Good review. Haven't tried that one as I don't think it comes colored and I no longer can see the clear lines. That fluoride coating is what makes that Varivas cast like a dream. The UV and age does a number on the Varivas line. I change mine out about every 2 months now.
thats a good tip. I just got my two spools and will replace mine. By the way, i don't see the 2.5 clear line either when I fish. My eyes are fine. I just don't think its possible. Sometimes after I break off I can't find the end of it to retie. I have to go up to the tip to track it down. It can be ... comical. Thanks for stopping by Randy
See this from Sunline for visual cues - I use Sunline Fluro Sniper FC as my main small fish line -- www.tacklewarehouse.com/Sunline_JDM_FC_Sniper_BMS_Azayaka_Fluorocarbon_Line/descpage-SNI.html
The Varivas has a red color. It is called Ajing Master Red eye... A bit more expensive..I just recieve it and want to try it soon. I spool it up with my daiwa bg 1000 and Major craft New Finetail Area stage 6'3 rod.... Hoping to get a Daiwa luvias to pair with it someday
@@ifishcatfish I'm waiting it to go on sale.. Which ever is the first to go on sale.. either luvias or the Presso Ltd. Great content on your channel. Hoping to see more jdm tackle reviews.
First, that was one fat crappie! 👍 Next, thanks for another great review. Two years ago was when I started using 2 lb line. I have three applications I typically use it now: ice fishing, clear stream trout fishing, and micro-fishing. Probably the most important consideration for me when it comes to 2 lb is breaking strength. 2 lb is often very necessary through the ice in order to get small baits down in the thick cold water, and I'm often fishing around structure, just like someone in a boat would do. Being able to take a little abrasion from structure or at the ice hole opening is really important. Also, sometimes a bigger fish will take a small jig through the ice and I want to at least have a chance of landing it. So, a good and consistent breaking strength is really important for me, and most of the other benefits of 2lb come simply from the small line diameter. Right now, I absolutely love Sufix's Ice Magic 2lb. But, I've only been able to find it in small 100 yard spools and it's pretty expensive for how much line you get. The 100 yard is fine for ice fishing, but not enough to spool up a 1000 size real for trout fishing. (I bought some of that cheap Zebco line you mentioned a while back, so I might just use that as backing for the good stuff this year.) The Presso line seems like it would be pretty attractive for me if I can get a big spool like that. Nice consistent breaking strength comes in really handy when a big fish takes the bait and you have to put some pressure on them. BTW, where did you get that drag tester? I could use one of those.
Like everything else, i got the drag tester on Plat. It is kind of expensive but made tests very easy. I was doing it with a scale before but was very difficult and still inaccurate. I think you would probably love the presso line. It casts completely silently on a daiwa presso rod, and you mostly fish under a bobber so sensitivity is not important. Even sensitivity will probably leave u pleasantly surprised. Someone from MN mentioned this suffix ice yesterday. He told me it was mono. Mono is not supposed to sink, but in some wide interpreatations mono just means it is one thread, so fluorocarbon is mono also. Maybe the suffix is also polyester. If it is so expensive its possible
@@ifishcatfish I just went and grabbed the box so I could check on Ice Magic. It is mono. 2lb 0.115mm. It's about $6-7 for 100 yards on Amazon with Prime shipping. I haven't compared the price much to others, but I know whenever I buy it feels like I'm not getting much line for my money :) But I've used a couple other brands, including Northland, and the Sufix just blows it away in pretty much every category. My experience has been that if a line can work well in ice, it works even better about everywhere else. In the cold water the water clarity is so good that thin line really makes a difference both because the fish can see it, but also with presentation. Plus, the panfish jigs are tiny. The cold stiffens and sometimes freezes the line, there are sharp ice edges everywhere. Finding the best line is really important. I haven't really tested that many lines, but no complaints with the Ice Magic so far.
