About this review This review is my honest opinion of the conventional fishing reel, which I began using in March 2021.

My take

The Daiwa Tatula CT is an excellent reel for anyone looking to upgrade to a nicer baitcaster. Since this reel is available in all 3 gear speeds, it can be used for any bait and is an absolute workhorse.

About the reel

• Model: Daiwa Tatula CT
• Reel Size: 100
• Construction: Baitcaster
• Drag System: Star
• Drag Pressure: 13.2

About me

• Preferred fishing styles: Power fishing, Flipping
• Experience: 12 year

Test conditions

• When I bought this: March 2021
• Rod Paired with Reel: BadBass Custom rod / 7’3” Medium-Heavy / Mod-Fast action
• Line Paired with Reel: 17lb American Tackle Bushido Fluorocarbon
• Days tested: 150
• Waters I’ve used it on: Freshwater
• Species targeted with reel: Bass, Northern Pike, Catfish

How it performs

What I was looking for

I wanted to find a great search bait reel and this filled that need because of the ultra-smooth drag, T-Wing system, and the internal gears. Given that this reel has a 6-, 7-, and 8-speed gear ratio, I liked the versatility of it. To be the most efficient on the water I must first find the area the fish are, and then I can slow down with other baits. Since I throws search baits the most, I needed a high quality reel to put up with extensive use.

Why I chose this gear

I was fortunate enough to join Daiwa’s promotional staff team and represent them on my tournament fishing. And when choosing what reel to look at I was between this and the Tatula SV. Ultimately, I chose the CT because it came with similar features at a lower price. Also, this reel was very reasonably priced for the quality of the product.

What I love about it

• Performance: I love the T-Wing line guide system to help with casting distance. I love that the magnetic braking system allows me to dial in the reel to any bait I throw. This reel has an extremely smooth retrieve compared to other reels in this price range. However, this reel doesn’t cast as far as higher-end products. The handles feel smaller than I prefer. With the smaller T-Wing system I am not able to throw long leaders since the knot does not fit through the guide.
• Versatility: This reel is in all 3 gear ratios allowing me to use it for throwing crankbaits, search baits, or even flipping jigs. I’ve thrown search baits primarily on this reel on both braid and fluorocarbon, and it has performed great on both. This reel doesn’t have quite the high-end gears to give it the power that a higher-end reel does.
• Durability: This reel holds up to a variety of baits and is one of my most used reels. But, I do not recommend it for saltwater. This reel does not have sealed bearings internally making it more susceptible to damages due to corrosion. I would not recommend this for saltwater, I would go with a more sealed bearing reel. That being said, this reel is extremely durable even through a rough tournament atmosphere.
• Application: I use this primarily for search baits with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and swimbaits for bass in both open water, and in and around cover.
• Size: 100 size spool with 7:1.1 gear ratio with 7BB+1 bearings. This is a standard 7-speed reel as far as size across the industry.
• Drag System: I love the 13.2lb of drag system. It is silky smooth in allowing me to set my drag looser than normal and lets my rod and reel play the fish. The 20-setting magnetic brake system allows me to dial it in for any bait I need to throw.
• Feel: This reel feels great in my hand, super light, and very fitting in my palm.
• Build: I love the T-Wing guide system to promote smoother and further casts.
• Aesthetics: The color pattern and overall profile are great on this reel.
• Features: Available for those who are left-handed and right-handed.
• Maintenance: After taking off the side plate, the gears are easily visible to be cleaned and oiled.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Quality: This reel feels excellent in my hand, but I can tell it is a cheaper aluminum frame compared to other carbon higher-end frames. This reel looks super clean - I love the color pattern on this and just the overall feel in my hand. But, it doesn’t have as many bearings so the feel while reeling isn’t quite the quality as higher-end products. There are more exterior adjustments knobs whereas the higher-end reels can come pre-set
• Trolling: Not for trolling, this reel has a standard 100 spool size that does not hold enough line for trolling applications.
• Build: This reel was not crafted in USA.
• Maintenance: This reel is super easy to oil and clean.

Favorite moment with this gear

I had a moment at a local pond I was throwing a chatterbait down a grass line and ripping it off the top of the grass and had a bass just destroy my bait immediately after I popped it. This very nice 4lb bass immediately started to peel drag and dug me into the grass. I kept the tension and let the bass continue to fight. The bass then escaped the grass and proceeded to jump 3 times. Through all of that my rod stayed loaded up with that Mod-Fast action and that smooth drag let that fish run with no issues on 15lb fluorocarbon.

Value for the money vs. other options

This is an excellent reel for the price. I have compared this reel to any of those Lews KVD or Shimano Curado. This is my go-to for any beginner looking to start using baitcasters. This reel has a 20-setting magnetic system compared to a 10-setting system like other companies. This reel has an upgraded aluminum body to help with durability. An underrated feature of this reel is the T-Wing line guide system, this allows a more freely flowing line on your cast and then complementing it with a more even lay of the line when retrieving the bait.

Final verdict

The Daiwa Tatula CT Reel is my favorite overall reel for the price point. Excellent internal gears, several brakes settings, and that amazing T-Wing line guide system that is second to none.