An estuary whaler around a 120cm-long is a good test of any gear. Daiwa’s TD Sol 3000 handled this one effortlessly.
Yet with the exception of GTs, dogtooth and so on, there’s nothing in fishing that today’s mid-range spin reels can’t handle. Presuming, of course, you’re comfortable spending the several hundred dollars mid-range reels like Daiwa’s TD Sol series cost. I guess it’s the way it is; that’s what a good as opposed to the best spinning reel costs these days.
With TD Sols, for your several hundred dollars (they’re around $300-$400), you get a series of reels ranging from the 2000 size (bass/bream/flathead) up to a 4000 (barra and light pelagics) in size. Unfortunately, Daiwa doesn’t offer the TD Sol series in the 1000 size some of us prefer for bass, bream and trout, and that’s the only negative thing there is to say about reels I’ve used hard for a couple of seasons now.
A 2000 TD Sol has been to Cape York several times. Long-time fishing mate Gary Cotter managed a 107cm barra on it when we first got the reels. A 3000 TD Sol has been my regular companion casting unweighted plastics for dam barra. Whoever said big dam barra don’t fight never caught many!
I particularly like the bail design on these reels; it’s perhaps the most braid-friendly bail among all the threadlines. The drags have been faultless, and to invent some meaningless superlative to describe how smoothly TD Sol gear trains run would be meaningless.
Daiwa TD Sols aren’t cheap, although they’re not expensive by current spin standards. You get more than what you pay for, which is a big ask when reels are as good generally as they are today.
By Warren Steptoe.
This article is courtesy of Modern Fishing, Australia’s favourite fishing magazine. Get all the latest tips, tricks, gear and destination ideas every month by subscribing at 
