Seaguar’s exciting new TATSU fluorocarbon means ‘dragon’ in Japanese. But what this super-strong, long-casting line can do for your fishing success is no mere fairytale.
As I hooked-up the boat and pointed my rig north toward Minnesota’s famed Lake Mille Lacs, my mind was racing. This would be a short two-day trip, yet thoughts of the many techniques I could use to fool the lake’s big-bellied spring smallmouths were running through my head.
With a quick check of my ScoutLook Fishing app confirming a continued, welcome warming trend—as well as a full moon—I knew a majority of the big lake’s hefty smallmouths would be on their beds completing their annual spawn. So I figured to be doing some serious sight-fishing for bedded bass. And with the state’s somewhat-crazy spring weather that has so far featured some fairly large temperature swings, I guessed another logical pattern would be a second, good-sized group of smallies still hanging offshore. This group would likely be waiting for the current wave of fish to complete the spawning ritual before they, too, would move into the shallows.
SAME LINE FOR ALL YOUR SETUPS?
With these two scenarios looming, I knew I would be relying heavily on both my heavier baitcasting, and lighter spinning outfits. You’d think the lines for these vastly different setups would be equally diverse, but you would be wrong. I did need three different spools of line to rig my three setups, but the only differences were their strength and diameter. All of the reels were spooled with Seaguar’s new, and ultra-versatile, TATSU Fluorocarbon line.
“TATSU” means “dragon” in Japanese, but this line is no fairytale. Based on my recent experiences, it’s like no other fluorocarbon line on the market, and the differences begin with its unique construction. TATSU is built by fusing two custom 100-percent fluorocarbon resins into one. What this “double-structure” fluorocarbon provides for the angler, is a line that has incredible knot strength as well as amazing castability—two characteristics that all savvy anglers desire. Seaguar offers TATSU in both 200- and 1,000-yard spools, ranging from 4- to 25-pound test, which means it can handle an incredibly wide range of fishing presentations, for a wide variety of species.
PROOF IS IN THE FISHING
As we began fishing the expansive Mille Lacs shoreline, our earlier suspicions were confirmed. We immediately began spotting numerous smallmouths on beds, as well as fish that were cruising the shallow, rocky flats. To best target these cruising/bedded bass, I employed a wacky-rigged soft plastic stickbait, a green pumpkin Zoom Fluke Stick Jr, rigged on a 2/0 Lazer TroKar Wacky Worm Hook.
If you’ve been waiting to make the jump from standard mono to a more high-tech choice, you can’t do better than versatile TATSU, which the author has found to be the best-casting fluorocarbon line ever developed.
We needed to make long casts to these spooky fish, which is one of the benefits of using TATSU. I was consistently able to fire long, almost effortless casts to distant smallie beds using my favorite spinning rig, a Wright & McGill Victory Pro Carbon Drop Shot/Senko model. More productive, smallie-holding targets were large submerged-yet-visible rocks, and of course, boat docks, spring smallie-holding staples. All required long casts to avoid spooking the cagey fish; I would then let my lure sink slowly to the bottom, wait a few seconds, and move it slightly. Then it was on to the next visible target.
Throughout the day, by checking my ScoutLook Fishing app I was able to keep tabs on the current and projected wind speed, as well as the changing wind direction. This info helped us pinpoint the most-productive shorelines and plan our day accordingly. It was critical to locate stretches protected from the wind so we could present our lures effectively, and the calm water also aided in visually locating the bedded bass.
SPINNING RIGS: THE SUPREME FLUORO TEST
Many anglers shy away from using fluorocarbon line on a spinning reel, as most fluorocarbon lines will “fly off” the reel spool due to an incredible (and unfortunate) amount of memory. But my testing of TATSU confirms this new line is different. It consistently comes off the spool smoothly, not only delivering longer casts, but also eliminating time-robbing tangles. This is why I’ll be fishing 8- or 10-pound TATSU on my spinning rigs all season.
Flipping or casting jigs or Texas-rigged soft plastics is another technique I rely on all season long, whether I’m fishing lakes or rivers. Here again, the low-stretch and highly abrasion-resistant TATSU is a great choice, as this line not only works well when flipping, but also casts well if I’m casting a jig a bit farther, say, out to a weedline or rocky point. Depending on the water clarity and cover, I’ll use 15- or 20-pound TATSU in these situations.
Texas-rigged tubes and wacky-rigged soft plastic stickbaits are two of the author’s favorite lures on Minnesota’s Lake Mille Lacs; he was able to present both with help from his favorite baitcaster and spinning combos, both of them loaded with Seaguar’s versatile TATSU.
CLEAR WATER AND SPOOKY FISH? TATSU TIME
While on my recent fishing trip to Mille Lacs, there were many times when I would encounter a big smallmouth “locked” on its bed; this is when I would flip a Texas-rigged white tube, rigged on a 4/0 hook, just beyond the bed and then slowly drag it into the bed. Then I would just wait until the feisty smallie would strike the tube; for this situation 15-pound TATSU was ideal.
To target bedded bass efficiently, I would slowly approach the bed with my Minn Kota Fortrex trolling motor on a low speed; when I was within casting distance I would then deploy my dual (12-foot) Talons. This resulted in a nice and stable, non-moving platform; from there it was up to me and my TATSU to make a long, accurate cast.
Learn more about Seaguar’s new TATSU Fluorocarbon line by clicking here.
As mentioned, we were hoping to target some off-shore rocks to find some fat pre-spawn smallies, but the high winds kept us from capitalizing on this pattern. One of my favorite rigs for offshore smallmouths is a jerkbait, especially for those smallies holding on rock piles and reefs. The Rapala Shadow Rap and new Shadow Shad Rap are two of the baits I use regularly, as I feel their action and available colors cater perfectly to a big smallmouth’s appetite.
This bonus Lake Mille Lacs largemouth just couldn’t resist a well- presented swim bait in newly emergent vegetation, helped along by the low-profile, long-casting TATSU.
Any time I’m casting jerkbaits or swim jigs, I like to spool up with 12- or 15-pound TATSU. With its extreme sensitivity and knot strength, I can make long casts, and really “feel” what my lure is doing, without worrying about knot slippage. This approach proved to be deadly on Mille Lacs, as we eventually turned to fishing swim jigs around emergent vegetation, where we found both smallies and some big largemouths. To help attract bass that were cruising these areas, I had my Hydrowave unit from T-H Marine on the “spawning bait” sound. I feel that this sound effectively mimics the natural noises occurring underwater.
Hear what Shaw Grigsby has to say about Seaguar TATSU by clicking here.
Are you looking for a “do-it-all” fluorocarbon line that stands apart from the others when it comes to strength and castability? Seaguar’s versatile new TATSU is able to fill most all of your spinning and baitcasting needs, and is worth a strong look from anyone looking to increase their catch this year.
