Daiwa Tatula Bass Fishing Rod Review

A man’s fishing rod probably doesn’t define him, but it does give him a sense of joy and confidence I feel. Something about a new rod, that looks sleek, is light and sensitive and fishes well instills a sense of added confidence when as anglers we’re seeking to eliminate variables and confidence is key.

I’ve had a few months to fish with the Daiwa Tatula bass fishing rods, and the results have been great. I’ve fished with a 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy power rod and a 7-foot medium-light power rod to get a feel for the powers and actions available on this newer line of bass technique rods.

The aspects of this rod line that stood out to me included the following:

  • Comfort
  • Strength
  • Weight
  • Price

A joy to fish all day

I’ve fished with a lot of fishing rods in the last couple of decades. Most have been pretty good. Some have been pretty bad and even fewer really stand out among so many options in the bass fishing rod market. So my tests are fairly simple at this point. Will it hold up to months of abuse that includes riding on bass boat decks, rod locker storage and even in the bed of a truck with a rod sleeve on it. Not to mention thousands of casts, retrieves, hooksets, fish swings and more.

I found the Daiwa Tatula rods to be very comfortable to fish with all day. They have a comfortable custom Daiwa reel seat and EVA grips that are easy on your hands. The rods are light thanks to a Zero G blank construction they use. Paired with a Daiwa Tatula or Daiwa Tatula Type R reel, they combos were balanced, sensitive and extremely castable.

Plus they look pretty danged sweet as well.

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Power mixed with sensitivity

A good rod to me transmits not only what is going on with your lure but also what is going on with the bottom. Sometimes making a really sensitive rod, manufacturers sacrifice some durability or power. But I found the Daiwa Tatula rods had great power. In fact I swung a couple of fish I probably should not have on both rods without issue.

The medium-light Tatula rod loaded well, absorbed the fight of bass on crankbaits really well and can really load and launch a bait. The medium-heavy fished light but hooked and swung fish more like a flipping stick.

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Constructed well

The blank construction on these rods is really good and by that I mean they are pretty light but feel very strong in your hands. Manufacturers made strides in the last several years to come up with multi-axis blank construction that allows you to get a lot of the resin out of a rod that binds the graphite together. Resin is necessary but it also adds a lot of weight. So if you can layer your graphite up, down and diagonally, you can make a very strong light blank that won’t require as much resin.

Daiwa calls this process X45 Bias construction. Coupled with their Zero G construction and Super Volume Fiber materials you get a more dense but lighter rod that is not too heavy at either end and balances well with the reel. They use Fuji Alconite guides on the rods for durability and performance.

Priced for the features

The rod is made really well. I do wish they had a few more lengths and actions but with 18 models in the line including casting, flipping, frogging, cranking and spinning powers and actions, you have a lot to choose from at $149 to $169.

These rods are a good investment of many years of bass fishing, so I would feel very comfortable recommending them to anglers looking for a new line of rods to fish.

You can find the rods online at tacklewarehouse.com and other retailers as well as locally where you find Daiwa rods and reels now.

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