Daiwa Tatula HD - Built Frog Tough!

As an  angler who spends a good deal of time with a a frog rod in my hands, I can tell you that its often hard, to impossible to find a reel that offers me all the attributes I  need when frog fishing..(1) Strength/Power (2) Casting distance (3) speed/Pick-up. If you share my values, then I will let you in on a little secret, the Daiwa Tatula HD comes fully loaded with this features and is built Frog Tough!

Power

The Tatula HD offers you all kinds of power without sacrificing comfort. The reels overall size is easy to palm and actually feels much lighter then its official weight of 8.1oz. When it comes to fighting fish the Tatual HD is equipped with a 100mm swept power handle and large thumb paddles that ensure the fish never gets the upper hand no matter how nasty the terrain.

Obviously the reels ultimate power test comes down to it's  drag and the Tatual HD has a  max drag of 13.2 thus ensuring you can really hammer the hooks home without ever worrying about slippage.

I often like to make long frog casts and to date the drag has yet to let me down during the hookset or the battle.

Casting Distance

Casting distance and accuracy is often overlooked when frog fishing, sure this type of fishing may be slightly more forgiving then others, but if you want to hit those spots not reached by other anglers then distance and accuracy is key.

The Tatula HD was designed with an additional 30% line capacity proving added distance to each and every cast, and with the now perfected T-Wing system the line fly's off the reel giving you incredible  casting distance while also providing additional accuracy. once engaged the T-Wing lowers and your ready to work.

Tip: Don't be afraid to play with the breaks, slight adjustments can do wonders for you casting distance, obviously you always want to take your frogs weigh and the weather into consideration but other then that.. don't hold back and find your sweet spot.

Speed/Pick-Up

Speed at times can be overrated and over used. For  example, I use a 6:3:1 retrieve reel when frog fishing, the idea behind this is that I'm always trying to balance the need for line pick-up on the retrieve vs. the line pick-up while fighting he fish. Too much line pick-up on the retrieve can alter your frogs performance and may pull your frog out of the strike zone too quickly,  where as too little pick-up can get you into serious trouble when fighting a fish in heavy cover or  slop. In my opinion the  6:3:1 offers the best of both worlds, and although from time to time I may jump up in speed I very rarely would go down.

This is where the Tatula HD really makes it presence felt, most HD or Power reels sacrifice speed for power, often coming in a 5:4:1 or  6:3:1 at the fastest, the Tatula HD is available in slower models but can also be purchased as high as 7:3.1

At times line pick-up and power can be one and the same, so I won't rehash the 90mm handle or larger spool size, but I will add that the air rotation system really helps with this reels overall speed.


Remember us frog fisherman have to stick together, so believe me when I tell you, the  Tatula HD is a dream to fish, and has been built with the best interest of Frog Fisherman in mind. I can't think of another reel I have used that is so well suited to how i fish, and I can't ask for anything more.