Sinking Braid? YGK's G-Soul WX4 F1 OhDragon SS140 Hybrid Braid/Fluorocarbon Line

Total Score: 6.91 - FAIR

Introduction: As 2020 rolls in we are reminded just how much fishing, especially bass fishing, has continued to advance and benefit from the latest technologies and manufacturing processes. With each passing year bass fishing becomes more and more specialized. Long gone are the days of taking one rod and one reel on the boat with you when chasing after those green, brown, or spotted fish. Everything from rods to reels to lures to hooks are all designed with specific techniques in mind. It was only a matter of time before this approach of technique and application specificity reached one of the more critical components of your arsenal - fishing line.

Ready for a specialty finesse braided line?

Most lines are offered in a variety of pound tests allowing you to use the same product in a variety of applications simply by changing the strength of line you're using. But now we are seeing lines developed for specific techniques and only offered in strengths and diameters to suit these techniques. One such product is a new-ish braided line offered by JDM manufacturer YGK. Here now is our look at YGK's G-Soul OhDragon sinking braid.

Background: YGK has been offering specially designed, finesse braided lines for years, but their product has been difficult to source because their primary market is in Japan. This traditionally JDM manufacturer is making a push into the North American market with availability in outlets like TackleWarehouse, so we felt it high time to take a closer look.

YGK's OhDragon braid is a hybrid line with four stands of PE wrapped around a fluorocarbon core

Impressions: YGK's OhDragon braid is a hybrid line with four stands of PE wrapped around a fluorocarbon core. Unique construction gives the line a greater negative buoyancy helping it sink faster than traditional braids and making it easier to cast in windy conditions.

Ready to go on board my Abu Garcia MGXtreme spinning reel paired with my G.Loomis DSR820 GLX

Performance: I spooled some of the 18.5lb test onto my Abu Garcia MGXtreme spinning reel and paired that reel up with my G.Loomis DSR820 GLX in preparation for the Fall finesse bite out in California, but it's difficult for me to fish a stealthy finesse oriented drop shot rig on straight braid, so I topped the OhDragon braid with a length of fluorocarbon leader choosing Finatic's 6lb FC leader material.

I did have to top the OhDragon braid with a length of fluorocarbon leader

The first thing I wanted to determine, of course, was whether or not I could see a difference in how quickly the line sank below the surface. To this end, I let out a cast, then stripped off a bunch of extra line so it would sit on the surface of the water next to the boat. At the end of the day (or cast) the difference in sink rate is not that obvious.

Perhaps a side effect of that FC core, OhDragon does have a little memory to it after an extended period of time on the spool

So I returned my attention to simply fishing the line and evaluating it based on the results of a few trips and what I did like about this line is how easy it cast and how well it held up to prolonged use.

Similar to my attempts to evaluate the line's sink rate, I can't say with complete certainty it casts any better in the wind than other braids, but I can say I didn't experience any unexplained wind knots and other handling difficulties you can sometimes come across when using braids under twenty or thirty pound test.

At the end of the day (or cast) the difference in sink rate is not that obvious

Tied direct to the line and without the fluorocarbon leader, I found the need to retie was minimal and sensitivity in either case was very good - even on slightly slack line probably thanks to that FC core. OhDragon held up very well for me over several trips with no unusual fading of the finish or flaking of that finish onto my rod and reel.

OhDragon held up very well for me over several trips with no unusual fading of the finish or flaking of that finish onto my rod and reel

Ratings:

Pluses and Minuses:

While I'm more of a proponent of going straight fluorocarbon on my spinning reel spools instead of braid or braid with a leader, I can definitely see the benefit