Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Review- What Professional Anglers Say?

Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT sets the standard for inshore and back bay saltwater fishermen country-wide. The Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Reel employs our revolutionary HARDBODYZ design- utilizing an aluminum metal alloy, giving maximum strength and minimizing weight. These design features combine to create one of the lightest, strongest saltwater spinning reels on the market.

The Magsealed main shaft employs a magnetic oil that repels intrusion from saltwater without compromising performance. The machined aluminum alloy DigiGear assures smooth, rugged performance with digitally milled gearing to maximize the efficiency of the gear-tooth interaction. Ideally suited for 8- and 10-pound test mono and equivalent braid, the Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT is Daiwa’s state-of-the-art interpretation of the perfect light tackle backwater spinning reel.

Technical Specifications Chart:

Specification Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Spinning Reels
Model Range 3000, 4000
Bearings 7+1 ball bearings (6BB+1RB)
Gear Ratio 3000: 5.6:1 / 4000: 5.7:1
Retrieve Rate (in) 3000: 37.4 / 4000: 39.9
Max Drag (lbs) 3000: 15.4 / 4000: 17.6
Line Capacity (Mono) (yds/lb) 3000: 8/220, 10/130, 12/110 / 4000: 10/210, 12/160, 14/140
Line Capacity (Braid) (yds/lb) 3000: 20/220, 30/160, 40/120 / 4000: 30/230, 40/160, 50/120
Line Retrieve per Crank (in) 3000: 37.4 / 4000: 39.9
Weight (oz) 3000: 9.5 / 4000: 9.9
Drag Material Carbon ATD (Automatic Tournament Drag)
Gear Material Digigear drive gear system
Body Material Aluminum body and side plate
Rotor Material Air Rotor
Spool Material Aluminum spool with line capacity rings
Handle Aluminum handle with EVA knob
Reel Handle Position Interchangeable (left or right)
Anti-Reverse Infinite anti-reverse system
Saltwater Rated Yes

Check Today’s Price

Key Features at a Glance:

  • LT CONCEPT – light and ridged aluminum construction
  • MAG SEALED construction repels salt and grime
  • Lightweight AIR ROTOR
  • Stainless steel AIR BAIL technology
  • DigiGear – Digital Gear Design
  • 7-bearing (6+1) system with instant anti-reverse
  • Up to 15.4 lbs. of Max Drag

Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Spinning Reel Review in 2024

Beauty knows no bounds, and design and performance have no limits with the legendary Saltist Black Bay spin reel. The new Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT introduces unrivaled ground-breaking technology to the world at a price point never available before. Digigear II, Magseal, ATD, Magsealed Line Roller, and Air Rotor feature in the all-new Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT.

Check The Price of Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Fishing Reel

Corrosion-Free Construction

Given the popularity of saltwater fishing, reducing water penetration is a major goal to minimize corrosion and promote longer life and better performance. Daiwa found a solution – Magseal; this system greatly reduces the penetration of water inside the body via the main shaft. Being magnetized, this lubrication system avoids any friction, reduces dust intrusion, eliminates oil spray, and improves reel life expectancy.

Magsealed Body

Magsealed Body of reelCheck The Review

Not content with Magsealing the rotor/anti-reverse system, Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT also introduces a fully contained Magsealed line roller system to attenuate water intrusion, maintain rotation smoothness and increase part longevity. Magseal has now reached the pinnacle of evolution.

Powerful ATD Drag

Daiwa’s new drag, ATD, implements structural changes to the spool metal of the reel that provides greater support for the spool across the entire length of the main shaft.

This additional support of the spool reduces spool twist under load, promotes more even wear of the drag washers, and ultimately reduces pulsing of the drag when fighting the fish. Combined with new, improved drag grease that exhibits a low viscosity at rest yet becomes more viscous immediately after drag starts up.

This reduces initial drag startup inertia and, combined with the structural changes of the ATD Drag System, results in a smoother drag from the initial hook up.

MAGNETIC OIL and AIR ROTOR DESIGN

Magnetic Oil is one of the new generations of Nano Fluids that can change density and shape when a magnetic field is applied.

The Air Rotor weighs up to 15% less than ordinary rotor designs. Its unique shape reduces unnecessary weight while distributing stress more evenly throughout the rotor for maximum strength.

Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT model specifications:

Model Number:
Bearings: Gear Ratio: Line Per Handle Turn: Weight oz: Mono Line Capacity: Braid Line Capacity: Max Drag:
6BB, 1RB 5.6:1 33.2” 9.9 6/210, 8/170 15/190, 20/170 15.4
6BB, 1RB 5.6:1 35.3” 10.6 10/200, 12/170 20/240, 30/190 15.4

Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Video Review:

Watch this video

Why I Love This Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Reel:

I love these reels! I have both the Saltist back bay & regular Saltist in the 3000 sizes. So I will share what I experienced with this reel in this Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT review section. Perfect for inshore fishing. Excellent drag pressure to keep feisty reds out of the jetty rocks and for solid hooksets. Super smooth operation & lightweight.

