The power of FUGU

Independent Tackle Review

Wight Lines

Sea Fishing UK ©

The premise of Fugu line is simple: to be a quality line developed by anglers, for anglers. The products strap-line of “Designed to be deadly” says it all really. When presented with the opportunity to try this out for an independent review, I was keen to see whether it could live up to such a bold tag line.

About

The line was developed by a family run business within the EU, with the assistance of Mushiki Tackle’s owner Chris Wainwright. The company is a member of the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) and was founded in 1996, so hails 17 years of experience in the business. The line is made from Japanese raw materials, using German technologies and is tested for strength, characteristics and more by a European university, so it’s fair to say Fugu line is an international affair!

Packaging & Details

The line comes in a smartly presented Fugu box and gives the immediate impression of a quality product. This review was performed on the 18lb ‘Orange Fluro’, with the spool bearing 950m of line. The 18lb is 0.35mm in diameter which for a number of other brands would only equate to 15lb breaking strain. The low diameter means that it’s ideal for casting whilst giving reassurances of a stronger than average breaking strain.

Initial Feel

When removed from the packaging, you can tell from the first feel that this is a quality line. It has a supple, smooth finish and the initial memory test off the spool indicated that it would be relatively memory free.

 

Casting

In order to see how the line felt on different reels, I loaded up my Penn 525 Mag Xtra (Mk1), Abu 6500 Rocket and Akios 656 CTM. When loading the spools the line was bedding down nicely, which you immediately associate with its suppleness.

The first test came in gale force winds and would tell me a lot about the line during rougher conditions. Belting out 7oz grippers in 30mph winds would always reduce casting distance, whilst also creating great bows in the line during flight. However, I have to say that it felt like a

knife cutting through warm butter, the line flew out of the reels and despite adverse conditions the lead was still travelling around 80% of a normal cast, not something I am used to in such conditions. The line was smooth casting from all three reels and most forgiving during casts after the conditions created slack line during retrieves etc.

The next test was in almost completely contrasting conditions; no wind whatsoever. The line absolutely soared out of the reels and I feel quite confident that the combination of slimmer-than-average diameter and quality of line led to my casting further. Unfortunately all I a managed to catch was 9 dogfish and missing as many, but I found myself winding in more frequently than normal just because I was enjoying the feel of the cast!

Abrasion / Stress test

The line showed resilience to various abrasive grounds; however, anglers should bear in mind that it is 0.35mm and irrespective of breaking strain, the diameter could place it at risk of shearing in particularly rough / snaggy grounds. During the field test, a clump of weed of around 14-15lb was landed which gave indication of its ability to hold its own when under stress.

Knot Strength

In fairness, although fish-wise the heaviest landed during this test was a 2lb 2oz Dogfish, a mass of weed around 14-15lb was landed and did not seem to trouble the 18lb line or weaken any knots. A physical test performed indoors showed it was nigh-on impossible to break by hand.

 

Memory

I would suggest that the line has a negligible amount of memory, which means that it re-beds onto the reel nicely and won’t cause you any problems casting wise. In the field tests it was used in some adverse conditions, subjected to masses of may-rot and other weeds, which applied intense stress upon the line, which didn’t lead to any ‘birdies’ or weak spots.

Value for Money

The line retails at £7.99 a spool with the minimum postage charge being £3.25, totalling £11.24 a spool. However, if buying up to 10 spools the postage remains £3.25 (as its based on a charge for up to 1kg postage weight); therefore the more you buy the less postage is incurred against each spool. Working on the basis of most people loading up around 200m of line on each reel, you can at minima load 4 reels from each spool, costing an average of £2.81 per reel, with 150m of line left for rig snoods, smaller reels or fixed spools etc. When buying quality line, comparatively this is very good value for money.

Availability

Fugu is available from Mushiki Tackle in Kent, or ask your local Tackle Shop / Dealer to become a stockist by making wholesale arrangements via Mushiki.

Conclusion

Although not tested in this review on a Fixed Spool, I am confident that all anglers will be happy with this product should they try it. Its good value for money, a quality product and in such a competitive market will give some better known brands a real run for their money. I for one will be getting some more of this line in!

Further Information

Contact Mushiki Tackle on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mushiki.tackle or call 01304 249 462.

Wight Lines Independent Review – if you want an independent review of your goods or services contact WightLines@Hotmail.com