Seaguar is one of the leaders in fishing lines globally and continues to add more lines to fit anglers' needs every year, no matter what species they are after. The company is well-known for its fluorocarbon line, which was invented in Tokyo in 1971 by Seaguar. The Japanese company also now sells premium braided and fluorocarbon lines for different markets worldwide.
They have many well-known products in North America for all types of anglers and also have lines made specifically for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) fishing scene. At the Bassmaster Classic in 2024, Seaguar brought three of these existing lines to America as a trial run, and they all quickly became stateside favorites.
The lines include PE-X8 Braided Line, R18 Fluoro Limited, and Grand Max fluorocarbon leader. Here's more information about each line and how they are used.
Grand Max Leader Material
Grand Max has a long history in Japan and has been a popular leader material since 1999. It comes in many different sizes, and the spools stack together for easy storage, just like many fly-fishing tippet materials. The line uses Seaguar's double structure technology to fuse two resins to make a line with many excellent properties that are desirable for bass anglers who are using a leader material.
This line was designed specifically for leader use and has excellent strength. However, it is still very soft for better knot connection to lures and for connecting braided lines to fluorocarbon. It also has a very thin diameter, so going up a size will not affect the action or performance of your lures.
Since it is made for leader use, the spools are small and come in 60-meter spools that equal roughly 66 yards. It comes in many different sizes, from as small as 2-pound tests up to 40-pound, with many even sizes included and some unique sizes like 3 and 7-pound tests. It's a quality leader material famous in Japan and is now available to American anglers.
PE-X8 Braided Line
Braided lines have become the standard for many bass anglers when it comes to spinning tackle, and PE-X8 is the next generation of braided lines with extremely thin diameters and excellent performance. This line uses a new fiber called IZANAS, which allows for added strength in much thinner diameters, making PE-X8 as much as 22% thinner than other braided lines.
Because it's so thin, you need to pay closer attention to the actual diameters on the box and spool instead of just the marked pound test. Otherwise, what you are used to using for pound test may be too thin for your needs. The line comes in 12, 16, 18, 21, 24, and 33-pound tests, and some of the most popular sizes from the Seaguar Pro Staff are 18, and 21-pound tests, which sounds crazy to someone used to using a 10-pound braided line on spinning gear, but it's that much thinner.
Performance-wise, PE-X8 casts incredibly because of the thin diameter, and this also helps the line cut through the water for a better connection to your lures without the lag that occurs as the bait falls or windy conditions lift the braid above the water. This is why it's become a go-to for anglers who are utilizing forward-facing sonar. Because of how thin it is, it's best suited for spinning tackle and finesse applications.
The line comes in a high-vis pink color with small segments of green every meter, making it easy to see in a wide range of light conditions. This green spot was meant for use as a metered line to count down the depth of your lures, but the green spot also serves as a bite indicator. It's a premium braid that performs very well with no stretch and plenty of strength. The spool sizes are 200 meters, which equates to 219 yards, making it about right for two spinning reels per spool.
R18 Fluorocarbon Mainline
The final JDM product is R18, an ultra-premium mainline fluorocarbon. It is also made using Seaguar's double structure technology, so it's soft for manageability and knot tying but still has plenty of strength and abrasion resistance. The line casts great and comes in 100-meter spools, which is 109 yards, making it perfect for one reel spooling.
The line comes in several unique sizes ranging from 4 to 20 pounds, with sizes such as 5, 7, and 14-pound tests mixed in with other traditional Seaguar line sizes. This allows anglers to dial into specific needs and make small line size adjustments to improve lure performance or diving depths.
While these three lines are not new, they are new to American anglers as each has already proven to be a popular line for Japanese anglers. They are each designed for performance and are all made to strict Japanese quality standards.
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