Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S

The Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S is a 5' 6" extra, extra ultralight solid-tipped spinning rod. It is a very soft, full flex rod that is rated for lures as light as .4 gram (about 1/70th of an ounce). When I first saw the rod's specs, my first thought was micro fishing, which has grown dramatically in the US in the last few years.

Angler holding creek chub caught with a micro spoonEven creek chubs will hit micro spoons

The great thing about the Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S, given its ability to cast extremely small, light spoons, is that you can fish those tiny little creeks that no one fishes - and catch fish. Even creek chubs will hit micro spoons!

My second thought was brookies! Actually, most brookies aren't much larger than micros, and this rod makes catching small fish fun. At 5'6", the rod isn't too long for the little overgrown streams of the Appalachians, and it isn't too short for the beaver ponds and alpine lakes of the Rockies. The recommended lure weights of .4g to 2.5g cover the lures you would want to use for brookies, and the recommended line weights of 1.5 to 3 lb test cover the lines you should want to use for brookies.

Most ultralight spinning rods that are available in the US are overkill. Most are rated for lines up to 6 lb test. Personally, I would consider 6 lb line to be "light" rather than "ultralight." In any event, 6 lb line is too thick and too stiff to give good casting distance and good action with small lures. Realistically, even 4 lb line is too thick and too stiff. A 3 lb test line like the Sunline Troutist Wild or the Varivas Super Trout Advance Sight Edition is the heaviest line I would use. I don't know about you but I've never caught a 3 lb brookie. You just flat out do not need heavier line.

Angler holding pumpkinseed sunfish alongside Daiwa Iprimi 56 XXUL-S.Pumpkinseed caught with .8 gram spoon

For that matter, I've never caught a 3 lb sunfish, either. Micro spoons, by the way, are extremely effective for sunfish. In my experience, the smaller the better. I've had wonderful luck with the .4g and .8g Daiwa Vega spoons (since discontinued). I have not had a chance to try the .5g Rodio-craft Blinde Flanker, the .6g Forest Chaser or the .6g Daiwa Micro Lumion for sunfish. I think the Micro Lumion spoons will prove to be killers for sunfish (and for brookies, of course). They are only 3/4 of an inch long and come in .6g, .8g and 1g weights. The 1g spoons in particular will cast very nicely with the Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S.

The rod is rated for lures up to 2.5 grams, so even though you can fish the tiniest of lures, you don't have to. There is an excellent selection of JDM spoons and spinners that weigh 2.5 grams or less. Of course, if you fish larger lures you are likely to catch larger fish. I have caught fish on 2.5g spoons that were larger than I would want to tangle with using the 56XXUL-S, but the rod is more capable than you would expect an extra, extra ultralight to be.

Angler holding brook trout alongside Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S.The Iprimi 56XXUL-S is a nice brookie rod!

Most Area rods are 6' long or a bit longer. At 5'6", the 56XXUL-S is one of the shortest rods intended for fishing Areas. That short length, combined with the extra, extra ultralight action, makes it a nice rod for the headwaters streams here in the US, where the brookies or rainbows or browns are not going to be very big (but they probably will be very hungry).

Daiwa Iprimi 56XXUL-S Specs

Model
Type
Tip
Length
Sections
Breakdown
       Length
Rod Weight
Line Weight
Lure Weight


Iprimi 56XXUL-S
Area (lake)
Solid
5'6"
2

34.25"
2.1 oz
1.5 - 3 lb
.4g-2.5g (1/70-1/11 oz)
Made in Vietnam

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Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFSHG ('17)

Warning:

The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.

Whatever you do, do it with finesse!