REVIEW: Daiwa ’16 Certate 2004 spinning reel

When the word Certate is mentioned most fishermen think of quality workmanship and prestige. Daiwa have not let us down with their latest version of this very popular spinning reel. Since 2004 the Certate has been gracing the mid/high end spinning reel market and creating a huge following and reputation along the way.
We take a look at what I think to be one of Daiwa’s best looking reels from 2016 and maybe of all time!

FEATURES

INTRODUCTION/IMPRESSIONS

When I first picked up the Certate and gave the handle a few winds I was suitably impressed. A high end reel of this price range should always feel damn good, but there was something about how solid and smooth the Certate felt that gave me goose bumps.
Personally I think this is one of Daiwa’s best looking reels from the 2016 range and very close to of all time for me. The predominantly black styling with the gold highlights just does something for me and I really love the symmetry and look of the vertical spool slots.
Daiwa claim it to be one of their most advanced spinning reels, sporting some new technology like magsealed bearings and line roller bearing, ATD and monocoque body, lightest air rotor ever, creating a new standard for spinning reels for the future.

SPOOL AND DRAG

Sporting the standard Daiwa 2004 size shallow spool the Certate holds plenty of line for the light tackle estuary and freshwater species that it is designed for. From memory I fitted about 100m of Daiwa’s 10lb Evo tournament 8 braid. The Larger Certate models do have the option of a shallow or non shallow spool depending on your desired fishing style, technique and line capacity requirement.
Sporting Daiwa’s ATD (Automatic tournament drag) the Certate has one of the smoothest drags I have used, I could really tell the difference from the low end reels with ATD and such a well balanced spool of the Certate. While drag smoothness and feel is not as important on the smaller reels due to the smaller species chased, the Larger 4000 size reels that are going to be used for Kings, Tuna is where the Certate drag will really come into its own.

PRICE & APPLICATION

The 2016 Certate is definitely aimed at the serious angler, with a price tag around the $600 mark, it is the type of reel you will buy knowing how good it is and how long it will last you. You can’t beat quality for longevity and reliability of a spinning reel. The old adage “you get what you pay for” definitely rings true for this reel.
CONSTRUCTION & DURABILITY
As stated earlier, the Certate model reels have been a time tested workhorse that has that type of cult following a great fishing reel can produce. While it is not the lightest reel getting around, the smoothness and solid feel make it feel very much reliable and even unbreakable, the type of reel you will own and use for a very long time with no dramas.

CONCLUSION

While I am writing this review on the 2004 size Certate, I have just got myself a 2506 size to add to the family, but the 2016 Certate does come in a number of different sizes variations (11 in fact!), with a size and retrieve ratio to fit any style of fishing you can think of!
I have currently paired the 2004 Certate with a Black label 701ULXS, a great combination for chasing my beloved black bream.
Overall the 2004 Certate offers anglers a solid, reliable reel that is super smooth, and will give use for years and years chasing all you typical light tackle species be it with lure or bait.

WHERE TO BUY

The Certate series of reels can be purchased from most good tackle stores. A list of Daiwa stockists can be found here.