BlackWater Toray Fishing Line: The Best 1 - 2 Punch for Drop Shot Fishing

At times it takes all the planets and stars aligning at the just the right time for an angler to gain confidence in a new technique.. The planets/stars I reference are: The right rod, the right reel, he right bait, and the right line.. if just one of these things keys are missing you may be missing fish and loosing confidence.

Over the past few seasons I have been playing around with "drop-shotting", at first I had issues picking it up, mostly due to confidence in what I was feeling, so I tried out a few different rods and found what I consider the best drop shot rod on the market.. the Dobyns DX742Sf. Once the rod was in place I was able to pair and balance it with the right reel.. a Daiwa Lexa 2000 Spinning Reel.. after that things started to fall into place, and I was now able to feel out the bite, but something was still missing.. THE LINE.. and this past season I finally found the perfect 1-2 punch to complete the ultimate Drop Shot combo

Toray BAWO Super Finesse Braid + Toray BAWO Super Finesse 100%  Fluorocarbon 


You may have already ready my past review on Toray Super Finesse Braid (found HERE) but if not you may not be aware that although this braid has a light weight name (Finesse) it packs a major punch and is one of if not thee best casting braid I have ever tied on. Toray Finesse Braid is a round 8-Strand braid that makes the perfect main-line for drop-shot fishing, by offering you a nice limp yet highly sensitive line that will still provide you with a solid backbone when setting the hook in any depth, not to mention it casts a country mile (when required). These are things that most mono or fluorocarbon can't offer you

But.. This doesn't mean there is not a place for Fluorocarbon lines in drop shot fishing because there definitely is… as a leader.. and no Fluorocarbon is better suited to this technique then Toray Finesse 100% Fluorocarbon. This line is the ultimate in  finesse fishing, its dainty enough to fool the most paranoid fish but like its counter part (Finesse Braid) it is deceptively strong.  I put it through it's paces this past season and was highly impressed with how well it allowed me to present my baits and at the same time  how the power was always there when I needed it. All in all this line is very supple, and easy to handle thus making re-trying a breeze.. and when attaching braid to fluoro on or off the water, you want a line that is easy to work with, and keeps its strength at the knot (something that all Toray lines are known for)

By pairing Toray Finesse braid (as your main line) with Toray Finesse 100% fluorocarbon (as your leader),  you get the best of both worlds. The strength and dependability of braid and the stealth and finesse of fluorocarbon. This combo has completed my ultimate Drop-Shot set-up and has given me the confidence to break it out in the toughest conditions.. try it, your be glad you did

Toray BAWO Super Power "Finesse" Braid Fishing Line Review

The sheer number of braided lines currently available to anglers is mind numbing, yet each year more and more lines continue to hit the market, each one touted as he next best thing,  but trust a guy who spends way too much time and money testing lines, when I tell you that very few of these lines live up to the hype.  Why, well not all braids are created equal and like with various fluoro and mono lines some brands just perform some techniques better. Toray Bawo Finesse braid is one of those rare lines that performs very well in both finesse and power technique situations

Toray Power Finesse braid is an 8 Stand braided line that ranks right up there with one of (if not the) best braids I have ever cast. No matter if I'm chucking hollow body frogs or flipping 1/4oz jigs this braid provides long smooth casts, flips and pitches

When you first get your hands/fingers on Toray Finesse braid you will be surprised how limp or supple it really is. This comes down to the fact that it is not coated with any of the crap you find on many other braids, sure this coating may hold in the color a bit better, but it gives your line that stiffer feel (a good example of this is Power Pro line) Toray is non-coated, not only does this improve your casting distance but it also removes that dreaded "braid vs. guides" sound that like nails on a chalk board hurts anglers right down to your teeth.