Nice review. Question for you. So recently I have jumped back on the diawa band wagon. Got my presso reel and it’s great. Also got 2 of the 2000 size 2016 exists recently off tackle warehouse. Greatest egg beater I have ever used. Now my last upgrade of the year was to replace my jerk bait rod for bass fishing. I used a cheap Diawa Samurai combo for like close to 12 years going back to around 1998. It was 6 foot medium/heavy with mono and I was deadly accurate. Several years later I switched over to a 6’6” medium GL2 loomis and realized I lost a lot of accuracy but dealt with it. Several issues. The action was slower and the butt section longer hampered the technic. So went on the hunt recently first looking at loomis rods but nothing in the spinning category that fit. I know exactly what I wanted as far as length, power and action. 6’3” medium with extra fast tip with the reel seat further back on the rod for a shorter butt section. I found it in a walleye series from st croix. $245. Went up to cabelas held it and it was perfect. Didn’t pull the trigger right away and looked around some more then found it in diawas walleye series also. Same length, power and action with a short but section for like $70 online. It’s the diawa regal RG631XS. Rod is perfect so I thought for this technique I don’t need a expensive reel and ordered a diawa regal 2000h-ab. On paper the reel sounded nice. 10 bearings 5.6:1 and only $49 on amazon and would match the rod. The reel is pure garbage. Haven’t fished it yet but when I first spooled it up with braid I noticed the line was not going all the way up the spool and was laying it on thicker at the bottom. Wtf
Regal is a great reel but a bit heavy. If weight is fine for you, you should keep it, as everything else is perfect. What you are describing is present even on most expensive reels. This is why they give u shims in the reel box. Sometimes you add a shim, sometimes you remove. In your case you have to remove. Remove the spool, and you will see the shim under the spool. Remove it. If the shim you remove is very thick, take the shims that are in the box of the reel and find one that is thinner than the one you are removing and replace them. Try to imagine what you are doing first. When u put a thinner shim under the spool, the spool will ride lower with respect to the line roller, and the line will go all the way up, and not all the way down. You definitely need to learn to do that because even my $400 shimano vanquish needed to be shimmed. All reels come with shims, regardless of price. Do not think that one reel is good or bad because of shimming. Regal is a great reel mechanically!
you must have had that issue. I have 70 spinning reels. Maybe 10 have been perfect out of the box. Maybe 30 have been acceptable but not perfect. I always adjust them to be perfect, even when it is acceptable. Now that you are aware of this process, you will start noticing it on other reels - trust me
Nice analysis and comparison. I normally just buy line I can get locally, but recently ordered some Nevis matchfishing line from MTM Tackle website, and am quite impressed with it. Smooth, limp, small diameter for strength for the rating... Would be very interested in your testing.
I would invite u to send me some, but i can't fish for anything other than perch in the next few months, and you probably bought a carp diameter. Bench is one thing, but real fishing is important too. I have had some ... curious problems to say the least with some lines... even though they feel great in hand. Particularly stretch. Cheap lines stretch too much before they break, which leaves the line compromised after the break. I like lines that break without much stretch. All of that said, if you can send me enough like to spool a reel, i can test in next season
@@TheFishingNomad I ended up not ordering any of the two. The trout and crappie scene here in Southern California was ridiculously over crowded this year. Everyone wanted to go out fishing due to covid I guess. Went out a few times and decided that it wasn't worth the headache. Stuck with saltwater fishing this season.
The lines are floating because they haven't broken the water surface tension yet. Some insects as well as artificial flies make use of surface tension to stay on top. Also, isn't ester line less dense than flouro? Specific gravity of 1.3 vs. 1.8 if memory serves me right. Thanks for the review.
@@ifishcatfish Varivas describes their Area Master Limited Super Ester as "specific gravity about half way between nylon and fluorocarbon". You can find one example on Chris Stewart's Tenbum site. tenbum.com/collections/finesse-spin-fishing/products/varivas-area-master-limited-super-ester?variant=22537660792890 On the Varivas site, you'll find the 1.35 specific gravity spec. www.varivas.co.jp/en/Product/searchgroup/name:Super+Trout+Area+Master+Limited/type:+%5BSuper+Ester%5D/view3:2/id:4300 Finally, from lakecommandos.com (but no mention of ester) Superline: .97 floats Mono: 1.13 suspends Spiderwire FluoroBraid: 1.5 sinks Fluorocarbon: 1.75 sinks fast
2 years ago i would have posted the same comment myself. But if you are into ultralight fishing, you must have looked at JDM stuff. If you have looked at JDM stuff - Presso is everywhere. So in that separate and disconnected world, this line is actually right in the middle of things. USA is warming up to JDM stuff though, and if u read my comments u will always find some from europe or australia.
