JDM Spinning Line
JDM Spinning Line? Really? Yes, absolutely! If you're getting a top quality Japanese reel and an exquisitely designed Japanese rod, why on earth would you use just any old line?
The line discussions on various internet forums are interesting. It seems the bass anglers mostly use braid. They are sold on the casting distance gained from the small diameter, the sensitivity gained from the lack of stretch, and the ability of the braid to cut through weeds. They talk of 20, 30, even 50 pound braid. For really big bass in really thick cover I suppose 30 lb braid has its place.
On the panfish forums you see lots of comments along the lines of "it's cheap and it works." For fish that are not known to be line shy and don't generally get over a pound (maybe two for crappies) that makes sense as well.
And the trout guys? Again, the forums are almost all fly fishing forums! The few comments you can find about spinning line tend towards buying 2 lb line because trout are line shy or buying massive spools of 4 lb mono because that way it's cheaper to change line frequently (which guys have to do because their spinners cause line twist).
From time to time you also run across a statement that a particular brand of 2 lb test line is really strong compared to the others. That pretty much means it isn't 2 lb test, doesn't it? I once questioned one of those comments and was told "it's 2 lb test diameter" so it's OK to call it 2 lb test.
The only problem is that it isn't 2 lb test diameter - at least not the diameter of 2 lb JDM spinning line. It's actually between the diameter of 4 and 5 lb JDM spinning line. No wonder it seems strong, but is it as strong as the Japanese line? Who knows? You can't believe what it says on the package about the strength. Can you believe what it says about the diameter? The point is that you don't know what you're getting. I was also told it was "industry standard." If the industry standard is misleading labeling, I think I'll shop elsewhere.
But that does raise another issue. Japanese 2 lb test line actually is going to break at 2 lb, not what you're used to with domestic line! The line is wonderfully thin and I would absolutely use it if I was fishing 1.2 gram spoons. However, for sinking minnow plugs, which are going to run twelve to twenty bucks a pop, I'd choose a heavier line (and I'd check for abrasion from rocks fairly frequently).
And other than a few bass guys, no one mentions premium lines.
Personally, I think that is penny wise and pound foolish. If you are enough of an enthusiast to buy top quality equipment, gear you cannot find at the local WalMart, why try to save a few bucks on the line - which after all is the only connection you have between you and the fish? Thinner line casts better, but you do want it to be strong enough for the fish you intend to catch. If you want your line to be both thin and strong, I would look to JDM spinning line.
JDM Spinning Line - Nylon
I have fished nylon lines ever since I first picked up a spinning rod. I've tried fluorocarbon, I've tried braid, I've tried ester. I keep coming back to nylon. Some people like it because of the stretch (and some hate it for that same reason).
For me, though, the main reason I fish nylon is that it takes dye very well. If you want hi-vis line, really hi vis, you want nylon. I want to see the line as I cast, primarily so I can stop a cast from overshooting my target and sailing into the bushes on the far bank. Hi-vis line also allows you to see strikes that you don't feel. And you can bet there are strikes you don't feel!
JDM Nylon LineIf you have only fished with clear line, you don't know how many strikes you are missing - and you are missing strikes.
Some Japanese nylon lines are much more abrasion resistant than normal nylon,
and some have alternating colors (hi vis for line watching and lo vis
for stealth). You won't find that at your local big box store.
JDM Line - PE (braid)
JDM PE lineWhen I started using a baitcaster in trout streams I used the same nylon mono that I used with my spinning reels. After experimenting with a number of different lines, I came to believe a light braid really is the best choice. Nylon or fluorocarbon lines are perverse. It seems they will blow up into a bird's nest given half a chance.
Given the same half a chance, braid seems to want to stay on the spool. It is considerably more expensive than nylon, but to me it is clearly worth it. Of course, if (when) you do get a bird's nest, it is much harder to pick it out with braid than with nylon.
I know people who use braid on the spinning rods. I hadn't until my 2026 Maine vacation. I had seen a few Japanese YouTube videos that stated it was easier to feel the line when feathering a spinning real if you use braid rather than nylon or fluorocarbon. I did notice that with one braid I tried, but not with a couple others. I like the visibility of nylon, and I don't get birds nests with my spinning reel.
What surprised me, though, and might actually cause me to switch to braid was that when fishing spinners, the braid didn't seem to get the line twist problems that I got with nylon line. I mostly fish spoons or minnow lures, which don't cause line twist (if you fish the spoons as slowly as you should), but there are spinners that I like. There are also spinners that I'd like to try to fish for larger micros that are considerably smaller and lighter than the Smith AR-S single hook spinners that cast easily with 3 lb nylon line.
I have purchased, but have not yet tried, a very light braid intended for fishing in Areas. Anglers routinely use very light lines in Areas. The braid I have received is 4 lb test, plenty strong enough for my needs. However, it has the same diameter as the Varivas 10X tippet, which is 1.1 lb test. I hope to be able to cast the lightest possible lures with it.
Looking forward to using Area spinning rods to cast small lures for small fish, whether larger micros or smaller trout, in small nearby streams that few people ever fish.
Varivas 4 lb Area Super Trout PEFinesse-Fishing Home > Finesse Spin Fishing > JDM Spinning Line
Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS-HG ('17)
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