Fast and Silky Smooth

This reel is buttery smooth. Using 20-pound power pro super slick and have used it for everything from scup to 48″ stripers. Drag is consistent and has a fantastic slow increment for accurate dialing of pressure. The wide spool of the 4000 provides almost 40″ per turn, which makes it a fantastic Albie/hardtail reel. I run fishing charters in Beaufort, SC, with Castaway Charters, and we crush fish with these. The drag is very smooth and powerful at over 15 lbs. It’s also sealed to keep salt out.

Line Roller Fell Off Twice

Awesome reel. Paired it with a fire line: casts forever and a super smooth retrieve. I had the line roller replaced after it fell off, and it fell off again on the next trip. The reel is less than 6 months old. Buy a Penn SpinFisher VI.

Daiwa does it

Amazingly smooth reel. One of my favorite spinners to tackle the largest range of inshore species. I use this for snap-jigging and drop-shot rigs. Highly recommend!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m using a Nasci as a backup now that I have this reel. It’s unbelievably smooth. I can’t stress that enough; it’s phenomenal.

The BEST bang for the money

I had no problem reeling in various sizes of blues, smacks flounder, reds, rockfish….. including a hood-sized cow nose ray!!!!
Solid, light, and dependable while smooth as can be
It will give you absolute confidence.

Daiwa comes through again

Man, what a beast! I replaced a Diawa Procyon 3500 with 4000 Back Bay lt. Line capacity is supposed to be 300 of 6lb, and I run 10lb pp, which is supposed to have a 2 lb diameter. I got about 225 yds. That will be more than enough with drag and braid breaking at the double usually. It’s paired on a Diawa Harrier 7’6 MH rod. Another TD special. It is very light, perfectly balanced, and ready to smash Redfish, Speck trout, Snook, and Flounder.
Pros – Lightweight Waterproof Drag
Cons – None yet

Lightweight fishing reel

Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT fishing reelsI bought this reel for its light and water-tight build, and it seemed perfect except for the clicking sound at the same point on every rotation. I believe that there is too much room in either the main gear and handle or the main shaft and spool. So I recently bought a Daiwa conventional reel that had the same irritating banging sound on every spool rotation, and I love my Van Staal and Penn Spinfisher VI.
Pros – Lightweight, comfortable and watertight
Cons – Useless anti-reverse switch and noisy operation

Inshore slammin’ – love this reel

Black Betty BAM A LAM! I had a couple of older Saltists and picked this up earlier this Summer. Snooks, Reds, Specks – this feels great in your hand, casts a mile, and reels them in smoother than hot butter.
Pros – It still has a bit of weight to it – it could be a pro or con – depending on what you like.
Cons – I wish they would have kept some of the blue appearances for the Saltist line. I like the blues in my rods (custom Key Largo rods) and reels.

Setbacks I found while fishing with this reel:

  • The reel looks good and smooth, but it will not last in saltwater

The reel is smooth and really light. ONLY good for freshwater; it will not last in saltwater. I bought a brand new last month, July 16, 2022. I fish twice a week on the beach surf fishing, and today is August 3, 2022. The reel is jerky, and I hear squeaky sounds every time I spin the reel. Once the gear gets stuck, I will not recommend SALT water.

More Customer Reviews on Daiwa Saltist LT

  • Horrible repair and service

This reel lasted 5 trips fishing from my boat. I never touched the water, but the gears still went bad. It would lock up during retrieval. The worst part is the customer service and repair. I sent the reel off for repair, and it took weeks to hear anything. I had to call. It turns out they don’t even have parts available for this reel yet. I still haven’t gotten it back. Missing the hot spec season, here is the reason I bought it. Fortunately, I have plenty of Shimano products that work great!!!

Conclusion

With its revolutionary HARDBODYZ design, Magsealed main shaft, and DigiGear gearing, the Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT provides technical inshore anglers with one of the strongest and lightest saltwater spinning reels on the market. This is just such a great reel for the money. Super light, yet smooth drag. I got it for the fall run of false albacore and bonito in the northeast and have already taken numerous fish on it, including a few decent-sized bluefish. There are other reel brands, but Daiwa makes the best, in my opinion. I bought my reel and never regretted it. I will buy another soon.

Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Frequently Asked Questions:

Is it braid compatible?

Yes, a braid can be used on this reel.

What rod would you recommend for a back bay 3000?

The 7-foot medium-light St.Croix Avid Inshore would be a good choice for the Daiwa Saltist Back Bay LT Spinning Reels.

Would a Daiwa 7’0 heavy harrier rod work with Saltist back bay 4000?

Yes, they would pair well together.

Leave a Reply

Scroll to Top