FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. – Spring 2025 Introduction – Serious. Beefy. Light. Fun. It’s all part of the design concept behind DAIWA’s new Black Wing series saltwater popping rods, a lineup that includes five spinning models from 7’9” to 8’2” in the exact right actions to target bluefin and cow yellowfin tuna up to 200 pounds.

These rods continue DAIWA’s focused efforts in providing the ideal rods and reels for specific East Coast fishing techniques and fisheries. They have been showcased at DAIWA’s product exhibits at key saltwater fishing expos and are currently shipping to tackle shops up and down the coast.

The East Coast tuna fishery is seeing bluefin being caught in inshore waters – ‘just beyond the bar‘ as it’s known, where the fun of using DAIWA’s new Saltiga Cuddler and Dorado Poppers can be extremely effective. Anglers no longer must travel 60+ mile offshore, meaning those with boats not capable of making big runs can now target tuna closer to shore.

“We’ll see anglers using the Black Wing popping rods for tuna primarily, along with the 7’9” Black Wing BW92MFS and 8’2” BW822MHFS being the right size and power to also target big stripers and yellowtail,” said DAIWA Marketing Manager, Marc Mills. “Plus making these rods two-piece with our exclusive V-Joint technology connecting the blank to the handle, we add more travel convenience without sacrificing performance.”

Black Wing popping rods rely on DAIWA’s HVF NANOPLUS carbon technology to reinforce the blank through a micro-level arrangement of material in the resin, creating a narrower, lighter, and rigid yet powerful blank with impressive fish-stopping power. Black Wing’s X-45 Bias Construction has greater strength and prevents blank twisting and ovalization, providing anglers with needed hook-setting power and more accuracy and distance when casting big poppers. The blanks maintain hoop strength under load, creating a much more powerful rod for its size. All feature Fuji SIC double foot guides with Alconite rings to further make the rods lighter and durable, along with providing smoother line transition.

Mills added that many tuna anglers will gravitate to the 8’2” heavy-action BW822HFS and extra-heavy BW822XHFS, and then look at the 7’11” BW7112XHRS when bigger fish show up on the fishing grounds. The new Black Wing popper rods match up ideally with DAIWA’s Certate SW, Saltist MQ 14000 and 18000, and 25 SALTIGA.

For more information on the Black Wing popping rod series – retailing for $379.99 USD – visit your local DAIWA tackle dealer, or view the rod section on the DAIWA USA website at https://DAIWA.us/collections/saltwater-rods.
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