Line Test Used: 12 Lb & 6 Lb

So, let’s talk about the new Daiwa Steez Fluorocarbon’s performance a bit. The 12 pound test worked very nicely on my bait caster while I was fishing the TD Minnow. It casted great, had very little stretch and was really resistant to abrasion. If I had to pick a “best characteristic” it would be abrasion resistance. I pulled that line through and across many boulders and it held up surprisingly well. The line itself has a bright green color to it, which made it easier to see above the water line, however underwater it is as invisible as fluorocarbons can be.

This is a really nice feature if you are a “line watcher” like I am… when a fish hits, you can really see the line jump easily. In addition to fishing jerkbaits, I wanted to try some hair jig fishing to see how the Steez Fluorocarbon worked with ultra-light lures. I spooled up the 6 pound test on my Daiwa Sol 2500 spinning reel, matched with a 6’ 6” G-Loomis GLX, which is rated to throw lures as light as 1/16 of an ounce.

The first thing I must mention is that I was experiencing some issues with coiling (unwanted line coming off the reel) while casting a 1/8 ounce hair jig. I was very careful while spooling up to ensure that the line was coming off the spool properly and not twisting. If you do not spool “any” line properly, you are guaranteed to have issues with coiling and twisting. I believe that the cause for this behavior was related to two things, 1) the stiffness of the fluorocarbon 2) the cold air temperature. I have experienced similar problems with Berkley Trilene XT (Monofilament Line) in cold weather conditions, as well as with many other brands of fluorocarbon lines. Wetting the spool helped to reduce this problem. Aside from that minor imperfection, I was really happy with this fluorocarbon. As I mentioned before while dragging these hair jigs through the rocks and boulders, this line really shined. Most of the time, I did not even need to re-tie as the line did not show any signs of wear and tear. I tried tying several different knots and was impressed with the knot strength of this fluorocarbon. A few times I got stuck in the rocks and had to break the line, and it took more effort than you would expect to break this 6 pound test. At no time did I ever feel that one of these big bronze backs were going to break me off. I was able to put a lot of pressure on these fish and get them in the boat.

Another big plus this line has is its sensitivity. I could really feel the slightest little “tick” and “bump” and landed more bass as a result. This is really an important characteristic when fishing hair jigs in the spring… you need to feel everything and the Steez Fluorocarbon really helped enhance my awareness of what my hair jig was doing.

If you would like to to learn more about the Daiwa Steez Fluorocarbon, check out their website… learn more

Ranking 1 – 10
(1 = poor, 10 = Excellent):

Steez Fluorocarbon
Castability: 6
Low Line Memory: 5
Abbrasion Resistance: 10
Breaking Strength: 8
Low Stretch: 8 Sensitvity: 9
Durability: 10

Overall Ranking: 8