The Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT is the latest spinning reel to be released by one of the long standing leaders in that realm. Daiwa has an iconic lineup of spinning gear, and this new addition just won the 2025 ICAST Best Freshwater Reel award. I was at the ICAST show this year and had an opportunity to speak with an expert in Daiwa’s booth who gave me a rundown of what’s special about this reel. Since then, I’ve also been able to fish with this one for the last couple of months. With all that in mind, here’s my take on the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT.
On the Water Experience
Let’s start with what I’ve seen on the water out of this reel. Naturally, it casts really well and has a smooth feel to it, as you’d expect from a $240 Daiwa spinning reel. It’s rigid, and the big power knob for a handle drives home the solid feel of this one. I tested it mostly with one of the new 3/16 ounce ChatterBait MicroMax vibrating jigs. This is more of a power fishing approach than I usually take with spinning gear, but it felt really good with the beefed up reel.
There is one particular fish catch that stands out. I had a fish close to 4 pounds smoke the ChatterBait while fishing a pond with a buddy of mine and his son. I was really impressed with how sensitive and smooth the drag was as the fish fought to free itself. As it neared the boat, there was one last ditch effort from the bass that could have cost me the fish and my bait, if the drag had not performed as flawlessly as it did. I’m not saying it’s the best drag on the market, but it is very good and has proven itself to me on the water.
Key Features
There’s a lot to unpack with the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT. The MQ stands for Monocoque, which is a reference to how the build of this reel comes together. This reel’s strength comes from the outside, like an eggshell. This is accomplished by completely flipping traditional reel assembly on its head. Instead of having screws and receivers to hold the side plate to the frame, the entire side plate is threaded and screws into the frame.
According to the expert at ICAST, removing the bolts and receivers from inside the reel opens up 20% more room inside the 2500 and 30% more room in the 3000 size reel. This allows room for a larger diameter drive gear and also creates a relative ton of room for future features and advancements.
The LT stands for Light and Tough. Features like the Tough DigiGear, AIRDRIVE Rotor, AIRDRIVE ABS Long Cast Spool, AIRDRIVE Bail, and MAGSEAL technology all come together to create a light weight reel that is virtually impenetrable, whether fishing in fresh water or saltwater.
The big EVA foam knob is pretty cool on this reel, creating more of a power fishing feel to it. It still works well with finesse baits too — I skipped a wacky rig around on it some — but it definitely feels more robust than most spinning reels, and the handle has a lot to do with that.
Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT 2500 Specs
- Bearings: 2CRBB, 6BB, 1RB
- Gear Ratio: 6.2
- Line per Crank: 34.5 inches
- Weight: 6.7 ounces
- Mono Capacity: 8/240, 10/210
- Braid Capacity: 10/250, 15/185
- Maximum Drag Pressure: 22 pounds
Final Thoughts
There is a small amount of play in the handle of this reel, that appears to come from where the handle screws into the reel. It’s toeing the line between negligible and noticeable, so I thought it worth mentioning. Other than that, this is a pretty sweet reel, light and tough.
For the $239.99 price tag, you get a quality reel without having to move up another couple hundred bucks to get one that’s maybe 10% better. This is one I’d feel comfortable relying on in any tournament situation, and it brings a little more strength to the spinning game if you’re looking for a spinning reel that sets up well for power finesse.
