🦑 The 2026 Olympic Calamaretti UX is the JDM Eging Rod You NEED to Know About — All Models Under 100g!

Squid season is ON. 🎉 If you follow Japanese eging culture even remotely, you already know that autumn is the most hyped time of year for squid fishing. In Japan, water temperatures begin dropping from the summer highs (typically cooling from around 23–25°C down toward 18°C), triggering juvenile squid to move into shallower, accessible waters near rocky shorelines and seaweed beds. This means high numbers, active feeding, and aggressive strikes — the perfect conditions for beginners and veterans alike to rack up serious catch counts.

For anglers in the Southern Hemisphere — say, Australia or New Zealand — your equivalent prime eging season runs from around March through June, when your autumn water temps drop into that same sweet 16–22°C range and arrow squid (Nototodarus gouldi) become far more responsive to egi lures in shallower zones. The strategies developed in Japan translate perfectly — just flip the calendar.

And when prime squid season hits, you want a rod that won’t let you down. Enter the 2026 Olympic Calamaretti UX — the legendary entry-level eging rod series from Olympic (Graphite Leader), now fully redesigned for the first time in three years. This thing is a game-changer, and here’s why you need to pay attention. 👇

What Is the Olympic Calamaretti UX? 🎣

Olympic Co., Ltd. — the Japanese blank manufacturer behind the prestigious Graphite Leader brand — has been quietly building some of the finest carbon fishing rods in Japan for decades. The Calamaretti UX series is their gateway eging rod lineup: accessible in price, uncompromising in quality, and purpose-built for squid fishing from the ground up.

The 26 Calamaretti UX (the “26” referring to the 2026 model year) is the third-generation refresh of this beloved series, and let’s be real — Olympic absolutely did not hold back on this update.

The Big Headlines: All Models Under 100g 🔥

Let’s talk about the number that matters most in eging: weight.

When you’re jerking (shaking) your rod repeatedly for hours on end — the core technique of eging — even a few grams of difference is felt deeply in your wrist, elbow, and shoulder by the end of a long session. Olympic has achieved something genuinely impressive here: every single model in the 26 Calamaretti UX lineup now comes in under 100 grams.

That’s not a small feat for a rod with the backbone to handle kilo-plus squid. Compared to the previous generation, the 832ML shed 8g and the 862M dropped a massive 11g. These aren’t rounding errors — these are meaningful, session-saving improvements.

OP-02: Olympic’s New Carbon Reel Seat Is the Real Star 🌟

If the weight reduction is the headline, the OP-02 original carbon reel seat is the soul of this new model. This is the component that truly elevates the 26 Calamaretti UX from “good entry-level rod” to “genuinely special piece of JDM gear.”

What makes the OP-02 so special?

• It uses thermoplastic carbon — specifically Toray TORAYCA® short-fiber reinforced nylon resin PA610 — delivering outstanding rigidity, sensitivity, and lightweight construction simultaneously.
• The material contains 30% carbon content, resulting in high strength and high elasticity that you can actually feel through your fingertips.
• Here’s the eco-flex bonus: 60% of the PA610 polymer is plant-derived, making this reel seat genuinely SDG-compliant. Olympic is thinking about sustainability, and that matters. 🌿
• The grip geometry accommodates one-finger to four-finger holds at the highest level, giving anglers the freedom to shift technique on the fly — from delicate finesse twitching to powerful aggressive jerk-and-fall cadences.

The result? Sensitivity and operability that have leaped dramatically forward compared to the previous generation. When a squid tentatively grabs your egi during the fall, you’ll feel it. That’s the whole game in eging.

Blanks Built by a True Blank Master 💪

Olympic’s real identity is as a blank manufacturer — and the 26 Calamaretti UX flexes that expertise hard.

The blanks use high-modulus carbon to achieve a slim, lightweight profile without sacrificing tip stiffness (harikomi). The key secret weapon sits in the butt section: Olympic’s proprietary Graphite Cross LV construction.

What is Graphite Cross LV?