Note: Due to its incredible thinness I actually started using Torays 40lb braid for techniques that in the past I would normally have used the 20lb size of another brand braid. This gives me extra strength, while still taking advantage of a thin supple line that allows me to feel everything, and allows my bait to fall naturally 

Power Finesse is available in 10-66lb strengths. Unlike with other braids I like what I see quality wise in the small sizes (20lb) right on up to the 66lb for flipping and frogging. I find some other brands do one or two sizes well, but start to fall down when they get into either the larger or small diameters. This is not the case with Power Finesse 

Toray Finesse Braid is only available in what is known as "filler spools" of approximately 82 yards, I have heard this talked about as a "con", and I disagree, this smaller size removes any chance that Im going to fill an entire spool with this quality line and end up wasting the line that gets chunked up with use. We have all seen what the lower half of a spool of braid looks like at the end of the season, its not pretty, and although that line has not actually hit the water it has been thoroughly used and abused (why do that to a quality product)

Last but not least is the "white markings" that show up ever meter throughout the spool. These marks help add a bit of visibility to your line above the water and work well as a guide when changing baits. This may not be what they were designed for but I use the white marks as a frame of reference when as That first meter of line  coming up from your bait takes  more abuse on each cast then any other portion of the spool. It often comes in-contact with rocks, timber and various other structure you are banging your bait off during the retrieve. When it is time to re-tie I use check the last meter of line for nicks and frays. If I'm fishing timber and rocks I will often cut off that last meter each time I retie. (like with any braid the color will bleed with use, this will darken the white areas but they are still clearly visible on the spool or above the water.

Toray Fishing Line Review: Soloram Super Hard Upgrade

Over the past 8+ years I have become somewhat of a line junkie, meaning that I really enjoy trying out new lines (usually braids). Each season I would spool up with a few new lines and given them a thorough test drive and only repurchasing those I truly loved.. In 2011 I got my first look at Japanese lines (SunLine) and it kind of opened my eyes to what was actually possible and brought me back around to using a mix of fluorocarbon and braided line. Although impressed with Sunline I was not hooked, and continued on my journey to test out newer and better lines, skip ahead to 2013

This year I got my hands on 3 different sub-brands in the Toray family of lines. In this review I will focus on my (now) primary fluorcarbon line Soloram Super Hard Upgrade

 SuperHard Upgrade is a 100% Fluorocarbon line known for its strength, sensitivity and durability. In reviews done by the team at TackleTour it proved to be approximately 13% stronger then its actual on box rating (14lb line broke at 16lbs pressure) and unlike many lines it kept upwards of 93% of its rated strength at the knot (Click here to see the full Tackle Tour Review). Both of these were big pluses for me, as other then memory, line strength and knot strength are the main reasons I moved to using primarily braided lines. 

I know, I know these are just numbers.. you want to know how it fishes!

Pros:

SuperHard Upgrade although strong,  is very limp with a very low memory. I honestly cant remember the last time I was this impressed with a fluorocarbon line and how well it sat on the reel. It's thin diameter also allows for you great casting distance, I have done the majority of my testing with top-water baits and flipping jigs. SuperHard casts and flips smoothly and does not seem to bunch up on the spool like the SunLine FC Sniper I had been using. It very comfortable to cast with

Above in the numbers portion I covered off the strength side of things, but I would be remiss not to mention it again here. Durability goes along with strength, and believe me this line takes some serious abuse and stands up to the roughest of structure (trees, rocks and more!). On average Toray lines last twice as long as their competitors line, and 4x longer then many off the shelf fluorocarbons.

Fact: Toray owns most of the fluorocarbon technology in the world. They make a good portion of the lines on the market and many of he ones they dont make, they provide the raw material to... when you own the technology  its easy to always use the best, highest quality fluorocarbon for Toray brand lines

 In the below image you will see that looks like a res laser beam coming coming off my spool, what it actually is, is a halfway matter letting you know that you have hit the halfway point on the spool or 75meters. I really love this as it takes the guessing game out of refilling your spool. (see below for a trick on how to best spool your reel with high grade line)

Cons

I'll be honest here, I have yet to find a flaw in this line, I have been fishing it for a few weeks now, and it has performed incredibly well. If I had to choose a few areas on pick on it would be the pricing ($30-$39 a spool) and availability. The pricing although expensive is on par with other high quality high grade lines, and since it out performs these lines I guess you get what you pay for.  Remember what I stated above.. this line will last 2x longer then the majority of fluoro lines on the market, when you take this into consideration Toray lines are actually cheaper then the competition. 

