Daiwa Saltiga Cuddler 200F

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By Daiwa

Color

Daiwa Saltiga Cuddler 185F


Ryota Segawa X Daiwa

Designed by renowned saltwater angler Ryota Segawa, the Saltiga Cuddler is a high-performance lure built for anglers who demand both casting distance and swim stability in tough conditions. Every detail of the Cuddler reflects Segawa’s meticulous design philosophy, with a tapered tail that reduces air resistance for stable, long-range casts, even into strong headwinds or crosswinds.

A carefully engineered rear counterweight delivers a balanced floating posture, ensuring the lure consistently rises to the surface in the optimal position. This stability allows the Cuddler to dive and swim effectively regardless of surface conditions, maintaining its action through chop, swell, and surge.

Whether you’re casting from the rocks or the boat, the Saltiga Cuddler stands out as a serious tool for targeting predatory species with confidence and control.

Color lineup: 8 colors
Recommended hooks: Treble #2/0-3/0 Single #5/0-7/0 depending on size of lure
*Hook weight: Recommended setting is about 15g

Embark on an unknown adventure!

What was required of the Saltiga Cuddler, a model supervised by Ryota Segawa , was a long flight distance and a swimming action that would allow it to swim steadily even in tough conditions.
The tail was narrowed down to greatly reduce air resistance, and the shape allowed for a stable flying posture that would not lose balance even in strong headwinds or crosswinds, creating a great advantage in flight distance.
In addition, a counterweight was installed on the back, and attention was paid to the posture at which it floats up, adjusting it so that it floats up in the same posture even when the water surface is rough, allowing it to dive underwater regardless of the water surface conditions. The action pursued was a three-dimensional spiral S-shaped action, with the entire body moving widely to attract fish from a wide range.

"HARD CORE EXTREME ROCK SHORE SPECIALIST". A fishing explorer who travels around the world fishing with a Saltiga in hand. He has caught countless monster yellowtail, including one that was over 40kg off the rocks of New Zealand. His style, which is based on a physical strength that is unusual for a Japanese person, is astounding to those who see it.

Ryota Segawa X Daiwa

The first supervised diving pencil

We aim to create a diving pencil that
anyone can trust and use under any circumstances.

Ryota Segawa continues to pursue unknown big fish in unknown lands. Fascinated by big game, he has caught various targets both in Japan and abroad. But Segawa also has another face as a lure builder, and he had one thought. He wondered if he could create a lure that could be cast in any place, regardless of the sea conditions or the user... and if he could use that lure to help anglers who share the same thoughts as him enjoy fishing.

Segawa targets big fish such as yellowtail amberjack and GT. In particular, the sea conditions are often unstable in areas where you are fishing for big fish over 20kg. In an ever-changing natural environment, the positioning is limited, and things rarely go as the angler expects.

It flies well regardless of wind direction or line thickness, swims well regardless of sea surface conditions or currents, and lures fish exactly as the angler envisions. This was Segawa's ideal diving pencil.

Of course, Segawa himself is a lure builder and produces his own brand of diving pencils made of wood and foam. However, he creates handmade lures one by one with his own sensibility, so the number of lures he can produce is limited, and he has to be careful because the material itself is fragile, no matter how powerful the lure is in attracting fish.

Anyone could get their hands on it, and it would be possible to have a stable supply... and it would also be cheap to distribute. So they decided to try making a diving pencil out of ABS (synthetic resin). And they partnered with Daiwa.

At that time, he made a firm promise to himself. "I will not compromise until I get the swimming motion I want. I will make it thoroughly, just like when I make my own handmade lures." This was Segawa's pride as a lure builder. Thus began the development of the diving pencil "Saltiga Cuddler" by Segawa and Daiwa.

What we were looking for was "stability,"
so we chose ABS (synthetic resin).

A lure that can move stably under all kinds of ever-changing sea conditions and that can be used with one's own fishing style. Aiming for this, Segawa teamed up with Daiwa and seriously worked on developing a lure. After exchanging opinions with Daiwa's development staff, the diving pencil was completed without any compromise.

Segawa has been making his own handmade lures up until now, and still does today. Of course, he could have made the Saltiga Cuddler out of wood. However, he chose not to do so and instead made it out of ABS.

- ABS was realistic and practical.

Segawa had a reason for using ABS lures this time:
"ABS lures are easy to mass-produce, available all over the world, and inexpensive. They are very realistic and practical as a 'weapon' to compete on the world stage. High-quality and rare wooden lures are very easy to use, catch fish, and even if you think they are your best weapon, once they run out, you can't get a replacement, and that's it."

- Another advantage of ABS is the stability of the product.