It’s a thin woven carbon cloth that maintains the same fiber composition ratio (longitudinal and transverse) as standard Graphite Cross but achieves approximately 10% additional weight reduction through a refined, thinner weave structure. The result is a blank that resists both twisting and crushing forces while staying feather-light.

In practical terms: when you hook a squid and the rod loads up, the blank bends beautifully and maintains that bend, using its own rebound force to guide the squid toward you with minimal effort. For kilo-class squid — the trophy fish of the eging world — this blank has more than enough backbone to handle the fight.

Zero Compromise on Components ⚙️

Olympic sweated every detail on this rod. Here’s what’s spec’d throughout the lineup:

Guides: All models feature stainless frame SiC ring guides — the gold standard for PE line use. Since eging is almost exclusively done with thin PE braid (typically PE #0.6–0.8), smooth, low-friction line flow through quality guides is non-negotiable. These deliver exactly that, minimizing line trouble and maximizing casting distance.

Grip: A separated EVA grip keeps the weight low while providing corrosion resistance essential for saltwater use. The minimalist design strips out unnecessary material, contributing directly to that sub-100g total weight achievement.

Joint: The ferrule uses a slip-over ferrule (reverse spigot) system — meaning the tip section slides over the butt section rather than inside it. The practical benefit? A smooth, one-piece-like bend curve throughout the full length of the rod, with no dead spot at the joint. It’s how high-end Japanese rods are built. 🙌

Full Lineup: 3 Models, Every Style Covered 📋

The 26 Calamaretti UX comes in three distinct models, each targeting a specific fishing style. Note that the 792ML/M is a brand-new length not seen in the previous generation.

26GCALUS-792ML/M — The Nimble Run-and-Gun Machine

At just 7’9″, this is the shortest and lightest of the trio — a laser-focused tool for run-and-gun (rankan) style eging where you’re covering multiple spots quickly, working your egi with sharp, snappy movements. In Japan’s autumn eging, this style shines because juvenile squid are spread across many spots and respond to aggressive, high-tempo presentations. The compact length makes it perfect for tight jetties, rocky platforms, and areas where backcast space is limited. And don’t underestimate the butt power — it can handle the savage pull of big spring squid too.

26GCALUS-832ML — The One Rod to Rule Them All 👑

This is the model Olympic themselves would push hardest as your first eging rod — and honestly, I agree completely. 8’3″ ML is the textbook sweet spot for eging: long enough for solid casting distance, light enough for all-day jigging, and versatile enough for every season and scenario. It casts well, jigs well, and fights squid beautifully. If you’re buying one rod from this lineup, this is it. Full stop.

26GCALUS-862M — The Long-Range Power Player 💥

The big gun of the lineup. At 8’6″ with M power, this rod is built for long-distance casting, deep-water presentations, and throwing larger #3.5–4 sized egis with authority. In Japan, this model comes into its own during the spring big squid season, when large aori ika (bigfin reef squid) hold in deeper, calmer water and demand bigger egis worked with sweeping, powerful rod strokes. For Southern Hemisphere anglers targeting larger arrow squid or Sepioteuthis species in deeper rock platforms or breakwaters — this is your weapon.

The Value Proposition Is Almost Unfair 💰

Here’s what really blows my mind: the price barely changed from the previous generation. Olympic essentially gave this rod a complete technological overhaul — new reel seat, new blank construction, meaningful weight reduction across the board — and kept the price point right where it was. We’re talking ¥25,000–¥26,000 (roughly USD $160–170) for a rod packing genuinely premium JDM components and blank technology.

For beginners, this is the perfect first eging rod — light, sensitive, easy to cast, and built to last. For veterans who want a high-performance backup or a dedicated seasonal tool, the 26 Calamaretti UX has absolutely zero blind spots. The sleek, refined aesthetic design is just the cherry on top. 🖤

Where to Buy JDM Gear

When it comes to hunting down authentic JDM fishing tackle like the Olympic Calamaretti UX, eBay is hands-down your best bet outside of Japan. You’ll find Japanese sellers listing brand-new, mint-condition gear directly from Japanese tackle shops — often at prices that still beat local retail even after international shipping. It’s where serious JDM collectors and overseas anglers go to get the real deal. 🎣