Line System

There's an overwhelming selection of lines on the market - let's simplify things in this post. 

For fluke fishing, I am always using a braid to leader setup, and for the last decade or so my braid of choice is the YGK x8 Upgrade in PE1, which is labeled at 22lb. Last year, Daiwa USA brought distribution rights to this line, but rebranded it as X-Braid X8, and the same PE1 diameter is labeled in the USDM as 8lb. They are the exact same line - same diameter and breaking strength at roughly 22lbs. 

The YGK/XBraid is by far the best braided line at a reasonable cost on the market. There are much fancier braids from Gosen and Varivas, from YGK itself, but as an all-around standard braid for nearly every inshore/freshwater application, the YGK/XBraid X8 is so much superior to all the USDM braids I've tried - J Braid, 832, Superslick, Berkley x9, etc - it's almost a different category of braid. The weave is extremely tight, the coating stays put, it absorbs virtually no water, and it has the perfect balance of limpness w/o collapsing on itself like some uncoated braids. 

(I've been told that the YGK x8 is considered a "standard line" in Japan, much like Power Pro was a standard line in the US not too long ago. The fact that YGK x8 in the most popular sizes are often sold out on JDM websites gives credence to that statement.)

The second part of my line system is the fluorocarbon leader, and for years I used Seaguar's STS leader material. As I started experimenting with straight fluorocarbon in freshwater, I settled on Sunline Sniper (USDM Sniper, not JDM Sniper) as my main fluoro, from 4lb to 20lb applications. Not long after I started using leftover spools of Sniper as leader material, and in 4 or 5 years - all different lb test - I have yet to have a single failure with this line. It is soft, supple, easy to manage, and despite the fact that it's not parallel wound onto the filler spool and can feel wavy in certain sections, Sniper has performed absolutely flawlessly.

I use an improved Alberto or "Lazy" Alberto knot to join my braid to fluoro leader - you can check out the video here - and I tie a neat, split-ring sized loop knot to my jighead (video here). 

Since line watching is such an integral part of single jigging, I always opt for the chartreuse green/white version of YGK/XBraid. I have a whole chapter on keeping track of your line above water in the Single Jigging Virtual Lesson. 

Along with my choice in jig head and Gulp...my once exhaustive search for the perfect braid and fluorocarbon line is over. Now I just stock up on YGK/XBraid and Sniper whenever I start running low, and it'll be a while until I start experimenting with new and exotic lines.