"ABS ensures the strength of the body, so even if it is scratched by a fish with sharp teeth or slammed against a rock or the side of a boat, the material itself will not get wet and will remain stable. In the case of wood, since it is a natural material, there are individual differences, and it is necessary to learn how to move it. Also, if a fish's teeth make a hole or scratch it, or the coating peels off, the wood will absorb water and the action will change. In the case of foam, there is a possibility that it will break even if it does not absorb water. The biggest advantage of ABS lures is that they are always stable. I think that this is very important as a weapon to compete in the seas of the world."
If it is made of ABS and has solid performance, you can continue to use it with confidence and it will always produce a stable action. And that leads to a catch.

- A lure that anyone can trust and use around the world.

- A lure that can be used in any situation and by any user.

And there is another important thing for a lure to be used all over the world... it must be easy for anyone to use, have the power to draw out fish, and be able to perform the ideal movement on any sea surface or in any sea condition.
SALTIGA CUDDLER

"Fish are very obedient. When the action you want is not happening, the fish will not react at all. But when you get an action that makes you think it's getting better, they will start chasing. And when you get a movement that you think is good, they will bite properly. We eliminated the bad parts one by one, and finally we were able to reach the ideal performance."
The test was repeated. Despite its size of 185mm and 77g, it flies well with PE8, cuts through the wind and has a long flight distance even in headwinds, and does not fly out even in rough water with swells and waves. In any situation, any person can make it act firmly from the beginning, and it has the power to draw fish. Such a "weapon" was completed.

- I finally got to the action I was aiming for.

What Segawa noticed while making the ABS lure this time is that even a slight difference in the position of the weight can result in a completely different movement. Conversely, once the movement is decided, it can be reproduced at any time. "Being able to reproduce the same movement is fine, but I thought that a regular movement would not be appealing. It would not work in different situations. So, if I added something to that regularity, it would become an interesting, good lure... Rather than trying to reproduce the movement of a wooden lure using ABS, I pursued something that had the power to attract fish with the unique movement of ABS."

First, the basic performance we aimed for was to dive firmly under various sea conditions and tides, grab the water firmly over a short distance, and swim in a spiral with the whole body.
The body shape was highly buoyant so that it could swim steadily near the water's surface, but it was also adjusted to add an element of irregular movement. We repeatedly tested changes in the balance by changing the amount and position of the weight inside the body, searching for the best action.

- The mold was remade four times in pursuit of the ideal action.


As a result, the mold was made four times in total, and several samples were brought to the fishing spot for testing. Fine adjustments were made repeatedly using plate weights ranging from 0.2g to 1g, until the lure always had the ideal movement.
The counterweight mounted on the back stabilizes the floating posture and makes the rise smooth, allowing it to dive regardless of the water surface conditions. In addition, a small guided counterweight was placed in front of the eye on the ventral side, which tilts left and right during the action, successfully creating the ideal irregular movement.
"The main movement is a spiral action that moves 'round and round with the whole body.' A variety of actions are incorporated into this. If you look from directly above, it is an S-shape, and depending on the way the tide hits it, the spiral breaks down and the lure moves irregularly up and down and left and right in a three-dimensional way, and the whole body moves. It has a strong appeal and a strong water push. You can just throw it and see what happens. You can see the fish's reaction. In that sense, the Saltiga Cuddler is a very versatile lure."


What we have further pursued is overwhelming distance
with stable flight posture

When targeting large fish from the shore, you often have to cast in a strong headwind with limited footing. Even offshore, there are situations where you need to cast quickly by getting the boat close to a school of fish or a bird mountain, or you may have to cast in strong swells.

In such a situation, you want to get a long casting distance and move the lure firmly. In that case, you might think of ways to deal with it, such as making the lure heavier or using a thinner line. However, if the fish you are targeting are big, you definitely don't want to use a thinner line. If the bait is small, a smaller lure will make it easier for the fish to eat it without feeling strange. When selecting lures and tackle, you want to match them to the fish and situation you are targeting at that time as much as possible. If you take something, you have to sacrifice something else. However, in order to catch fish more reliably, you cannot compromise.

What we focused on most was creating a distance that anyone could achieve consistently.

The Saltiga Cuddler is 185mm long and weighs 77g.
"From my experience, I think that 185mm is a versatile size that makes it easy to get fish to bite, regardless of the size of the bait."

Tests were mainly conducted on rock shores, in the southern seas and Kyushu area in Japan, and on remote islands near the Kanto region, as well as overseas. He said that he caught almost all of the targets he was aiming for with a top water plug.



"I caught everything from yellowtail, amberjack, Japanese amberjack, tuna, GT, bluefin tuna, black tuna, dogtooth tuna, barracuda, and striped amberjack... I couldn't ask for anything better. That's how powerful it is."
And it's no exaggeration to say that the greatest feature of the Saltiga Caddler is its casting distance at 185mm, which is not large, but is rather small for targeting large fish in saltwater.
"Normally, when choosing the 185mm size, you would use PE 5-6, but I'm thinking about big fish, so I use 8. With this size, I aimed for performance that can be used with PE 8." He
was extremely particular about creating a casting distance that anyone can achieve stably with this size.

