Initial thoughts on the Varivas Red Eye Ajing Ester line.
Early last Spring I purchased a couple new JDM lines to try on the inhabitants of my local waters. Tonight, I did a quick comparison of the Unitaka PE yellow braided line (3lb) and the new Varivas Red Eye Ajing Ester line in the 2.3lb test. The braid has been on the Luvias since last Spring, and it has been tested extensively on Gills, Crappie, 3 species of Micropterus and all the True temperate bass that inhabit my waters. It has performed well, held up well to abrasion and UV fading. It does stain in our dirty spring waters, but visibility is not an issue.
?
?
Sensitivity and cast ability is great, no stretch detected when setting the hook and fighting the fish. It does sing a little in the eyes, but that does not bother me like it does some.
The Ester was spooled on the Diawa Presso Ltd, and paired with the Corto.
?
I have been using the Sunline UV Ester in the 3lb on this rod and the Red Eye is definitely smaller in diameter and a little more difficult to manipulate without the reading glasses. It spooled up easy and did not show any manageability issues when practice casting in the back yard. Now Alphahawk recommends you let the line seat on the reel for a couple days after spooling up, but I tied on a Trout Magnet and headed straight for the creek mouth near the house. Cast ability was excellent, right off the bat it felt a little softer than the UV Ester, and on the Corto it definitely transmitted the rocky and soft bottom contact of the creek. First 10 or so casts I watched the spool, closed the bail with my hand and experienced no issues at all. Soon I was not even watching the spool and hooked up with my first fish, a nice little a White Bass that tried to take away my offering on his initial run. I had to loosen the drag a little, but after a good fight he came to shore and had his picture made with the new Red Line.
?
No problems on fish 1, and a few casts later I felt a small tick, transmitted clearly, and reeled down on a small Largemouth.
?
He put up less of a fight, but the line and rod made up for the fun factor. After these two fish I switched to the Braid. Same weight jig head and bait type, casting distance was almost identical. First fish on the Braid and the bite and fight were almost identical to the Red Ester.
?
The White Bass on the Braid, I found myself not being as careful when landing as I have more seat time with this line and feel I know it’s limits a bit better. Fun factor about the same also, and the next fish on the braid helped to cement my thoughts on the two lines and the comparisons.
?
An old Channel Cat, but handled easily with the PE.
In conclusion, the Red Eye Ester performed just as well as the heavier UV Ester I have been using the last couple trips. With no manageability issues at all tonight, I look forward to the next trip to see if it retains spool memory. Bite detection and fish fight were identical to the braid, I was just a little more cautious with the new Ester. I would definitely recommend this line, especially when paired with the Diawa JDM rods and reels for any UL fishing applications. One thing I did notice, while it looks bright red on the spool, it is harder to see on the water. Now remember I am fishing late evening from the bank in fading light, but I did have a bit of trouble seeing the line clearly from a distance. As always, Your Mileage May Vary!
Sent from my iPhone using
Crappie.com Fishing mobile app