Thread: JDM lines relating to panfish

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

I've been doing it like this for for years. I don't get line twist and I keep the loosest drag in the nation.....I try not to reel when a fish is pulling drag but it is sometimes difficult not to.

Regards

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Thanks!

Did you rig up something similar?


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I found no difference when spooling ester lines. I keep ca. 3 oz of drag (measured on a rod at 45 degrees) on 1.5 lbs ester, but I do get line twist sometimes. When I increase to about 5 oz, the line twist goes away. I use the same ratios for ester line 1.2–2.1 lbs, from ca. 10% to 20% of test. I have only seen one guy with a thinner line at a trout lake – he was using 1 lb nylon (also JDM, so real test) and his drag was also screeching non-stop on any fish. No problem at all with stockers, but things gut tricky with bay fishing – even tiny ocean fish is much stronger with much more stamina...

I am very new to the JDM rods, line and reels. I am having a terrible time with line breakage and the ability to tie a knot that will hold in the 2 and 3 lb test lines. Break offs are far too many. I am fishing cover and the lines just won't stand coming free from a hang up. I have read that you can not exceed the pound test the rods are rated for. The places I fish needs 4 to 6 lb test to withstand hang ups. The light line I am using is the ester orange line and when you cast it I wind up with a bunch of knots consisting of big loops but usually I have to cut the the line and start all over. Begining to think I not be able to use this light line. What am I doing wrong? Open water may work well but bottom fishing and fishing in heavy cover is nearly impossible.

I also had lots of wind knots with the ester, but they say not to fill the spool as far as you would with mono. I'll try it again, but I am happy with several types and brands of mono/flouro/copolymer on my JDM UL rods for now.

Your issue seems to me not so much a line issue, as it expecting too much of light JDM lines, and maybe UL gear in general. Two things come to mind First, breaking off fish means the drag is too tight for the line, and second, you can only pull it so hard before it breaks. JDM test is what it is.

Randy and others have caught some huge drum and such on that 2.3 ester line. The drag is set light, and when the fish runs, all you can do is hold on and say "mercy".

Pulling a jig out of a snag? Not gonna happen often with "real" 2-3 lb test JDM line, it breaks at what the label says. I have pulled jigs loose when trolling with 6 lb USA mono and litewire hooks, but even when I'll go to the other side and try to pull it out (by hand of course, not the $$$ rod) the light stuff is going to pop. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth, pop it, and get on with fishing. I lose a ton of jigs in snags all the time. I am like an expert at getting snagged. Snagmaster Joe. Just painted another 100 jig heads.

I went up to USA Gamma Panfish 3 lb hi-viz co-polymer on my Tict Ice Cube recently, from Sunline Troutist Area Meister 3 lb. BIG shellcrackers were giving me fits in the brush, and I needed a little more oomph. Comparing the JDM to the Gamma by hand-popping samples, it is easy to tell the Gamma is really a 4-5 lb test line. it is much stronger, but it has the small diameter, handles well, and casts a mile. Also, for crappie/dock shooting, and on my Blue Current 71/TZ Nano JHS, I am using K9 Fishing 4 lb hi-viz flouro. My friend ultraslab gave me some to try, and I like it a lot.

Technically, I am using too high a line for the JDM rating. Sorry, Randy, I know I ain't supposed to (ain't supposed to dock-shoot with JDM rods either, but I do that, too), but I keep the drag light. If I can, when I hook a big fish, I get the boat moving into deep water.

Best of luck, stick with it. It has a little learning curve, or did for me.