The ability to use PE8 at 185mm

The lure will automatically determine its position.

"When a lure flies well, it's not just because of brute force; there is also technique involved in making it fly. It's not just someone with great strength who can make it fly. It's important to get the lure to catch the wind and adjust its flying posture so that it can easily catch the wind."
So we thoroughly pursued the shape and flying posture that would allow the lure to fly.

"By thoroughly removing all parts that cause resistance, the Saltiga Cuddler allows the lure to adjust its flying posture by itself. Based on an idea from Daiwa's development staff, the tail section is designed to be as slim as possible. Its shape is like cutting up the wing of an airplane and looking at it from the side. When I make my own handmade lures, I don't make this section that slim. In fact, I can't make it with wood because it doesn't have the strength to hold.
However, ABS has great strength and we were able to make it slim. This allows it to cut through the wind when casting. Even if someone inexperienced at casting casts, the lure will not shake and will fly beautifully from the tail. If an experienced person casts, I don't think they will make a mistake. The flying posture is so beautifully determined."

Needless to say, if the flight distance is increased, it will directly affect the fishing results.
"The lure is not that big at 185mm, so the settings are too strict and it flies well with PE6, but as soon as I changed it to PE8, the flight posture is beautiful but the flight distance drops sharply... This happened during the test. However, I really wanted to use PE8, so I couldn't compromise on this point."
To make the lure fly, you can make it heavier, but then the action will collapse. There's no point in doing this. The balance between flight distance, action, and weight. Segawa recalls that it was really difficult to get to that point in a short period of time.

I want anglers who seek the unknown to use it.


Segawa has previously made wooden lures himself, and using that knowledge and fishing experience, he oversaw the creation of his first ABS lure. As it was his first time, he said there were many difficulties.
"With a handmade lure, you can adjust it to the ideal movement by carving it down a little bit according to your intuition, but with ABS, you have to create a blueprint and make it using a mold, and with just a blueprint, you can't get close to what you feel. Making a lure is very sensory, and handmade lures are often made using each person's sensibilities, but this time, as it was made by two people, including a development manager from Daiwa, it was difficult to convey my own feelings. Since it's difficult to express things in words, we went to the field together, worked on it together, exchanged opinions and shared our feelings. Looking back, it was a fun time."


This latest model is not an imitation or improvement of existing lures, but a lure that Segawa started from scratch in pursuit of the ideal action based on his own experience and sensibility. Segawa worked hand in hand with Daiwa to create an unprecedented ABS diving pencil for large fish.
"To be honest, time just passed while the lure would not land the ideal movement... and of course we had to catch fish. There were many difficulties that I experienced for the first time as a tester. However, after making countless adjustments, the sense of relief when the ideal action was achieved, the sense of accomplishment when a fish was caught, and the joy when a good casting distance was achieved were great. And I realized that if the action is right, the fish will come out."
During the development period, Segawa caught many fish in many actual fishing trips. Among them, he led a memorable giant yellowtail to be caught from the shore. Although he did not land it, there is no doubt that it is a lure that attracts fish.
And Segawa, who has seen many seas both in Japan and overseas, both onshore and offshore, and held many fish in his hands, wanted an ABS diving pencil that would fly well even in strong winds, would not jump out of the water surface even if the sea conditions were bad, and could perform various movements to attract fish.
The result was the Saltiga Cuddler 185F. Segawa says he has in mind developing sizes and types in the future.
"When you use it, you will immediately feel the feel and performance of this lure. I want many people to use it, whether onshore or offshore. I think it will be useful in all situations and situations."
The Saltiga Cuddler will help many anglers to "BREAK YOUR RECORD."


Product Details

Square eye for high straight-line performance and reduced input errors
A square eye with a pointed tip is used to ensure consistent input, allowing for more repeatable jerks.

Back counterweight for stable standing posture and smooth diving action
A thin, wide counterweight is placed on the back. This stabilizes the posture when floating up and makes the rising smooth. This allows for diving regardless of the surface conditions.

Slim tail shape narrowed to the limit of strength
The slim tail shape is as narrow as possible while still maintaining its strength. The reduced air resistance results in a stable flight posture and a large increase in flight distance.
Recommended hooks
Treble #2/0~3/0, Single #5/0~7/0.
*Hook weight: Recommended setting is about 20g.
Daiwa Saltiga Cuddler lures come rigged from the pack. 

Specification

Length: 200mm
Weight: 90g, 110g (rigged)
Type: Floating
Hooks: 4/0 BKK Raptor Z + BKK Diablo 79/0 Single