buddha162
Moderator
Lep, excellent write up as usual, and as it happens I am also in the midst of exploring new JDM PE lines for 2020 (though mostly for freshwater).
The "jigging" PEs you speak of is of high interest to me. My standard J Braid x8 (NOT Grand, I hated that stuff) performs great for chuck and wind moving baits as well as 1/4oz+ jigs, esp at that price point, BUT...when I fish jerkbaits and topwaters, retrieves that call for twitching/jerking slack line (with floro and mono leaders), unless there is no wind --- which is exactly when you DON'T want to be fishing these baits --- the braid will pick up so much water and then "stick" to the surface. Your bait could be right in front of you but your line is sagging to the right or left...every jerk of the rod tip you're trying to lift the braid off the surface like fly line, imparting unwanted tension on your lure (esp with jerkbaits, where I want crisp darts from a perfectly still position). Very, very annoying, and ruins the presentation.
If those jigging braids truly don't absorb as much water, that could be a godsend for my applications.
The other lines I've been looking at are the sinking braids. The 2 I know about are the YGK SOUL SS112 and the SS140. The SS112 is woven with PE and Ester filaments, while the SS140 is PE woven around a fluorocarbon core. The latter sinks quicker, but is not as limp and soft as the ss112. In any case, when I'm bottom bouncing 1/32 - 1/16oz jigheads + plastic...again, in anything but the calmest of conditions, J braid gets very squirrelly, putting big bows in my line and I lose contact with the light jigs. Very frustrating esp when the bites are extremely subtle during cold water months.
Anyway, I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Gosen line, as well as the Catalina TW in general. I'm looking at the 7.3 ratio myself, really wish they made a high 5 or low 6 ratio as I don't really have an application for the 4.9. It really is an incredible deal, I don't know how Gary at TT worked it out but I'm glad he did! It's basically a Zillion HD w/o magseal, from what I can tell...incredible buy at 189 bucks!
The "jigging" PEs you speak of is of high interest to me. My standard J Braid x8 (NOT Grand, I hated that stuff) performs great for chuck and wind moving baits as well as 1/4oz+ jigs, esp at that price point, BUT...when I fish jerkbaits and topwaters, retrieves that call for twitching/jerking slack line (with floro and mono leaders), unless there is no wind --- which is exactly when you DON'T want to be fishing these baits --- the braid will pick up so much water and then "stick" to the surface. Your bait could be right in front of you but your line is sagging to the right or left...every jerk of the rod tip you're trying to lift the braid off the surface like fly line, imparting unwanted tension on your lure (esp with jerkbaits, where I want crisp darts from a perfectly still position). Very, very annoying, and ruins the presentation.
If those jigging braids truly don't absorb as much water, that could be a godsend for my applications.
The other lines I've been looking at are the sinking braids. The 2 I know about are the YGK SOUL SS112 and the SS140. The SS112 is woven with PE and Ester filaments, while the SS140 is PE woven around a fluorocarbon core. The latter sinks quicker, but is not as limp and soft as the ss112. In any case, when I'm bottom bouncing 1/32 - 1/16oz jigheads + plastic...again, in anything but the calmest of conditions, J braid gets very squirrelly, putting big bows in my line and I lose contact with the light jigs. Very frustrating esp when the bites are extremely subtle during cold water months.
Anyway, I'll be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Gosen line, as well as the Catalina TW in general. I'm looking at the 7.3 ratio myself, really wish they made a high 5 or low 6 ratio as I don't really have an application for the 4.9. It really is an incredible deal, I don't know how Gary at TT worked it out but I'm glad he did! It's basically a Zillion HD w/o magseal, from what I can tell...incredible buy at 189 bucks!
