I’m known for speaking my mind when it comes to new products, if I like them and they do the job they were designed to do, and do it well, then I’ll happily use them for my own fishing and give them the thumbs up. I will not promote something I have no confidence in just because its expected of me by my sponsors.
The very first time I saw the DPF line I’ll be honest and say that I couldn’t believe someone would sign off a product like a pink mainline in a male dominated sport such as ours. I couldn’t for a second see me using it, but I read the techno bumf that came with it, and it seemed plausible – but doesn’t it always.
There have been many occasions in the past, particularly where mainlines are concerned, where I’ve been ‘sold’ a product on the technical specifications alone but when I’ve actually used it in a real world situation and its proved to be near to useless for the job in hand. The simple truth is not one line can do it all. Some sink well, some have a low diameter for the breaking strain, some are very abrasion resistant and some claim to be invisible underwater, some stretch and some don’t, there are countless variables. Each line is suited to a certain application but never has one line been suited for all types of fishing.
Late last year I started fishing a small intimate water near my home which was very low and super clear. The stock of just nine carp were clearly very unsettled because of the conditions, and they were super flighty and on edge constantly, probably as they were used to the water being far higher and much more coloured. Of course it goes without saying that they were an easy target to anyone who cared to have a go for them and how it showed.
My fishing on the little lake coincided with the release of the new DPF line, and naturally, Wychwood were keen for me to try it. Due to its garish pink/purple colour I was a little reticent for several reasons not least because anyone who saw me using it usually laughed or took the mickey, however, after watching the fish spook away from line time and time again, I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did.
Now, many fluorocarbon lines lay claim to being invisible underwater but the truth is they are not, nowhere near in fact. Their strength lies in their weight and the fact they sink well, pinning themselves to the bottom. The DPF however, I really struggled to see and it was the same for the carp. I kid you not, within days of using the line for the first time I’d caught the biggest fish in the lake amongst others in testing conditions, by which I mean a small lake full of islands and snags which would test even the most abrasion resistant of lines. Each fish I hooked tore off along the narrow, snaggy channels and the line stood up to some extreme chaffing and came out unscathed.
Being strong and well camouflaged is great but it’s not enough to convince people to switch from a line they are happy with, but in the last few months I’ve used the DPF in lots of different situations and can confirm that its more than passed every test its been faced with. It’s supple, abrasion resistant, casts well and disappears in clear water and I recommend you give it a try if you’ve not already. I’m heading overseas in the next couple of weeks to fish on some crystal clear mountain lakes where line concealment is of paramount importance if I’m to expect good results, and the spools are already loaded in readiness which says it all really.