Re: MicroGuides -- Now I wonder if the microguides on my ultralight are affecting my casting distance (*hmmm) -- Anyway, regarding the disadvantages of the Varivas,--strangely, I get that issue with some of the Fluros I use and spinning reels. A coil or 2 of line will come off , if I do not hit the bail quickly enough. I am going to guess that the wind is playing some part, and slowing down my 1/64th jig in the air, and it is no longer pulling taught my line - This is extremely frustrating. There is really only one solution, and that is to go to a BFS baitcasting reel (something like the FishBand GH100 - RUclips it, or aliexpress it) -- or to the extreme, an Shimano Aberdeen BFS reel. With a baitcaster, the line should come out straight and smooth without the coils.
What is the heaviest jig u throw on ultralight? The heaviest i have used all summer is that soare jig in 1.2 grams. I dont know any bfs that can throw that. U need at least 2 grams, but even with that u not gona do very well. 3 grams is where its comfy. I have the tsurinoya bfs reels and rods.
Yes. 11.11 is the Chinese Black Friday. Sorry for late reply, catching up on RUclips videos on this cold Sunday, and when videos are queued on tv with RUclips, no way to reply... bad user interface. An user in rawrfishing video mentioned putting small tungsten beads on top of the hook to get the weight for bfs casting. These beads are used in fly fishing.
It is closer to fluorocarbon. It is heavier than fluorocarbon and sinks faster. It also has absolutely no stretch, so it is also more sensitive than fluorocarbon. They make bigger diameters for bass fishing. For me the biggest benefit is extreme sensitivity when i fish those tiny crappie jigs. U can feel little taps and react faster. If u have a drop shot rig u can try it on that.
Actually several folks bought it :) I got 2 more spools. Interesting feedback. I thought u wouldnt want to buy the daiwa because it is not fun. I love the Varivas line even with the unreliable breaking strength. One guy below said it ages fast. He changes it every two months. Mine is gettin old for sure
@@ifishcatfish I am saying that because my priority is reliability and consistency. When you say it could snap at various tensile load I immediately decided not to use Varivas. It means it has a manufacturing and quality issue. Thanks for reviewing JDM products. Because I love them :) even I go bassproshops nothing attracts me :P
@@ifishcatfish If you say so :) I will give a try one day, my very next order from JP. I hope next year I will be there for a fishing shopping spree, wuhuuuu :) it is my dream for now.
Good review. Haven't tried that one as I don't think it comes colored and I no longer can see the clear lines. That fluoride coating is what makes that Varivas cast like a dream. The UV and age does a number on the Varivas line. I change mine out about every 2 months now.
thats a good tip. I just got my two spools and will replace mine.
By the way, i don't see the 2.5 clear line either when I fish. My eyes are fine. I just don't think its possible. Sometimes after I break off I can't find the end of it to retie. I have to go up to the tip to track it down. It can be ... comical.
Thanks for stopping by Randy
See this from Sunline for visual cues - I use Sunline Fluro Sniper FC as my main small fish line -- www.tacklewarehouse.com/Sunline_JDM_FC_Sniper_BMS_Azayaka_Fluorocarbon_Line/descpage-SNI.html
Excellent review - You always hit the points I'm curious about, and usually you add in a few points I hadn't even considered.
The Varivas has a red color. It is called Ajing Master Red eye... A bit more expensive..I just recieve it and want to try it soon. I spool it up with my daiwa bg 1000 and Major craft New Finetail Area stage 6'3 rod.... Hoping to get a Daiwa luvias to pair with it someday
U got my luvias for 220$ from digitaka
@@ifishcatfish I'm waiting it to go on sale.. Which ever is the first to go on sale.. either luvias or the Presso Ltd. Great content on your channel. Hoping to see more jdm tackle reviews.