Fact: Time is money, many anglers don't like to spend their hard earned money on a quality line, but when you think about it, if your replacing your cheaper line twice as often, how much are you actually saving? between the cost of replacing the line, and the time it takes to strip your reels and re-spool, you would be in a much better position picking up a spool of Toray and getting the job done right the first time.. believe me, you'll be glad you did

As for availability, your best bet is to buy direct from the guys at Blackwater, they are the exclusive Norther American dealer of Toray lines (and a few of their own).

Spooling Up:

If your paying $30+ for a spool of line you best not waste it. Way to many anglers don't use any form of backing on their reel and simply fill their spool up with their line of choice.. this is a mistake. By the time you get to the back end of the spool the line has been abused and/or you don't have enough left to properly fish with it. Here is a trick I was taught and have been using ever since.. I fill up my reels with a cheaper fluorocarbon ($6 spool) that is the same diameter/strength as the line I want to use on my reel. Then I spool the reel to where I like it. Once there I strip off between 50-75meters of line (you can be ruff, use your arm as a measurement). Once I attache my Superhard to the backing I then fill the spool back up, thus only using 50-75 meters of the good line (if you do it right you should be at the red line in the image above). If you strip off 50 meters your spool of Superhard will now be good for 2 more refills. If you use the 75meter mark (like I do) then you have  1 more refill int he tank. I think youll find this will lengthen the life of your line and make that purchase price a bit easier to swallow.. try it out and let me know what your think

tip: After attaching your mainline to the backing, take a piece of hockey/duct tape and wrap it around the spool. If you get a little fast and loose on the water this will ensure your backlash will only go so far back

BassJunkies Best of 2012

Just like in 2011 the products  listed below do not have to be "New" just new to me. Sometimes we as fisherman are late getting to a bait that has been on the market for years, but when we do finally get around to using it, good or bad, we can help but share. So below are 5 products that contributed to my success in 2012

Deps Slither K

Im a frog guy, you all know it, so there was no way I was going to complete a "best of" list and not include a frog bait. This year there was some pretty serious competition in the frog market, between the Booyah Pad Crasher and the Jackall Iobee there was no shortage of high quality high performance hollow bellied frogs, but for me, the Deps Slither K was the best of the best.

A small profile frog with super soft body, the Deps Slither K is a dream to fish with. It moves incredibly well in the water and the short fur tail imparts more action then the standard rubber strands used on most other frogs (and it poses less of a hazard to your hook-up ratio). If it was not for it's hefty price tag I would expect to see this frog in every fisherman's arsenal. I had great success with the Deps Slither K and have to say it provided me with the highest hook-up ratio of any Frog I used this year

Zoom UltraVibe Craw

Again this bait is not exactly new to the market, but, it sure was new to me, and I fell in love fast

I have told this story here in the past, but will rehash it now. I have a friend that bought a large lot of Zoom baits off another angler, nearly 300 packs of various Zoom products, and obviously he could not use it all, so being a good guy he contact a group of buddies and offered up some of the baits to us. When he posted the list of available baits, the first 5 guys to responded with the following "I'll take every speed craw you have". This alone was enough to make me head out in search for this bait, and Im glad I did.

The Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw is a nice compact multi purpose bait that can be pitched into thick pads or flipped and swam through weed-beds. With two leg sizes to choose from you can switch things up and offer the fish a big meal or bite sized snack.  I threw both of these baits all season long with great success. I prefer the smaller Ultra-Vibe to the larger Super Speed just for it's fall alone. Personally when fishing this kind of craw I am usually slipping it through pads or sliding it over timber. If you want a reaction bait that can be swallowed hole, the Ultra Vibe is your bait

War Eagle Screaming Eagle Spinner-Baits

If you read this blog on a regular basis you may be sick of me talking about Screaming Eagle spinner-baits from War Eagle.. but I cant help it, not only are they the best spinner-bait I have ever thrown but they have also increased my confidence level in spinner bait fishing and in turn have made me a better spinner-bait angler.