Here are a few options of JDM lines that are pretty darn close to advertised breaking strength and seem to work well for my applications which mostly include structure fishing.
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The 3lb lines on the left do not exceed any rod rating I have in the arsenal, and the two 4lb lines on the right are covered by the upper limits of the rest of the group of rods. PE they all are, or braid as we call it over on this side of the pond. My fishing conditions are not sandy bottoms and suspended fish, but trees, bushes, rock, and slate points. Deep to shallow I fish almost always in or around structure. Creek fishing in the fall winter and early spring introduces current to the rocky structure hazards. No stretch and excellent bite detection, I really enjoy the direct contact with the fighters on the other end. Big huge but (there always is) abrasion is an issue. You can solve this with a fluorocarbon leader. I do not use one regularly, but am starting to more and more. With the 3 and 4 pound yellow Unitaka braid I can bend a Light Wire jig out of a wood structure over half of the time. I do re tie often in the field, Braid is easy to tell when frayed especially if it is colored. That Daiwa Braid you see is a new line I have just started using. It is as fine (small) as the Sunline (human hair diameter) and performs just as well for a lot less cost. It does not and I repeat does not sing in the guides of my ABU rod that has 10 micro Torzite Guides. I switched the reel over to the Finetail which is 4lb rated and also no guide noise and it helps keep the Gills coming my way quick. You may not be a braid kinda guy, most aren’t as I grew up on monofilament but have since left the mushy feeling of the nylon lines. They have their place, but I am learning more about drag settings, bending curves and fish specific conditions with this new equipment by experimenting with different lines. I have the Esters, Sunline, Varivas, Daiwa and have realized their limitations in the structure I fish, as it seems you have. The places we are fishing are probably similar. Branch out, try some new lines suggested here, and by all means do your research. Read back through this thread, best place to start.

One last thought, when tying direct to braid, I use the standard Palomar knot, an easy and quick knot to tie.

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I concur that the Gekkabijin PE is great. Thin, supple, and strong and does not absorb water like many domestic supple braids thanks to a silicon coating. If you're looking for abrasion resistance, the braids are indeed bad, but YGK (XBraid) Upgrade X4 is better than some others. Any PE that has some abrasion resistance, including that YGK, will not be supple because of hard coating.

Originally Posted by Quailtail

I am very new to the JDM rods, line and reels. I am having a terrible time with line breakage and the ability to tie a knot that will hold in the 2 and 3 lb test lines. Break offs are far too many. I am fishing cover and the lines just won't stand coming free from a hang up. I have read that you can not exceed the pound test the rods are rated for. The places I fish needs 4 to 6 lb test to withstand hang ups. The light line I am using is the ester orange line and when you cast it I wind up with a bunch of knots consisting of big loops but usually I have to cut the the line and start all over. Begining to think I not be able to use this light line. What am I doing wrong? Open water may work well but bottom fishing and fishing in heavy cover is nearly impossible.

fireline crystal 2 lb line has been casting beautifully for me, I love it... the distant I get with it is incredible.

Originally Posted by Quailtail

I am very new to the JDM rods, line and reels. I am having a terrible time with line breakage and the ability to tie a knot that will hold in the 2 and 3 lb test lines. Break offs are far too many. I am fishing cover and the lines just won't stand coming free from a hang up. I have read that you can not exceed the pound test the rods are rated for. The places I fish needs 4 to 6 lb test to withstand hang ups. The light line I am using is the ester orange line and when you cast it I wind up with a bunch of knots consisting of big loops but usually I have to cut the the line and start all over. Begining to think I not be able to use this light line. What am I doing wrong? Open water may work well but bottom fishing and fishing in heavy cover is nearly impossible.

I'll first start with why I tell folks not to exceed line rating of the JDM UL rods. For some who have never fished these rods they would be subject to put a US market line of 4# test...which really breaks at around 7 pounds....tighten the drag down way too much...hook a big fish and break a rod. Others have given some good advice here. I use 4 types of lines...ester....FC....nylon mono, and PE. I am very soon to be on a pattern that I will be fishing 20 feet deep for KY bass. My reel with the braid will most likely be put on the shelf until next spring....the ester is far better in deep water. I noticed you recently took a trip to Dale Hollow. I did not get to go this year but when I do go PE and ester line do not make the trip with me....FC and nylon are on my rods for fishing there. Using ester requires a little bit of a learning curve. You will never be able to pull a jig head loose using ester line. I too on occasion fish around wood and get hung up...losing several jigs a day. My knot for leader is a 3 turn surgeon's knot.......my knot to the jig head is a Palomar. I know you have several JDM rods...but do not remember which ones you bought......but some of these rods are designed specifically to work with ester and PE with guides being very tiny. The only problem I have with PE is the neutral buoyancy. I can tell you the Night Game PE I use is rated at 2 pound test...but it breaks much higher.....the 2.3# test ester I use breaks at exactly it's rating. I have not tried a high end JDM braid yet...but will come next spring. Ester line is not for everyone. I would suggest you try a high end JDM PE line in the .3 to .4 size.....adjust your drag no higher than the line rating for the rod and fish on.


Regards