First, that was one fat crappie! 👍 Next, thanks for another great review. Two years ago was when I started using 2 lb line. I have three applications I typically use it now: ice fishing, clear stream trout fishing, and micro-fishing. Probably the most important consideration for me when it comes to 2 lb is breaking strength. 2 lb is often very necessary through the ice in order to get small baits down in the thick cold water, and I'm often fishing around structure, just like someone in a boat would do. Being able to take a little abrasion from structure or at the ice hole opening is really important. Also, sometimes a bigger fish will take a small jig through the ice and I want to at least have a chance of landing it. So, a good and consistent breaking strength is really important for me, and most of the other benefits of 2lb come simply from the small line diameter.
Right now, I absolutely love Sufix's Ice Magic 2lb. But, I've only been able to find it in small 100 yard spools and it's pretty expensive for how much line you get. The 100 yard is fine for ice fishing, but not enough to spool up a 1000 size real for trout fishing. (I bought some of that cheap Zebco line you mentioned a while back, so I might just use that as backing for the good stuff this year.)
The Presso line seems like it would be pretty attractive for me if I can get a big spool like that. Nice consistent breaking strength comes in really handy when a big fish takes the bait and you have to put some pressure on them.
BTW, where did you get that drag tester? I could use one of those.
Like everything else, i got the drag tester on Plat. It is kind of expensive but made tests very easy. I was doing it with a scale before but was very difficult and still inaccurate.
I think you would probably love the presso line. It casts completely silently on a daiwa presso rod, and you mostly fish under a bobber so sensitivity is not important. Even sensitivity will probably leave u pleasantly surprised. Someone from MN mentioned this suffix ice yesterday. He told me it was mono. Mono is not supposed to sink, but in some wide interpreatations mono just means it is one thread, so fluorocarbon is mono also. Maybe the suffix is also polyester. If it is so expensive its possible
@@ifishcatfish I just went and grabbed the box so I could check on Ice Magic. It is mono. 2lb 0.115mm. It's about $6-7 for 100 yards on Amazon with Prime shipping. I haven't compared the price much to others, but I know whenever I buy it feels like I'm not getting much line for my money :) But I've used a couple other brands, including Northland, and the Sufix just blows it away in pretty much every category.
My experience has been that if a line can work well in ice, it works even better about everywhere else. In the cold water the water clarity is so good that thin line really makes a difference both because the fish can see it, but also with presentation. Plus, the panfish jigs are tiny. The cold stiffens and sometimes freezes the line, there are sharp ice edges everywhere. Finding the best line is really important.
I haven't really tested that many lines, but no complaints with the Ice Magic so far.
You should try Owner Broad line. Most high class trout fishermen are using that line..
Nice review. Question for you. So recently I have jumped back on the diawa band wagon. Got my presso reel and it’s great. Also got 2 of the 2000 size 2016 exists recently off tackle warehouse. Greatest egg beater I have ever used. Now my last upgrade of the year was to replace my jerk bait rod for bass fishing. I used a cheap Diawa Samurai combo for like close to 12 years going back to around 1998. It was 6 foot medium/heavy with mono and I was deadly accurate. Several years later I switched over to a 6’6” medium GL2 loomis and realized I lost a lot of accuracy but dealt with it. Several issues. The action was slower and the butt section longer hampered the technic. So went on the hunt recently first looking at loomis rods but nothing in the spinning category that fit. I know exactly what I wanted as far as length, power and action. 6’3” medium with extra fast tip with the reel seat further back on the rod for a shorter butt section. I found it in a walleye series from st croix. $245. Went up to cabelas held it and it was perfect. Didn’t pull the trigger right away and looked around some more then found it in diawas walleye series also. Same length, power and action with a short but section for like $70 online. It’s the diawa regal RG631XS. Rod is perfect so I thought for this technique I don’t need a expensive reel and ordered a diawa regal 2000h-ab. On paper the reel sounded nice. 10 bearings 5.6:1 and only $49 on amazon and would match the rod. The reel is pure garbage. Haven’t fished it yet but when I first spooled it up with braid I noticed the line was not going all the way up the spool and was laying it on thicker at the bottom. Wtf
Sorry I can go on forever when taking equipment. Question was do you have a regal and did you experience this in your if so
Regal is a great reel but a bit heavy. If weight is fine for you, you should keep it, as everything else is perfect. What you are describing is present even on most expensive reels. This is why they give u shims in the reel box. Sometimes you add a shim, sometimes you remove. In your case you have to remove. Remove the spool, and you will see the shim under the spool. Remove it. If the shim you remove is very thick, take the shims that are in the box of the reel and find one that is thinner than the one you are removing and replace them. Try to imagine what you are doing first. When u put a thinner shim under the spool, the spool will ride lower with respect to the line roller, and the line will go all the way up, and not all the way down. You definitely need to learn to do that because even my $400 shimano vanquish needed to be shimmed. All reels come with shims, regardless of price. Do not think that one reel is good or bad because of shimming. Regal is a great reel mechanically!