The small shape yet heavy frame allow you to do whatever you want with them. You can burn the screaming eagle over shallow water and weeds, or you can slow roll over deeper water and bang around in the timber. The un-painted head and flashy blades really focus a fishes attention on the bait when it passes, and a quality hook keeps the fish stuck. I keep it pretty simple when fishing a screaming eagle, I carry two colors both of which are white!

If you are still trying to get your bearings when it comes spinnerbait fishing pick-up a screaming eagle (or 10) you wont look back

Lazer Trokar Hooks

Im actually going to eat a little crow here, back when Trokar hooks were introduced I like most anglers were skeptical of the sharpness claims and even more skeptical of the price tag (that one still hurts). But they were new so I bought some. Over the next few years I use Trokar sporadically but was not exactly blown away by what I was seeing.  As I moved into tournament fishing I was more and more cognizant of the quality and sharpness of the hook i was using. During a couple practise trips I broke out the Trokar's and was quickly impressed as I hooked into short striking fish all day. There were times that I did not even have to set the hook, the fish would come up from under the timber wrap it's lips around the hook and even the smallest amount of pressure stuck him.

Needless to say I was hooked (yes bad pun intended). From that point on I started using Trokars on all my rigs and even added a few Trokar tipped spinnerbaits ( I wish they make stinger/trailer hooks for Spinnerbaits). The sharpness of these hooks is incredible, and to this date I have not experienced any of the hook point rolling issues others have described (and believe me, I spent some time in the timber).

Hook quality is important, and my eyes are now open to what a difference a Trokar hooks can make. Over the course of this off season I will be building back up my hook arsenal and I expect that Trokar will dominate the collection

Dobyns Savvy Micro-Guide Series

Yes, yes the debate rages on, but if you are in the market for a micro-guide rod you wont find a better one then the Dobyns Savvy Micro. I personally gave this rod a serious work-out this year and I really  love it. I own the SS704c and it has spent most of it's life working Jerk-baits, buzz baits and the occasional spinner-bait.  Like all Dobyns rods the Savvy micro is light weight, perfectly balanced and tough as nails. The micro guides although still under heated debate did improve my casting distance (very evident while throwing buzz-baits) and seemed to better handle fluorocarbon lines then rods with standard sized guides.

If you are in the market for a micro guide rod, I recommend giving the Dobyns Savvy a try, you will be very impressed with it's handling skills

SuneLine FX2 & Super Sniper FC

In the line category I cant pick just one, so I'm going to have to go with a brand.. SunLine. This was my first year using SunLine brand fishing line and I have to admit I was super impressed. The FX2 frog line is the perfect hollow body fishing line, it is round smooth and very tough. Under close inspection this line looks like rope (that's where it gets it's strength from) but unlike rope FX2 casts very well and will not effect your distance or accuracy as some other stiffer braids will. One other perk I found with FX2 is it's ability to hold it's color, I hate have green dyed hands after a day on the water, most major braid manufacturers have not yet perfect their color stay formula, Sunline has.. no more green hands (now if we could only correct bass thumb)

The second Sun-Line product I used this past season was the Super Sniper FC flourocarbon line. Like FX2 Super Sniper FC is very strong and durable, yet it is still limp enough to cast lighter baits accurately and for distance. The line stayed soft and supple all season long and really makes me excited to try Sun lines premium line-up

Well there you have it, 5 products that really made my take notice in 2012. Obviously there were many other baits that caught my eye, but none provided me with the level of success seen in the above 5 products. I just hope their sophomore season proves to be as productive as their rookie season

Frog Fishing Line Choices.. Braid, Braid or Braid?

When it comes to throwing frogs (hollow body of soft plastic) you really only have three line options to choose from.. Braid, Braid or Braid?... I dont know about you, but Im going with Braid!

Yes, I may be slightly sarcastic in that opening paragraph, but really, is there any other line option out there that excels in all areas of frog fishing as much as braided line? What other lines on the market offer you superior strength and small line diameters? if you are stumped, dont worry, we all are.

