Seaguar Tatsu-what have I done??

[Bluebasser86]

Over the last couple years I've really started to get away from fluorocarbon. The issues have just outweighed the benefits, especially in our mostly stained waters where line visibility isn't really an issue. I've had pretty good success with Red Label and InvisX, but I'd made the move almost completely to braid, copolymer, or mono. Given the chance to try a premium line like Tatsu though, who's going to pass that up? I opted for 15lb and spooled it on my Curado 70XG that's saddled on a 7' MH/F St. Croix LTB that I normally fish a finesse jig on.

Headed to a small state lake that is close by, known for numbers but not big fish, so I'd have a good shot at catching multiple fish. 

I was really blown away by how well the line cast. Minor overruns just seemed to be a way of life with fluoro. They were nearly nonexistent with Tatsu, even throwing a small jig long distances in the wind. I mean long distances too, this stuff comes off the spool so smoothly that I was casting noticeably further than usual. The fish were holding in deep brush piles and after 3 hours of dragging a bait through brush and rock, I never retied once and the line had nary a nick in it. It tied easily (SDJ knot), and cinched down well on the first try, which is a common issue for me with other fluoros. Price is the biggest drawback, but I only used about 50 yards off the 200 yard spool, so I should be able to spool up about 4 times, which breaks the price down to a much more tolerable $13.25 a spool instead of $40 if I had spooled the entire reel with fluoro. 

I was ready to write off fluoro for everyday use and only break it out for trips to clear water lakes, but now the monkey is on my back telling me I need to look into this stuff further. Only time will tell how it holds up, but as of right now, I feel I've made a terrible/wonderful mistake. 

[BassThumb]

It lasts a lot longer than other fluoros before needing to be respool, as well.

Best fluoro I've ever used.

[John G]

Tatsu is to expensive for me. I recently spooled up some 18# Sniper, my heaviest # test so far, and I have no problems casting with a 1/4 or 3/8oz bullet weight so I see no reason to use anything but Sniper.

[loudcherokee]

I've been thinking of trying a spool of fleuro lately for the sensitivity benefits, but was worried about wasting money. I use 30lb powerpro braid on most of my bait casters and still backlash occasionally. I'm hesitant to try a roll of tatsu because of this, but this thread kind of makes me feel better about it.

Did you use line conditioner when spooling? Any benefits to sensitivity over braid?

LC

[Bluebasser86]

12 minutes ago, loudcherokee said:

I've been thinking of trying a spool of fleuro lately for the sensitivity benefits, but was worried about wasting money. I use 30lb powerpro braid on most of my bait casters and still backlash occasionally. I'm hesitant to try a roll of tatsu because of this, but this thread kind of makes me feel better about it.

Did you use line conditioner when spooling? Any benefits to sensitivity over braid?

LC

No line conditioner needed at all on this stuff. 

Slack line sensitivity is way better with fluoro than it is with braid. 

[kickerfish1]

Yea, I run Tatsu on about 4 outfits. I buy it when TW has it on sale for about $30 during their 25 days of savings sale. Great handling, strong, great feel, very low memory. Expensive, but when combined with backing it becomes a bit more affordable.

Glad you like it!

[Evan K]

I had a very similar experience @Bluebasser86. I was really blown away by Tatsu when I spooled it up for the first time (10 lb., for my cranking/topwater setup). It truly is a line apart from other FC. I'm pretty tempted to start using Tatsu+backing on my setups now too.

[Preytorien]

Does anyone have any advice on whether to use this on a spinning reel? I'm giving it some thought, but I am still wary since I've been burned before with flouro on a spinning rig - my try of Sniper went south very fast

[BassThumb]

22 minutes ago, kickerfish1 said:

Yea, I run Tatsu on about 4 outfits. I buy it when TW has it on sale for about $30 during their 25 days of savings sale. Great handling, strong, great feel, very low memory. Expensive, but when combined with backing it becomes a bit more affordable.

Glad you like it!

eBay has some good deals on Tatsu from time to time that rival the TW sales.

Plus I like purchasing from eBay sellers whenever it's reasonable because they're like the modern version of the Mom-and-Pop sporting goods store.

[*Hootie]

$40.00 for a spool of line!...I don't know. Guess I'm just getting old....lol.

Hootie

[Team9nine]

Will a moderator please close this thread down? We've already well established on this site that fluorocarbon is just a bunch of over priced, over hyped crap. Now along comes this post and I fear it might trigger a sudden fluorocarbon change of heart, potentially ruining our overall disdain for the stuff and our love of braid (and Yozuri).    

LOL - just kidding; Tatsu is good stuff - use it on several outfits along with Toray and other Seaguar products (all fluoros). People are always asking on these forums, wanting to know and buy the best rod or reel or type lure for a particular presentation. Why wouldn't you spend the money then on one of the best fluorocarbon lines, also? Welcome to the party

-T9

 

[Cgrinder]

I suppose I should try it. Been throwing in 10-15 mph winds all spring and braid's getting old fast. 

[J Francho]

Tatsu is just good line - I don't really care what it's made from.  It just works in most cases, and isn't really fussy.

[trupp30]

I have a spool of 15 lb Tatsu on the way from TW.  I am glad to hear how manageable the line is, as I was having all kinds of problems with another brand on my swimjig set up.

[*Hootie]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

 Why wouldn't you spend the money then on one of the best fluorocarbon lines, also? 

-T9

 

Cause....lol.

Hootie

[SNK]

I will be trying out Tatsu in 10 and 12lb for the first time in about a week. Looking forward to it. I had issues with manageability in the past on other fluoro's so I stayed away. But after reading all the positive remarks on Tatsu's manageability, I took the plunge. Hoping for great things!

[Evan K]

22 minutes ago, SNK said:

I will be trying out Tatsu in 10 and 12lb for the first time in about a week. Looking forward to it. I had issues with manageability in the past on other fluoro's so I stayed away. But after reading all the positive remarks on Tatsu's manageability, I took the plunge. Hoping for great things!

I'll be really surprised if you're disappointed with it. It's seriously much more manageable than any mono I've ever used, even.

[J Francho]

That's a bit of a stretch (see what I did there :P), but it's pretty close to good mono.

[Hogsticker]

I just started using my 1st spool back in March. It's fantastic. No conditioner needed, doesn't get squirrely, no phantom break offs. Just be smart with it. Use backing and spool 3 reels. People will drop crazy money on rods and reels, but line. . . . Forget it. I mean it's only the one thing connecting you to your fish. No biggie. I'll keep buying it. Tatsu for fluoro, Defier for mono. Once you've used the best it's near impossible to go back to anything else. 

[*Hootie]

Really you should buy and use whatever you like and can afford. I get harassed by my fishing buddies all the time for using GLX's and NRX rods, but using whatever hooks are on sale. 

Hootie

[J Francho]

Yeah, my boss drives an S-class Merc, we all make fun of his success.

Get new friends that are less envious.

[Evan K]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

That's a bit of a stretch (see what I did there :P), but it's pretty close to good mono.

I'm actually pretty serious about that- one thing that may have made a difference was that I treated my spool with KVD stuff before spooling it up.

[J Francho]

That does wonders for any non braided line!

[iceintheveins]

It's good stuff, but jagged rocks chew it up pretty good. In that case, use a fluoro leader so you don't waste line. That way you are only putting new leaders on.

[Preytorien]

Well I went ahead and got an order of Tatsu for my spinning reel on the way. I'll give it one more try. I keep upping the quality of flouro I try, and from what I hear, Tatsu is the top of the class. So we'll see. I hope it doesn't break my heart.