VARIVAS Field Tester Report
Hello, this is VARIVAS Field Tester Noboru Deguchi.
Before I begin my report I’d like to first express my sincere sympathy for those impacted by COVID-19 and hope for a solution soon. Second, my deepest sympathies to everyone affected by the recent heavy rain and flooding in southern Japan.
In this VARIVAS Field Test Report I report on the “18th Samegai Trout Farm Cup Lure Fishing Tournament,” an AREA (stock pond) trout tournament held recently at the Samegai Trout Farm in Shiga Prefecture.
Established in 1878, Samegai Trout Farm is one of the oldest Trout Farms in Japan.
To learn more, watch this YouTube video with English subtitles, https://youtu.be/BSAOGZ8qenU
In compliance with Japanese government COVID-19 protocols, the tournament limited the number of anglers compared to normal and devised a ‘social distancing’ entrance method for competitors to enter the competition pond.
Despite placing in only the top 16 for the overall tournament, I set a qualifying record for the largest number of fish caught within 20 minutes. The tournament staff told me that it was surely a Japanese record!
Up until recently, I’ve been using VARIVAS AREA Super Trout Master Limited Premium Fluorocarbon # 0.6 and AREA Super Trout Infinity PE X8 # 0.2 for these types of ‘Area’ stock pond tournaments. In recent years, though, the number of anglers who use ESTER line has increased significantly, owing to advancement in line and tackle innovations.
I’ve tried ESTER line before but have been afraid to use it in catch and release tournaments on account of issues with line tangling during super active smash-up battles.
Shortly before this Semegai Trout Farm Tournament, Morris company sent me a spool of the final prototype of their new VARIVAS ESTER line #0.4. It’s a line I’m familiar with, as I’ve been testing it for VARIVAS for the past couple of years. Compared to the conventional line, this new ESTER has greater strength and flexibility. Knowing I’d have fewer line troubles with it, I put it to the test, without hesitation, in the Semegai competition.
Well, the result is — I broke a new record of 66 trout within 20 minutes. . . that’s one every 18 seconds!
At the tournament, a large amount of trout was released to the competition area. It felt like trout came attacking from multiple directions. With this new VARIVAS ESTER line I was able to feel and connect short bites to reliable hooks with proof in the results. The fact that I had no line problems during the competition was also was a major factor in achieving this new record.
UPDATE: New ESTER line “ES2” introduced
UPDATE: New ESTER line “ES2” introduced
Below is the tackle configuration I used during the release round at the Semegai Trout Farm tournament.
My Tackle:
- Rod: VARIVAS Graphite Works BWS Tuned Back Water Tournament Custom BWS-60F-T3RX
- Reel: SHIMANO 10 Stella C2000HGS
- Main line: New VARIVAS Ester final prototype No. 0.4
- Leader: VARIVAS Super Trout AREA Master Limited Shock Leader VSP Fluorocarbon # 0.8
- Lure: Spoon 3.5g (Prism Design Strike Daddy Color: Tester Killer [Kitiiya Orikara])
- Hook: Super Trout Area Master Limited Tournament Hook CANVAS -Canvas- #4
My rod with this set up maximized the characteristics of the ester line, reducing the load on the line to efficiently stretch the fishing line. The quick release hook had ample penetrating power and durability.
This new VARIVAS ESTER line will be released in Fall 2020. Try it out and you will enjoy it.
The original article was published in Japanese by Morris Company, Ltd., July 28th, 2020. Field Report by Noboru Deguchi.