I dont really want to get into a debate here on what brand of line is the best, because as in all things fishing, we all have a personally preference.. Me I have been using PowerPro for years, but that has not stopped me from trying nearly every new braided Line that hits the market. Last year it was the rise of Suffix 832.. followed quickly by the fall of Suffix 832. This year I have my eye on three new braided Lines, and Im going to spend a moment giving you the low down on each.

Daiwa Samurai

this is a line I have been avoiding for a bit, as the price tag is higher on average then what I like to spend on a spool of braid. Coming in at around $27 this line can really make you flinch. That being said, once you get it on a spool, you quickly see what all the hype is about. 

Without a doubt Samurai is the smoothest line I have even put my hands on, it honestly feels like a very smooth silky piece of thread, and it moves like one too. Even at the 30lb mark this line falls like a limp noodle yet feels strong.  

I could spend the next three paragraphs repeating all the perks and claims that Daiwa has been promoting, but all you need to know is that this is a "super braid" an ultra thin, ultra strong line that will allow you to launch frogs a mile, and still pull hawgs out of thick cover.. any questions?

For frog fisherman this line is available in 30,40,55 and 70lb weights, you could get away with as low as 30 when throwing soft plastic swim frogs, but I would recommend the 40 and probably even the 50lb line when throwing hollow bodies. 

SunLine FX2

What? a line actually designed for frog fishing? You know a trend has hit its peek when rod, reel and line companies start to develop product specifically for that technique... watch for Berkley's new Umbrella Rig line, coming soon to a dealer near you!.. But in all seriousness, SunLine is a brand that has been slowly building a nice little following, and with the launch of their FX2 line back in 2011,  (backed by Dean Rojas) there is no where to go but up.

So, what makes FX2 the best line for frog fishing? Durability, castability and strength.. that was the focus. And I think they have achieved what they set out to accomplish. No FX2 does not have the silky smooth softness of Daiwa Samurai or Power Pro Super 8 Slick, honestly this line is more "rope" like then "thread" like, but I think that was part of the plan. This line instills confidence when used for power techniques, it looks, feels and acts tuff. Yet, due to it's tight weave and round shape, this line casts fairly well. 

Is this line perfect for all frog applications..No.. for me personally FX2 is a hollow body frog line. I bought two spools to test out this season, and was going to rig up both my hollow body rod as well as my swim  frog rod, but as soon as I felt the line, I knew it was not what I wanted when throwing swim/buzz frogs, I need a bit softer of a line, as these are the "finesse" baits in a frog fisherman's world

SunLine FX2 is a power line, and is only available in 50lb and 60lb weights. It is not readily available in all markets but I expect to see that change over the next couple seasons. If you have not yet had the change to give SunLine FX2 a try, I recommend you do

Power Pro Super 8 Slick

Now on to old faithful. Yes, like all lines Power Pro has it's supporters and those that despise it, but to this day I have not yet found a braid I was more happy with in various applications then Power Pro. They seem to have found the perfect balance between strength and softness. And with the launch of Super 8 Slick, they have taken it to the next level.

Although not as soft as Daiwa Samuarai, there is a noticeable difference between the S8S and standard Power Pro line. It has a softer silkier feel, yet still has the strength that Power Pro is known for. For frog fishing applications S8S is available in 30-65lb weights, and I think this line would excel for both hollow body and swim frogs, but If I was asked to choose one application, I believe this line would be best suited for swim/buzz frogs. 

A Pet Peeve of mine, is the constant change to color options, this  gets on my nerves a bit, as with most anglers, when I find something I like, i want to stick with it. Power Pro likes to add and remove colors on a fairly constant basis, and the introduction of S8S is no different, gone is the standard Green that Power Pro and lets face it, every-other Braid company is known for, in it's place a high vis green, along with the timber brown, a color similar to one that was discontinued a few years back. I would expect to see some changes to this but the 2013 season, as the standard green option will be missed.

The Break Down

So there you have it, three new(er) braids that you really need to check out... When my season kicks off  this year, I will be rigged up with (40lb) Power Pro Super Slick 8 on my swim & buzz frog rods, and with (50lb) SunLine FX2 on my hollow body rod... lets see if they are still there by seasons end!

