How do I read a Japanese reel or rod model code?

Short answer: each maker packs the size, body, gear ratio and handle type into one code, and each maker has its own system. We decode every code from that maker’s own published tables, not by guessing.

For example, in a Daiwa spinning-reel code such as LT2500S-CXH, each part (LT, 2500, S, C, XH) has a meaning listed in Daiwa’s own table.

Maker by maker: