Field Report: VARIVAS Twitch Master–Real World Review and Field Test Results

D. Yoder

Date:

February 2021

Location:

Kentucky

Target Fish:

Bluegill

Fishing Style:

Ultralight

Tackle Information:

• • Line: VARIVAS Super Trout Advance Twitch Master VLS Nylon

As advertised, VARIVAS Super Trout Advance: Twitch Master VLS Nylon line is designed to stretch less than conventional nylon single filament lines to aid in retrieval feel and bite detection, which I have found to be mostly accurate. Aside from a general lower cost, most people look to nylon mono lines for their forgiving stretch. Yet this same desired feature can be a detriment to an angler looking for a better feel, whether it be lure retrieval or bite detection.

My experience with this line, throughout most of the 2020 fishing season, was with the 3 lb., 4 lb. and 5 lb. test rated lines.  Like most JDM designed lines, the indicated rated breaking strength is accurate, unlike most US domestic production lines that test out much higher than their advertised strength. For my own use case, I found the 4 lb. test to be a middle ground that quickly became the red-headed, stepchild–it’s casting distance suffered compared to the 3 lb. test.  The extra pound force of the 5 lb. test, however, was much appreciated where it was used.

Most of my fishing outings are to my local, low-land reservoir which, being quite large at 160,000 acres, provides plenty of opportunity for bluegill, crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, channel catfish, yellow bass and freshwater drum. While my main focus is bluegill, I target them in deep water on main lake primary and secondary structure, I regularly catch any and all of the aforementioned species. My main tackle is Japanese domestic market (JDM) ultralight rods and reels, with jig heads and soft plastic grubs as well as micro drop-shot techniques being my primary methods of choice.

All that to say, the Varivas Twitch Master line fits very well into my arsenal. The 3 lb. test rated line allows me excellent cast distance with jig head weights as low as 1/64 oz. (0.5 grams) and small micro-sized soft plastics thrown in water anywhere from 1-2 feet deep in the spawning beds to as much as 20-25 feet of water down ledges or into flooded creek channels in the heat of summer. Through all of these conditions, the Twitch Master line allows me plenty of cast distance, while adding a bit of stretch for shock load protection when I might hook into an unexpected bass or drum that wants to make a crazy run on me. Compared to other nylon mono lines I have used over the nearly 30 years of fishing, the sensitivity of this line is a marked improvement, due expectedly, to the reduced stretch of the line. The subdued champagne gold color of the line is easily visible in all light conditions, yet underwater seems to go nearly clear, with only a shadow or outline of a small diameter line visible, even in water with 5-6 feet of visibility. Of course, my home waters being nearly all low-land aged out reservoirs, I haven’t had much opportunity to test this line in any gin-clear highland waters or natural lakes yet. If my experience recently in northern Iowa at a small spring-fed natural trout stream that runs cold and clear year-round, the line did not show any more visible in the clear water than in my typical green tinged waters, and the over-pressured weary small trout in the stream did not seem to mind either.

When it comes to heavier weight jig heads, grubs, in-line spinners, jigging spoons, or dam tail-waters drop shotting on my heavier JDM gear while seeking out river smallmouth, largemouth, white bass etc. the 5 lb. test Twitch Master excels in the same areas as the 3 lb test, but at a higher break strength and larger diameter, without affecting cast distance due to the heavier weights.

All in all, this line has replaced all my other nylon lines on my spare Daiwa JDM ultralight spools. Throughout my 30-year fishing lifetime I have experimented with nearly all US domestic market 4-8 lb. test nylon monofilaments lines readily available at big box retailers; as well as, over the last three years, at least a dozen JDM nylon monofilament lines. While there may be U.S. domestic market (USDM) lines that are stronger (most likely due to their over-diameter pound test listings) and JDM lines that are tougher, these all have had an exorbitant amount of stretch, with exception of one USDM nylon I briefly tried that had so little stretch it was extremely brittle and took no shock load. The Varivas Twitch Master VLS nylon monofilament has found a permanent place in my arsenal on my continuing journey of extracting the most fun out of this sport I can. High-end JDM rods and JDM reels are only two thirds of the equation for this, the line is equally as important, Varivas has delivered with this Twitch Master.

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