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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Enigma Edge & Daiwa Tatula... Perfect Combination?

Microwave Line Control System by American Tackle
on the Enigma Edge   Photo: Chris Carson
Back in January I attended a trade show in Mississippi for Twisted Oak where we purchase a large percentage of the fishing gear and other outdoor related products we sell at Twisted Oak. This was the first time we had been to the show in January and it did not disappoint.


As we entered their special buy area, which had items marked down for whatever reason (be it clearance or they got a good deal and were passing it on), I found a fishing rod that caught my eye.  It was the Aaron's Edge 7' Medium Heavy by Enigma (Aaron Martens signature).


Specifically, the thing that caught my eye was the first line guide.  They call it the "Microwave Line Control System.  As you can see in the pic, it looks sort of like a conventional size line guide with a micro guide on top. I thought it looked interesting. I did a little research and found that the Microwave Line Control System was made by American Tackle and designed to reduce vibration and increase line speed to result in a smoother longer cast.  I had been looking for a good setup for a frog rod and decided to give it a whirl.

Daiwa Tatula on the Enigma Edge   Photo: Chris Carson
While we were at the show, I also picked up a Daiwa Tatula100HS.  This reel replaces the

conventional bait caster's line guide with the T-Wing System.  The T-wing system allows more line to travel through the "T shaped" slot  by rotating forward to take full advantage of it's size and rotates back for reeling to maintain efficient spooling. The advantages are huge.  Fewer backlashes because the line gets out of the reel before it builds up behind the line guide.  In fact, I'm not sure I've backlashed that reel yet, which will be even more impressive as this story continues.


The T-Wing System in the reeling position on left and the
casting position on the right . Photo: Chris Carson
I guess it was about March before I got it rigged up and ready to fish.  With great anticipation, I spooled it up with 50lb Power Pro, paddled out to a particular "froggy" location and let that first cast rip..... My reaction was "Hmmm, not too bad." As I continued fishing it, I wasn't all that impressed.  I wasn't disappointed either; I just felt like it didn't seem like much of a difference than any of my other setups. I went fishing several times over the coming months.  I continued to experiment with the settings and controls.  The setup still seemed to perform well, but I just wasn't near as excited about fishing it as I thought I would be.

About a month ago, I thought  "I wonder how this thing would be at skipping a jig".... I'm not very good at skipping a jig, but desperately want to learn and thought maybe the Tatula's design might help.... Worth a shot right?  I thought so.  I began trying to skip with it.  I got about 2 tries into it, when I got snagged in the root ball of a Cypress Tree.  I pulled myself over to get it and ended up doing what I call the Zoro technique to get it back (you know....where you reel down to the lure and thrust and parry until it comes unhooked). When I pulled it back out, jig intact and tight to my rod tip, I thought I had better check it for damage.  So, I did.  In doing so, I noticed my line was wrapped around the rod, so I put it up and went back to fishing on my actual jig rod figuring I would work that little issue out when I got home because there was only a few minutes of daylight left.

A nice little bass on the Enigma Edge
paired with a Daiwa Tatula   Photo:Stephen Martin
I unloaded the rods and began a closer inspection of the rod tip and it's line wrap later that night.  What I discovered, blew my mind... In my haste to get on the water and try out this little combo I put together, I altogether missed the 4th line guide from the top AND.... wrapped the line round the rod for good measure before going through the next line guide.  So, to recap.... For 4-5 months, I had been fishing this rod and reel combo of my own selection that was to be ultra efficient in line management to result in smoother, longer casts with less effort, and then handicapped myself by fishing it while wrapped around the rod and totally missing a line guide, creating what had to be a ton of friction.

I fixed that little situation and hit the water again soon after. I was speechless.... I gained probably 20 yards with about 30% less effort on my cast.  Now, I am VERY impressed.  I love this combo.  So much so, that I am thinking about trying it out on a few different applications including skipping docks.  I am determined to learn this technique and be successful.  I believe that this combination will help minimize backlashes and be a little more forgiving.  

What really impresses me about this combo is that I didn't notice the issue for more that 4 months.  Probably 80 hours or more of fishing... and I fished it quite a bit.  Caught a few fish.... no toads, but some decent fish. I never once felt like something wasn't right.  I just thought there didn't seem to be much different than my other setups.

I always look for the lesson learned, and this time it is to pay better attention to the details.  Additionally, I now do a better job of going through things and checking my rods when I get off the water.  There were so many opportunities to catch that little problem.

I think I might start switching rods and reels to determine if it's the reel or the rod or the combination.  Should be some good research to do some pretty thorough reviews.  Look for that down the road!  In the meantime, in what applications would you give it a try?  Comment below!