P.S Although I like what I saw from the Samurai braid I found it to be the less useful of the three when it comes to frog fishing. If you are dead set on using Samurai I believe it would be of more use pitching t-rig baits or flipping tubes around docks. 

Berkley NanoFil - Update

I thought I should post a mini update to my blog post on NanoFil line. Over the past week I have gotten the chance to spend some more time with this line, and found that some areas I have had understated it's usefulness.

With a few more uses the line seems to have softened slightly and I have seen some casting improvement. Throwing a texas rigged worm, this line allows for superior distance. I was able to hit spots 10-15feet further then when previously attempted. I dont know if this is standard, but the line has seemed to limber up.

Last night I was also in a situation in which the float-ability of NanoFil came into play. Casting a weightless worm long distances, the line sat up high in the water (or on top) and acted like a strike indicator. Many times I saw the line move prior to feeling the tap. the white color worked well standing out against the water and helped me increase my hook-up ratio.

I will continue to use this line over the short term and report back my findings. At this time I feel it has some applications it will excel at, and others Im still not sold on.

Berkley NanoFil - Where's the Beef?

The two most hyped products this season have to be the Suffix 832 Braid and Berkleys NanoFil "not braid" or "unified filament"  Being a bit of a new product junky I have given both of this products a run for their money and both left me thinking.. where's the beef?

I dont have time or space in a single blog post to tell you how I feel about both of these lines, so lets start off with the most hyped line I can ever remember.. Berkley NanoFil

I started researching NanoFil line about a month ago, reading blogs, products reviews and talking to guys on the water. The consensus was that this was the softest smoothest casting line on the market.. so with reviews like that I had to take the plunge. I placed an order for 12lb (the highest strength available) and as soon as it arrived I spooled it up on my Shimano Stradic 1000 and hit the lake to give it a test run.

Pros: 

As advertised NanoFil is a smooth casting and feeling line, it comes off the reel extremely well and has a decent sink rate. Spooling NanoFil was a breeze, and even when slightly overfilled, did not come off in a tangled mess

The "white" color, or "clear mist" as Berkley named it, is very high vis from above the water, and does not seem to effect the bite below the water. The line is highly sensitive, probably the best and most accurate feature contained in the advertising campaign. I could feel every little thing that my line and bait came into contact with while in the water.

the line does seem to have some strength behind it, i hooked and faught a large musky on the 12lb line and it help up fairly well, until the fish decided to put some serious pressure and teeth to it.


Cons:

I found a few cons to this line, first and foremost the price, in Canada this line can be found as high as $24.99 for a standard spool. In the US the current average price is $19.99. Although these prices are not outrageous (for todays standards), they continue to set the bar higher and higher for new lines that come on the market, and we should expect line to reach close to $30 a spool in the coming years.

The 12lb line being the highest strength available is a concern to me, with many anglers being raised on braided line, we have grown accustom to thin diameter lines with superior strength. Yes Nanofil line is thin, but I can purchase 20lb Power Pro line at a similar diameter to the Nanofil line, and get that added strength Im looking for.

Knot strength is not so much an issue, but tying a knot is. When I first attempted to tie a hook on, the knot slipped on my first three attempts. This hut my confidence while on the water and trying to retie quickly.


The Wrap-Up

Yes, NanoFil is a new technology and maybe we will see some improvements down the road, but at this time the NanoFil line is just a slight improvement to Berkley Fire line Crystal, a line i hated and ripped off my reel soon after applying it.

Nothing about NanoFil is an drastic  improvement to my current brand 'PowerPro", other then the price. Sure it casts well, but I saw minimal difference between the two lines when throwing the same bait on the same rod and reel. Sure it has low memory, but when you get up into the 12lb range it begins to take on the characteristics of Fireline Crystal, it has that same feel (a bit more waxy then Fireline) it begins to loose the limpness and pick-up a more of that ridged feel that Fireline is known for

As with anything I would recommend giving it a shot and see how it compares to your current brand. For me it really left me wanting more and wondering with all this hype.. where's the beef?