Thread: Is Momoi worth the extra $$$$?

I had new line put on my reel at J & M last year in October, and the guy behind the counter recommended Momoi Illusion 10 lb for Spanish. The price was reasonable for one reel I thought, but since I had never had a reel spooled professionally before I really didn't know what to expect. The line was good. It cast very well, held up to hand lining big spanish over the rail without breaking, and didn't seem to have any wind loop or memory problems -- but I only used it two days and I condition my line with Reel Magic regularly.

Well, Santa brought me some gift cards and I've been looking online -- it only comes in 300 yard spools or 1 lb spools. The 300 yards will be around $14 with shipping and the 1 lb around $95. It's from twice to three times as expensive as other "premium" lines.

Anyone else have long term experience with Momoi Illusion? Does anyone know why it is so expensive compared to other lines? I've read all the online reviews I could find and they are about equally mixed between those who hated it and will never buy it again and those who loved it -- but neither had any long term experience.

Any help and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'm mainly thinking of my light and medium tackle rigs for spanish, kings, reds, and the inevitable bycatch.

Rich

I started using it earlier this year and will never use another line again. That stuff is amazing, extremely limp for great casting, very good abrasion resistance, and tough as nails. I use the 16# on my king rigs. The thing that made me love it is when I decked a 21# king earlier this year that was foul hooked behind the head. I had my drag on my reel tightened almost all the way(which that reel has nearly 30# of drag) and the king was still pulling line without it snapping. Like I said, I use it on all my reels and love it!

I also switched to it this year after John landed that 40+ pound king on it.

I also landed a nearly 40# Jack with it also.

The momoi illusion is awesome stuff but it don't matter that much. The super cheap stuff made in china is bleh, rots real fast but most of the proven lines have been decent to me. I've used berkely big game, illusion, hi-catch, and ande and they all catch fish. The momoi is the smoothest and smallest line diameter mono per line strength i've used but like you said it will cost you quite a bit. I've been using big game and hi catch to save a little money.

[size=12pt]I use Big Game and have no issues with it. Just ask MS PAT in Navarre about mono line.[/size]

[size=10pt]I gotta agree with brother Fin on this.[/size]

[size=10pt]Berkley Trilene Big Game is the best value in mono today. [/size]

I personally don't use the illusion, but every reel I have is spooled with momoi in one form or another. I must say that their damond braid is quite a fine line as well. It is probably one of the roundest braids on the markets, so you don't encounter the number of wind knots that you would with other brands. Also a big advantage to it is knot performance. Knots tie much easier and hold better with the momoi than others I have used in the past.

If you are a "frequent fisher" and also respool frequently from losing chunks of line, it would be tough to keep the practice up at that price and the durability of the standard lines won't be an issue anyway. If you're an infrequent fisherman but when you do go it has to count, go with the best you can get.

The real deal per yard on lines is in the commercial-size spools, but the price is a killer and storing it so it doesn't deteriorate requires some modest effort. If you've got a couple of like-minded buddies, a bulk spool (say 5000 or 10000 yards) is a real deal, but be sure it is fresh. The reason Radio-Shack's batteries test better than Wally-world's is that they are fresher. If a bulk spool has been sitting a couple of years and then goes on sale, you had better hope it was stored in good temperatures.

I will just stick to getting my line from John. It hasn't failed me yet and I have caught some huge fish on it.