i_fish honestly I have never had that issue before out of the box and your right it was the shim. Thanks for the help
you must have had that issue. I have 70 spinning reels. Maybe 10 have been perfect out of the box. Maybe 30 have been acceptable but not perfect. I always adjust them to be perfect, even when it is acceptable. Now that you are aware of this process, you will start noticing it on other reels - trust me
i_fish well I can’t say I have had 70 reels but maybe 40 over the last 25 years and never seen it like that. Maybe always in acceptable range.
Джапанка казваш, развесели ме! Браво, хубав обзор!
Nazdrave
Nice analysis and comparison.
I normally just buy line I can get locally, but recently ordered some Nevis matchfishing line from MTM Tackle website, and am quite impressed with it. Smooth, limp, small diameter for strength for the rating...
Would be very interested in your testing.
I would invite u to send me some, but i can't fish for anything other than perch in the next few months, and you probably bought a carp diameter. Bench is one thing, but real fishing is important too. I have had some ... curious problems to say the least with some lines... even though they feel great in hand. Particularly stretch. Cheap lines stretch too much before they break, which leaves the line compromised after the break. I like lines that break without much stretch.
All of that said, if you can send me enough like to spool a reel, i can test in next season
Good video. Im going to order some presso E and N type line to see how they differ.
Any findings?
@@TheFishingNomad I ended up not ordering any of the two. The trout and crappie scene here in Southern California was ridiculously over crowded this year. Everyone wanted to go out fishing due to covid I guess. Went out a few times and decided that it wasn't worth the headache. Stuck with saltwater fishing this season.
GREAT INFO AS ALWAYS
Thanks for giving us your input. Like always very nicely broken down and explained. 👍
I have fishing video for editing too, but you guys don't watch those.. so now I make more reviews because i get more subs and views
@@ifishcatfish
Thanks for all you do.
The lines are floating because they haven't broken the water surface tension yet. Some insects as well as artificial flies make use of surface tension to stay on top. Also, isn't ester line less dense than flouro? Specific gravity of 1.3 vs. 1.8 if memory serves me right. Thanks for the review.
Everything ive read says ester is the heaviest if all lines. But if u have something different drop me a link. I am still new to this ester line
@@ifishcatfish Varivas describes their Area Master Limited Super Ester as "specific gravity about half way between nylon and fluorocarbon". You can find one example on Chris Stewart's Tenbum site.
tenbum.com/collections/finesse-spin-fishing/products/varivas-area-master-limited-super-ester?variant=22537660792890
On the Varivas site, you'll find the 1.35 specific gravity spec.
www.varivas.co.jp/en/Product/searchgroup/name:Super+Trout+Area+Master+Limited/type:+%5BSuper+Ester%5D/view3:2/id:4300
Finally, from lakecommandos.com (but no mention of ester)
Superline: .97 floats
Mono: 1.13 suspends
Spiderwire FluoroBraid: 1.5 sinks
Fluorocarbon: 1.75 sinks fast
Finally a review of this line
sarcasm? : ) Like - who cares about this JDM line... I can't tell.. If it is sarcasm, it's not bad. I like good sarcasm
@@ifishcatfish yes it's sarcasm ;) i think the line would be awesome for trout because when they hit you don't even feel it. It has it's uses
2 years ago i would have posted the same comment myself. But if you are into ultralight fishing, you must have looked at JDM stuff. If you have looked at JDM stuff - Presso is everywhere. So in that separate and disconnected world, this line is actually right in the middle of things. USA is warming up to JDM stuff though, and if u read my comments u will always find some from europe or australia.
trust me, this video will get a lot of views (relatively speaking for my little channel).
