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I used my new Daiwa 31sr that i bought from tenkarabum last night and today to catch some small bluegills. It worked great. I used some #3 level high-vis yellow line, 4 lb. test tippet and a small pheasant tail nymph for the trial run and was pleased by the way it handled the combo. It is one sweet and reasonably priced little rod. I can see it getting lots of use in the future.
The line you used is just fine for the Soyokaze (Gentle Breeze) 31, but you might also want to know that the rod will handle a furled line as well. You might give one a try if you care to throw a bug or two, or anything else heavier than the nymphs you were using. The furled line that works well for me on Gentle Breeze is an 11 ft. Bushi from Moonlit Leaders (the Bushi floats well, with flotant).
Since you appear to be fishing on still water, you might experiment to find out the max length of line you can effectively throw. Try adding some Amnesia (I use 15 lb.) between your line and your tippet, three or five feet of it.
My other favorite rod is a Sagiri, and it has much the same feel as Gentle Breeze although the Sagiri is a bit longer.
You will be surprised by the large size fish your Gentle Breeze will handle, but do obey the Light Tippet rule to protect that little rod. I use 4 lb. mono Stren spinning line.
I love my Gentle Breeze and I think you may grow equally fond of yours. Have fun.
~Paul
I do intend to test my rod against larger game than 2-5 inch bluegills that I caught on my first outing with it. I think it would make a dandy panfish rod as it makes detecting extreamly light takes easier for me than I can with about anything else I own.
I have a 27r but have been using size 3 line with a 6x tippet (which if you believe Rio is rated at 3.6lb test) to protect the rod. Still I have managed to land a couple of bass approaching 2lbs (about 15 inches). I think the 3/4 - 1 pound bluegills give the rod a better fight.
LynnMCF,
I'll be you had a blast with those bluegills and bass :-)
I'm heading to Spirit Lake for a couple of days next week and you can bet my new rod will be going with me.
It is a very nice rod. Have caught 15 + inch trout with my 27SR on the swift river in Belchertown MA.
If anyone is thinking of getting someone a Soyokaze 31SR for Christmas, do your shopping very, very early. There are fewer than a dozen left.