Seaguar released another fluorocarbon line last year, called Seaguar Basix, and I’ve been testing it for months as well as answering inquiries about it for just as long. Most folks want to know if it is any good, is better or worse than red label and what are the issues with it. When it comes to fishing line, people are fanatics about the stuff they like and maybe even more so about the stuff they have a single bad experience with. So I definitely get vetting a new line.
Like a lot of people, I’m always looking for value. I almost never buy the most expensive option. I also, however, hardly ever buy the cheapest option. I like that middle of the road area a lot where I am not breaking the bank but still getting qualities that make the products worth owning. Outside of food, clothing and shelter, most products we buy are simply matters of convenience. Will this product get the job done? How little can I spend to get the job done? Will this help me with a problem I’m having or make a repetitive task easier.
So let’s dig into whether Seaguar Basix is worth it’s weight in … well … fish, frankly speaking.
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So Basix is an entry-level fluorocarbon. Why would an angler want an entry level fluorocarbon? Either it would be based on cost savings, or in other words, they want more invisible line but at an affordable price. Or it would be based on not using fluoro a ton and just wanting it for a few applications here and there. Like a lot of guys have been using Basix as leader material on rods with braid. But I’ll get into that a little more.
Anglers use fluorocarbon because of its light refractive properties that make it virtually invisible or at the very least dulled in visibility under the surface. Also fluorocarbon usually has a little less stretch than monofilament as well as being more invisible.
So Basix is meant as an entry point fluorocarbon giving angler’s a very low cost option relatively speaking with some good qualities to make it worth using. Seaguar does a nice job on it’s website (seaguar.com) of identifying the key characteristics of all of their fishing lines with a chart for each on knot strength, castability, abrasion resistance, memory and price.
Using those charts and my own personal experiences with all of their lines, Basix is similar to Red Label albeit of slightly lesser quality. In that, Basix has less abrasion resistance, lower knot strength, similar castability and slightly better memory than Red Label. So what does this all translate into?
To me it says you have a line that will do the job, but probably will break a little more often than Red Label and will probably breakdown faster than red label.
So I’m a very big proponent of both Seaguar Tatsu and Seaguar InvizX. So it’s hard for me to stray to far away from those. However, Tatsu is very expensive. So refilling reels constantly is not really an option at that price point. So you run into the battle of do you want fresh line say for an important trip or tournament? Or do you think your higher quality line will last for a lot more trips. Both is where I generally fall.
I want to change my line pretty often, but I also believe when I use Tatsu, I can get a lot more uses out of it before I start having issues. That’s why I’m such a big fan. Same with InvizX only slightly more often with InvizX than with Tatsu.
With Basix, I would probably change my line a lot more. It does tend to get more brittle and unwieldy at times the longer you have it on a reel. After a couple months or three, you’re going to want to swap it.
But for the price, it does really well in the beginning. So again if you’re a guy that likes to change his line for every tournament, Basix might work for you.
For me, I’ve settled into a few applications where I like Basix and will continue to use it more to save some money here and there. I’ve had a lot of good success with Basix as a main line, a leader and even as line on lesser setups that I travel with a lot.
I think because of it’s slightly lower length of durability and castability than some of the other Seaguar fluorocarbons, I like it for a few specific techniques. I really have liked it for a spinnerbait line. Typically I’m fishing spinnerbaits around grass and wood and not to rough conditions. I like it for some small swimbait stuff too. I’ve been doing really well with the 10 and 12 pound Basix fluorocarbon on small swimbaits and the 15-pound Basix on my spinnerbait rod.
I think those techniques where you are throwing a decently weighted bait and you are pretty much straight retrieving it is where you will like Basix the most. As well as a leader material for rods you use braid. For me that is usually a swim jig rod. I still like a Gold Label leader for my light finesse setups with braid and fluoro leader. And Tatsu for my heavier braid and leader combos.
But for easy to cast lures that you wind back to the boat, Basix is best suited for these applications in my mind.
That basically covers Seaguar Basix and where I like to fish it and where it fits into my own personal rotation of Seaguar Fluorocarbon lines. I think it’s worth the money for certain applications and if you swap your line regularly.