@@ifishcatfish yeah it would be nice if it was more available
Hello! You use leader for Varivas line? I want to use Varivas line for trout, I must put a leader? Thank you
Only if you are afraid the trout can see it. I usually don't put a leader, because i snag all the time
Taking notes 📝
Great review.
Please review some JDM braids for us.
yeah, wana try those next year...
Good review!
thanks Monty! You gona take me crappie fishing if i come down there in the spring?
Sure buddy. I know some good places to go. 14"-15" Crappie. My neighbor ties some good jigs
perfect. Spring comes too late up here... wana make some runs south as far as I can in the spring. We gona do collab
Sure. Let me know.
I know you like black reels. try out the daiwa back bay reel. it is decent material and proper black.
great reel indeed! 'proper black' - i like that term! I think it needs to be used in marketing!
Re: MicroGuides -- Now I wonder if the microguides on my ultralight are affecting my casting distance (*hmmm) --
Anyway, regarding the disadvantages of the Varivas,--strangely, I get that issue with some of the Fluros I use and spinning reels. A coil or 2 of line will come off , if I do not hit the bail quickly enough. I am going to guess that the wind is playing some part, and slowing down my 1/64th jig in the air, and it is no longer pulling taught my line - This is extremely frustrating. There is really only one solution, and that is to go to a BFS baitcasting reel (something like the FishBand GH100 - RUclips it, or aliexpress it) -- or to the extreme, an Shimano Aberdeen BFS reel.
With a baitcaster, the line should come out straight and smooth without the coils.
What is the heaviest jig u throw on ultralight? The heaviest i have used all summer is that soare jig in 1.2 grams. I dont know any bfs that can throw that. U need at least 2 grams, but even with that u not gona do very well. 3 grams is where its comfy. I have the tsurinoya bfs reels and rods.
On lake Michingan in the winter we fish pretty deep though, and i go up to 2.5 grams. I might try BFS there
Waiting for 11.11 sale on AliExpress Type e stands for expensive exported.
is there a sale on 11.11? I have a 200$ cart ready... And makes sense on E : )
Yes. 11.11 is the Chinese Black Friday. Sorry for late reply, catching up on RUclips videos on this cold Sunday, and when videos are queued on tv with RUclips, no way to reply... bad user interface.
An user in rawrfishing video mentioned putting small tungsten beads on top of the hook to get the weight for bfs casting. These beads are used in fly fishing.
Never used polyester line! Whats the benifet over mono
It is closer to fluorocarbon. It is heavier than fluorocarbon and sinks faster. It also has absolutely no stretch, so it is also more sensitive than fluorocarbon. They make bigger diameters for bass fishing. For me the biggest benefit is extreme sensitivity when i fish those tiny crappie jigs. U can feel little taps and react faster. If u have a drop shot rig u can try it on that.
i_fish I’m gana give it a try
Nice bro thanks for sharing
това си е голяма джапанка😃
After listening to your review, it is impossible to buy a Varivas product.
Actually several folks bought it :) I got 2 more spools. Interesting feedback. I thought u wouldnt want to buy the daiwa because it is not fun. I love the Varivas line even with the unreliable breaking strength. One guy below said it ages fast. He changes it every two months. Mine is gettin old for sure
@@ifishcatfish I am saying that because my priority is reliability and consistency. When you say it could snap at various tensile load I immediately decided not to use Varivas. It means it has a manufacturing and quality issue. Thanks for reviewing JDM products. Because I love them :) even I go bassproshops nothing attracts me :P
if you try the varivas u may change ur mind forever : ) There is nothing like it for casting and sensitivity.
@@ifishcatfish If you say so :) I will give a try one day, my very next order from JP. I hope next year I will be there for a fishing shopping spree, wuhuuuu :) it is my dream for now.