Finally, some time on the water, and with the Flagship braided PE line of our wonderful site sponsor Varivas, I could hardly wait to get to VA to the little lake behind my daughters house that is full of hungry Panfish. Screech……things came to a grinding halt, literally with multiple car wrecks on the interstate Friday afternoon the 4.5 hour trip up, yes I left I time to get a warm afternoon fishing session in of course, turned into a 7 hour off course gps led adventure that culminated in our arrival….well after dark. Oh well, the sole purpose of the weekend visit was the youngest grandchild 5th birthday party on Saturday afternoon, so that left a cold and super frosty morning session to be my only test time for the Avani Saltwater Finesse PE x 8 line in the 5.6 pound test rating. Made from ultra high modulus polyethylene, this 8 strand line is the thinnest PE line Varivas makes. With an approximate diameter of .0029in, I felt as if I was stringing up pure silk on the Daiwa Presso LTD 1025 spinning reel.
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The Majorcraft Finetail 6.3L was the stick of choice, the perfect action rod for this little lake that I have never in 7 years caught anything over 14in. Since big line busting rod breaking drag squealing bullies are not present, a super lightweight fun action rod is more than appropriate with this pound test line.
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Did I mention it was cold, 27 degrees F and frost, I had to get out early before the grand monsters woke from their warm dens and asked where Peepaw was at. First few fish up were 7-8in Crappie, a resounding thump they gave, the line echoed their bites and my cold hands soon were wet with fish slime. This 9.5in Black Crappie took big fish honors of the morning and only one jig and plastic bait were needed to fool these hungry specimens, the Bison Trout Magnet.
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Now ShellCrackers frequent this little body of water, and with a Trout Magnet and a nibble, you better be ready for the sideways running figure eight hard fighting Panfish with an attitude.
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Again nothing huge but this line, oh man it was sticking anything that nibbled. Did I mention it was cold, never warming above freezing for this early session, I fought with the ice in the guides all morning. The line was not affected at all by the cold temperatures, I had no fraying from the ice buildup, I had no line twist or wind knots from the frozen moisture on the rod blank or in the reel. To be honest, I brought a second reel spooled with the Blue Moon fluorocarbon in case I had issues with this super thin line, it was not needed. The morning hour passed quickly and with 25-30 fish brought to hand, I was more than pleased with the new line and certainly ready for a warm cup of coffee. Some pictures post fishing session revealed what I was afraid would happen to that beautiful silk like line I had spooled earlier in the week, water stain.
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See the color difference, yes it’s the same white line I started with. I do not have a problem with this discoloration but it is a little frustrating to have the dirty line look after a fishing trip. More seat time is hopefully coming on this line, but I think it will become another weapon in my arsenal. Give this Ultra thin Super PE line a try, at 0.2 Gou, it might just be for you.
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