Daiwa Tatula Casting Rod Review

Daiwa is one of the more synonymous names in fishing with quality, though the company tends to favor top-tier reels over rods.

That said, Daiwa still has an impressive resume with a focus on innovation and development– specifically with materials when it comes to their rods.

On top of that, Daiwa also makes it a point to target the average fisherman more than the professional or novice, striking an excellent balance.

This combination translates to one of the better mid-tier models on the market today, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a universally welcome addition to every fisherman.

This review examines the Daiwa Tatula casting rod, breaking it down into the various features, specs, and components to identify its strengths and weaknesses.

In doing so, you should be able to figure out whether or not the modest, but not insignificant, investment in this casting rod will yield good results in your hands.

Review

Construction (craftsmanship, make quality)

If ever you’re unsure whether or not the Daiwa Tatula casting pole is worth the cost, this is the aspect of the rod you really need to consider as it makes the best argument in favor.

While certainly not to the standard of rods costing two or three times as much, this rod still achieves one of the best balances of durability and sensitivity you can find.

All of this comes down to the manufacturing processes and materials used for making the blank which manages to get away with being made entirely out of graphite.

However, unlike many other fishing rod blanks made completely out of graphite, the manufacturing process imparts additional durability.

Granted, this doesn’t actually reach the same levels of durability as a comparable rod made with fiberglass, but the 45-degree bias scrim on top of that low-resin blank provides about as much durability as a graphite blank can without sacrificing any sensitivity.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Daiwa Tatula uses larger graphite fibers to further reinforce its strength and durability.

Length

This is easily one of the more surprising aspects to find a wide range of different options for a fishing pole, but the Daiwa Tatula offers a litany of different lengths.

It is worth noting that many of these lengths coincide with very specific spec configurations, so you don’t exactly get to pick and choose.

But it’s still far better than you’re liable to find with poles that are similarly priced, offering just another advantage when fishing for your preferred quarry.

To that end, the Daiwa Tatula baitcasting rod comes in eight different lengths of 6’3”, 6’6”, 6’10”, 7’0”, 7’1”, 7’2”, 7’3” and 7’6”– which be a bit overwhelming to beginners.

Material

The Daiwa company is known for its ability to push the limits of materials and innovates the construction process to provide additional benefit, but the graphite used for the Daiwa Tatula’s blank is nothing special.

However, the micro-pigments and low-resin content definitely are special as they reduce weight and increase sensitivity.

Beyond that, the EVA foam handle is a common and reasonable option, but it’s nothing special and arguably not as good as cork (which is cheap enough itself).

One interesting material note is the Fuji FazLite guides which, while still a type of aluminum-oxide, perform more similarly to Fuji’s ceramic-based Alconite material.

Action

This is one of the areas where the Daiwa Tatula baitcasting fishing pole stands apart from most of the competition in that you get a surprisingly broad range of different options to choose from.

With most rods, fast is the only action available as that allows the rod to appeal to the broadest consumer base available.

However, this rod understands that experienced fishermen want to choose the action that’s best suited to the type of fishing they plan to do.

To accommodate the more refined fisherman, the Daiwa Tatula offers actions in the moderate, fast, and extra fast varieties, allowing you to choose between control and casting distance.

That said, this casting pole still stops at a moderate action speed with an average modulus, so it’s not exactly designed for shoreline fishing.

Power

This is another area where you get a few more options to choose from than on average, though the power of a rod is often where you will find some variation.

That said, the Daiwa Tatula fishing rod still offers more versatility and refinement than most– even if that’s expected for a high-performing mid-tier model.

In this instance, you can choose a power spec sitting anywhere from the medium-light to the extra heavy option and everything in between.

However, much like with length and action, some of the less common power options are limited to very specific spec configurations.

Weight

The Daiwa Tatula baitcasting fishing pole is a fairly lightweight model, which is what you might expect when you consider the materials used– as well as its price tag.

The carbon fiber graphite blank is about as light as you can get with further reduction coming from the low-resin process and lack of varnish.

It also doesn’t hurt that the EVA Foam for the handle and FazLite aluminum-oxide guides are also the lightest materials used for their respective components.

Sensitivity

This is another aspect where the Daiwa Tatula baitcasting fishing rod justifies its price, though it’s not because this fishing pole is any more sensitive than its competitors.

Don’t worry, this rod is plenty sensitive for extremely high levels of fishing, but it’s not the most sensitive fishing pole on the market or anything.

Instead, the most noteworthy aspect of this rod’s sensitivity is that its high level maintains even with a blank that is significantly more durable than most graphite rods.

That said, you can expect an extremely modest bump in sensitivity thanks to the minimal use of resin and lack of varnish.

Rod Guides

Keeping in line with their principle of uncommon materials, the Daiwa Tatula fishing rod employs a unique material in FazLite.

Technically, FazLite is a type of hardened aluminum-oxide, but the way it’s used, the FazLite guides perform more like another of Fuji’s materials, the ceramic-based alconite.

What this ultimately means is that the Daiwa Tatula casts just as smoothly without tangling as you would expect from an aluminum-oxide guide.

However, it’s also far more durable than you would expect from aluminum-oxide guides such that it can actually handle a braided fishing line.

Warranty

The Daiwa Tatula baitcasting rod offers a solid 5-year warranty which places it squarely where it should be as a mid-tier model.

That said, a 5-year warranty is about average for a mid-tier fishing pole, so its value is all relative.

Customer Service

This is another area where the Daiwa Tatula fishing rod might give you some moments of pause before purchase because the company’s customer service is not pleasant.

Granted, you have the advantage that this baitcasting pole is at least more durable than most, so you may not even have to worry about redeeming the warranty.

However, if you do, make sure you dot every “I” and cross every “T” with registration and documentation to prevent maddening bureaucratic setbacks.

Uses (Who is this good for)

Just by looking at the range of different spec configurations and the inherent qualities and features, it would appear as though the Daiwa Tatula fishing rod is good for everyone.

On the surface, that’s definitely true, but when trying to figure out the exact value, it gets a little bit dicier.

That’s because this baitcasting fishing pole sits pretty much in the middle of the market pricing and is arguably the quintessential mid-tier fishing rod.

That’s not a bad thing, mind you, but it means that unless you’re the kind of person who is already invested in the sport of fishing, this might be a bit more expensive than you need.

While this rod is more than capable of serving a beginner extremely well, offering the early forgiveness necessary with the performance capability for growth, it’s still not cheap.

As such, if the beginner doesn’t even know whether they like fishing or not, this is not the ideal “starter rod.”

Likewise, this same consideration can bite intermediate and expert fishermen in the rear as well since they likely already have a high-performance rod that came with its own hefty price tag.

Because of this, the Daiwa Tatula actually turns out to be the best for someone with a little experience who also doesn’t already have a high-performance rod.

Conclusion

In the end, it seems pretty obvious that the Daiwa Tatula casting rod meets the standards of virtually everyone thanks to the sheer number of different options available.

However, there’s also no getting around the fact that this baitcasting fishing pole comes with a hefty enough price tag that you really need to know what you’re doing.

That’s not to suggest that a beginner should look elsewhere, but there’s likely a lot of aspects that will go unappreciated and potentially unused in the hands of a beginner.

That said, more experienced fishermen may find the moderate price of this rod to make its value less certain when compared to their other rods.

When it comes right down to it, the Daiwa Tatula is a high-performing casting rod that’s easy enough to use that anyone can get some benefit out of it.

However, if you already have a favorite casting rod or another fishing rod setup, this fishing pole may not necessarily do enough different or better to justify the cost.