YGK G-Soul WX-8

I think it fair to say that most saltwater lure fishermen in the UK use braids around the 1-1.2PE mark, some will even go for a 30lb braid here. Now for some circumstances I can see this may be entirely appropriate, but for some time I have felt using such heavy braids is just overkill in our waters.

Fishing light game has taught me a tremendous amount about my Bass fishing for example, as a result I am of the view that balanced tackle can be used to tame pretty much any fish that swims and that will take a lure in the UK.

Yes I can see the point if fishing for Wrasse in heavy ground of going with heavier line, in such circumstances you need a line you can trust in order to pull them away from cover quickly. 

Even then, most of the ground I fish is far from the terrain people fish in South Devon or Cornwall and the Wrasse are generally not as large. The worst abrasion I am going to experience is on weed rather than big boulders.

Honestly though, most braid will cut on a barnacle covered rock, a decent fluorocarbon mainline would probably offer far more advantages in such situations.

With all that in mind I decided a while ago to step down the breaking strain of my Bass lines and recently bought some YGK G-soul WX-8 0.8PE (12lb).

G-sould WX-8 retails in the UK at around £50 and is more than I was prepared to pay for some line. I  therefore bought some off an eBay seller in Japan for £30 including shipping and it took just four days to arrive.

What can I say about this line? 

Well firstly having used the 4 strand version before I knew I was not going to be using an inferior line, but I did not quite realise how good this line would be. This G-soul WX-8 really is good stuff, it feels just silky smooth and very strong. The line really is thin, yet handles very well and casts like a dream. I do like the bright colour and it is easily visible in poor light conditions. 

On using a light surface lure I did get one wind knot, yet unlike other braids I have used, it was easy enough to pick out. Well as yet I cannot find fault in it. I am not sure what the coating YGK use is, but it really does not absorb water like cheaper braids can and is therefore very nice for using surface lures, yet it also gives good feedback when fishing deeper water with soft plastics.

I guess the only gripe I might have is, I would still be reticent to pay the price of UK retailers, though I would definitely pay the extra over many of the cheaper braids out there.

Of course I have only been using it a couple of weeks though and whether it stands up to the abuse I'll put it through long term remains to be seen, time will tell I guess.

Tight lines.