It’s been known that hard and high-quality braided lines became part and parcel of the fishing tackle, at least, of those anglers who have an eye for this business. In my conditions the line is essential and I have to test it in different conditions 3 or even 4 times a week. In my 15-year experience I tried a lot of products to find a secure, hard, high-quality, but at the same time cheap line. Almost all my life I angle in Cyprus, and the conditions are severe here: deep (up to 40 meters) lakes with rocks, stones and cliffs, and to crown it all heat and merciless sun. I have to test the line in three different categories: feeder fishing, spinning rod in fresh water and sea.

For the last five years I’ve been using Pontoon21 Exteer line. It comes in different sizes of different colors, and I prefer to use the most suitable variant for every type of environment. I’ll start with bass fishing in fresh water, I chose a 0,165 mm yellow line with the strength of 12 lb. Usually, the lines of different producers come in 100-meter spools, but I have to wind 150 meters and more. In this respect Exteer, as well as Extreama, are very comfortable. The thing is that they come in continuous spooling – the spools are connected with each other. Thus, you can buy several spools – 200, 300 meters – and wind the necessary amount of line on the reel, and more than that without a single knot. It is relevant, for instance, for feeder fishing, when the line of 150 meters may break because of sharp stones and other underwater rubbish and survive just a few casts.

I liked this line very much, it’s light, high-quality, it easily unwinds and flies well, and the most important thing is that after 2 years of constant usage heat, it doesn’t lose its form, doesn’t split into fibers as many lines do, and neither does it swell on the spool, which is essential if you constantly cast from the bank. Besides, the bright color (I prefer fluorescent yellow for my spinning rod) helps me to angle for bass with light rigs and silicone near the bank, when you need to closely watch the lure falling and control the line with your hand as much as possible. This coloration helps you to see everything quite clearly both in water and air. But the main fact is that the line is really strong. You don’t have to go far to find an example: when you angle for bass, there’s a lot of resistance with the friction being tight up, the distance being very short and it being stony bank with cliffs. I retrieve a 2-kilo bass without any hesitations, only working with my rod and my reel, at the same time the line is working for 100 per cen. Using Pontoon21 Exteer for bass fishing for a long time I’ve never had any breaks.

More than just fish catches have a significant influence on the line. In the conditions of Cyprus you constantly have to check the firmness and integrity of the line, and alas there’re a lot of catches, that’s why a good strong line helped me out more than once when the situation seemed to be hopeless. Using Exteer, I just pull the lure and silicone out of water together with a snag, while other lines just break on a minor catch or wear out on rocks. I also liked the same Pontoon 21 Exteer line but black and with diameter of 0,148 mm. I more often use it for feeder fishing in the sea. In summer you can clearly see the black color in turbid water. When the wind starts blowing, and water is coffee-colored, this thin and strong line enables me to make casts up to 60-70 or even 80-90 meters with feeders of 40-60 grams, almost effortlessly. A smooth and high-quality line enables me to cast the feeder into the necessary sector, easily and accurately, especially if there’s side wind. The margin of safety is enough for retrieving any kind of fish, be it a small 2-kilo catfish or a 5-kilo carp. The line smoothly and evenly winds on the spool, which is also important in feeder fishing. High-quality line for feeder fishing is both firmness, long range cast and the speed of fishing, as well as load on the rod and reel, that’s why such a small diameter enables to do everything quickly and effortlessly. From experience of simple fishing and competitions it is this Pontoon 21 Exteer model of 0,148 mm, black color and strength of 10 lb that meets my requirements according to all parameters.

As far the sea fishing is concerned I use a thin line of 0,148 mm, because I have to as long casts of light lures from banks as possible, often at the same time the stream is fast and the wind blows sideways. This winter I tested this model in the sea, to be more specific, all its parameters. The first thing I liked is that if your cast is strong and sharp, it flies accurately, delivering the lure to the necessary point. The line has little windage, there’re no tangles, as it often happens if you use a loose braided line. Tough bites of horse mackerel and barracuda were nicely done, though usually while fishing in the sea we use lines of a much bigger diameter, because the sea fish is much stronger and more aggressive. It is good that after 5 months the line didn’t change its qualities because of salt water and remain as smooth and thin as it was at the beginning. Though a lot of lines both cheap and expensive get damages and become thicker, and there’re small fibers appearing on them.

At the end of my review of Pontoon 21 Exteer, I’d like to name one more reason that to my mind is very important for all fishermen, be it an amateur or an angler. Yes, for some conditions, you may and you should use 4- or 8-braided lines of intensified braiding. Exteer is a “workhorse” of high quality. The price is reasonable, which enables us to change the line quickly if it’s necessary. At this price you can just buy several 100-meters spools in store, not paying a fortune at the same time, and think that all good lines cost more than 50-70 euros.

By the way, Exteer is a product of collaboration Pontoon21 and YKG. It is made in Japan.

Vadim Lazitski