriously targeting snapper with plastics. The small, light but powerful Certate, which was matched with a custom-built Loomis rod, proved a revelation, as did the awesome sport offered by knobby-headed snapper. Catching these hard-fighting fish on “light” tackle really changed my views on threadlines as serious sportfishing tools.
I know many of my fishing mates also began using small, high-quality reels like 2000-2500 sized Certates, Stellas, Twin Powers, Steezs, Saltigas and so on for a lot of their fishing for species as diverse as snapper, kings, barra and even wahoo. For me, the Certate was a reel that opened up a lot of new fishing opportunities and I now own three models, a 2000, the 2500-R and a 3500HD.
So I was particularly interested to get a press release today that announces that after 18 months of intensive field testing Daiwa had introduced an all new Certate. My initial reaction when reading the product blurb was, “how the hell can Daiwa improve such an innovative and gutsy reel?”
Well, strange as it sounds, it’s all to do with magnetic fluid. Developed by NASA to magnetically deliver fuel to space ships, this bizarre sounding technology has been adapted to the new Certate. Mixing a liquid with iron isn’t easy, but Daiwa reckons it’s mastered it. “When dispersed evenly through liquid, the iron oxide (magnetite) has a diameter of 1/100,000mm, so small that the surface area of the ferromagnetic particle is around 1/10th of a single influenza virus,” the Daiwa boffins reveal.
The challenge for Daiwa was to utilise the inherent benefits of magnetic liquid in reel design; instead of using it to dustproof the reel, an innovative design that combined it with new CRBB bearings to achieve a magnetic oil membrane now means water intrusion is a thing of the past. Daiwa’s primary design motivation in redeveloping the Certate was to exclude water. No leakage means no corrosion, and thus longer life and better performance.
Daiwa says not only does “Mag Seal” prevent saltwater penetration for a smoother revolution of the rotor system, it also means increased sensitivity. So when you team the Certate with quality braid, and a good rod, you should “feel” your lures better, detect more bites and fight fish more effectively.
To make use of the magnetic fluid technology, Daiwa says it has also redeveloped the reel’s rotor system. “The ‘Air Rotor’ is made from a high sensitive resin that transmits vibration through the reel more efficiently than ever before. By hollowing out the rotor system, a lighter construction is created with more surface area, resulting in increased strength and greater transmission of vibration. With a decrease in weight the balance has been fine tuned, with a lower centre of gravity and precise centre of axis the rotor spins more efficiently with perfect balance. This decrease in weight, increased surface area and new resin construction is claimed to transmit lure vibration to the angler like never before,” Daiwa says.
The new Certate is available in seven sizes from the ultra finesse 1003 (which should be ideal for bream, trout, whiting and bass) to a heavy duty 3000 model (kings, big snapper and pelagics).
For more in-depth information, check out the new mini Certate site on www.daiwafishing.com.au .
