I Keep Breaking 65Lb Braid. Why?

[Ror Boy]

Ive set the hook on 4 fish this summer using a spro frog, 65lb braid, mh rod. Im using a san diego jam knot and i know its not the knot thats pulling out. It happend to me yesterday with fresh line and a knot i tied the day before and only had caught one fish on. I could have been a pickerel that hit but I dont think that should matter anyways. Whats the deal? Its so madening. Im gonna start to try the double palamor that Rojas uses i guess

[jdw174]

Any chance you've got a burr in one of your rod guides?

[rockchalk06]

Ether you got a bad spool of line or somewhere between your line guide and tip has a burn nick etc. #65 braid is like The line of the Gods man. I can flatten a thick flipping hook out with #50. So your either stronger than a god or there is a bur somewhere. Break out the q-tips and rub them in and around the line guide and guides

[flyfisher]

Pickerel will cut through any weight braid like a hot knife through butter so that may be your culprit. Braid is super strong but not very tooth resistant.

[Highhawk1948]

Change to a palamar knot and try again.

[fishking247]

palomar knot. the only knot i use. i have never had it fail

[bassinbrian]

Pickerel will cut through any weight braid like a hot knife through butter so that may be your culprit. Braid is super strong but not very tooth resistant.

X2

[J Francho]

The knot should be fine. Pickerel or a bad/cracked guide are probably your issue.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

One thing to try is use marker and color the line right at the knot for like an inch or so. If it breaks again and it comes back with no mark then its your line not knot breaking. If you have about an inch of marked line and its broke then its the knot. Just tossing out an idea

[SirSnookalot]

The knot should be fine. Pickerel or a bad/cracked guide are probably your issue.

Yep !

Nothing wrong with the knot unless it's tied wrong. If a tooth critter hits either the knot will still be entact or it's gone, I don't think it's weakened. Line doesn't break unless there is something wrong with it, especially 65 lb braid or you hooked a 200# largemouth. I've caught many 100-200 # fish on 30# braid, only thing that breaks is my back.

[islandbass]

In not toothy critters, or guides or anything already mentioned, how often and/or severe are your backlashes. I think that this form of line damage is a culprit in some line brerakage issues and for any line type to boot.

[Long Mike]

In my opinion a backlash, and the subsequent removal thereof, will not damage braid. I've had many severe backlashes, some of which took me over an hour to remove, and have never experienced any deterioration of line strength.

[roadwarrior]

An hour?

I think I remember a two day ordeal!

Had it been me, surgery would have

been required.

[00 mod]

In my opinion a backlash, and the subsequent removal thereof, will not damage braid. I've had many severe backlashes, some of which took me over an hour to remove, and have never experienced any deterioration of line strength.

An hour?

I think I remember a two day ordeal!

Had it been me, surgery would have

been required.

Problem there was he needed the extra $$ for boat batteries, not new braid! :cut:

Jeff

[rockchalk06]

An hour?

I think I remember a two day ordeal!

Had it been me, surgery would have

been required.

If you suffer from CDO like me (actually OCD, the letters are in order) an hour picking a backlash is like 4 minutes to most lol

[West Coast Bass]

i have lost a frog before due to using an inferior clinch knot and a bad cast from the shore into some thick sticks. tried to get it out before the sun was up and snapped it right off. will only use palomar now lol.

problem is you definitely use more line with palomar but feel its worth it to keep my frog on.

[Hooligan]

Keep in mind because braid has zero shock strength it isn't impossible to break on a hookset. I've done it quite a few times in the past when I completely jaw-jacked a fish forgetting it was braid. If you get slack in the line and set the hook, it can, and does, happen. Not highly likely, but isn't out of the realm, either- particularly if there's a miniscule weak spot

[BobP]

X2 what Hooligan said. If you snap set on a fish that's coming toward you or lower your rod tip before a snappy hook set - creating slack in the braid - you will cause an instantaneous strain on braid that can break it. It's like cracking a whip. It's counter-intuitive that the sound is the tip exceeding the sound barrier of 764 mph, but that's what causes the noise. 65lb braid has become almost standard for frog fishing because it's hard to break. Hard but not impossible, especially if you do it several times, making the braid weaken just above the knot. If you can't cure the habit, maybe go to 80lb braid.

[J Francho]

In my opinion a backlash, and the subsequent removal thereof, will not damage braid.

Not so much Power Pro or Sufix, but Berkley Fireline Braid doesn't hold up after a backlash real well.

[LgMouthGambler]

i have lost a frog before due to using an inferior clinch knot and a bad cast from the shore into some thick sticks. tried to get it out before the sun was up and snapped it right off. will only use palomar now lol.

problem is you definitely use more line with palomar but feel its worth it to keep my frog on.

I use less line with the palomar than any knot, just have to know how to work the knot as you tighten it down. I dont need to even cut the tag line, I just synge the end with a lighter so there is no frey.

[Hyrule Bass]

put down the braid, pick up some mono =]

[merc1997]

One thing to try is use marker and color the line right at the knot for like an inch or so. If it breaks again and it comes back with no mark then its your line not knot breaking. If you have about an inch of marked line and its broke then its the knot. Just tossing out an idea

i think you might just have an excellent idea. i have had many fisherman breaking all kinds of line, braid included and swore it was not the knot. i use a very different knot than everyone else, but the point is that after i tied their lure on for them, the "breaking" issue went away. the knots they were using were either cutting the line into, or was slipping apart.

bo

[robdob]

your doing something waaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy wrong if your breaking 65lb braid on your hookset. Your either not tying your nots right or theres cracks in your guides. Use a palomar knot and your line won't break. its pretty simple 65 lb braid can rip tree's out of the ground its not breaking on the hookset your doing something wrong. I use 40lb braid and have never in my life broke on hookset except once or twice from a pike. if 10lb snakeheads aren't breaking 40lb braid a bass certainly isn't breaking 65lb braid.

[SirSnookalot]

I agree with robdob, 65# braid is strong enough to lift the titanic or tie up your tomato plants. Bass fishing is just one of many species I fish for, they are the smallest I target. I use 10-15 and 20# braid for bass and all my inshore species, I do use 30# braid on a couple of offshore rigs, just about everything is done with spinning gear. Never is too absolute, so I'll say seldom do I have any line failure, or knot failure with the 3 basic knots I use, clinch, improved clinch, and loopknot. I do not search for the best line, best rod, best reel or best of any thing else, it all works, I just fish.

Unless one is catching larger and powerful fish on every single cast, which I know does not happen, this digging in issue makes little sense to me. Yes 15 or 20# braid on spinning sometimes may dig in in after a 20 pounder is caught, but 1 cast and it's back to normal.

If line or knots are failing, most likely it's some kind of user error, I've had but 1 broken guide causing my line to break in years of fishing and I do this 7 days a week.

[BASSHUNTER1961]

No way are you breaking 65# braid on hook-set, your rod would snap first. You are not tying the knot correctly.