How Much Pressure Can You Put On A Rod Before It Breaks?

[tcbass]

I was fishing this weekend with a KVD Sexy Dawg with a Cabelas Tournament ZX bass heavy topwater rod, Abu Garcia Revo Rocket and Power Pro 40lbs. braid and a big fish hit it. I've caught northern up to 3lbs on it and bass over 3lbs on it this set up. Both are good fighters. The northerns seem to take off in one straight horizontal line with long runs while bass seem to dig deep toward the bottom looking for weeds. This lake has northern, musky, bass, and walleye in it.

 

Well, this fish acted like a big bass and started digging deep. It was stripping line off of my Revo Rocket which was set at about 3/4 drag on. Not huge runs, but it was pulling short burts of line out as it went away 3 times. I felt really big and I started pulling on it and believed I got it headed my way when it swam into some deep, bottom weeds. I then lost it. I reeled in a bunch of weeds. Never saw it. Usually with it's 3 treble hooks, fish don't get away from the Sexy Dawg.

 

From the way it fought I figured it was a big bass. We had caught bass over 3lbs. this weekend in that lake and I know there are some bigger ones out there. I know some people have caught at least 5lbs. largemouth in this lake. It didn't make runs like a northern or musky.

 

I really regret losing it and was if with the set up I had that I should have attempted to horse it more and get it to the surface or higher water column first that way ensuring that it couldn't get to the bottom and weeds. Did it seem like a big enough fish to break my rod? I don't think so. It's a pretty stout rod and I've had 40" muskies on i.

 

 

 

So, I was wondering, is that what I should of done, attempted to horse it to the top?

 

 

 

 

Could I have done that without worrying about breaking my rod?

[Catch and Grease]

Your drag should give before your rod breaks..

[kikstand454]

^ this.

[ABW]

If the rod can handle 40" muskies then I'm sure that it can handle a big bass. Have confidence in your equipment! The rod shouldn't break, unless it's a manufacturing defect.

[tcbass]

So, I should have just wrenched on the fish in an attempt to get him to come my way and pull him away from the bottom?

 

 

 

I also worried about ripping the hook from his mouth.

[jtesch]

Sounds like a big smallmouth with the short hard runs

[Tywithay]

So, I should have just wrenched on the fish in an attempt to get him to come my way and pull him away from the bottom?

 

 

 

I also worried about ripping the hook from his mouth.

If you put the screws to him a little, the rod will be fine. I've turned 40lb flatheads using bass gear. Just let the drag do its job when the fish is making runs, but if you need to keep him away from brush or something, you can pull back. You risk breaking the line, but the rod will be fine.

[K_Mac]

When fishing in heavy cover you have to be able to turn the fish . Your equipment sounds like it is up to the job. The drag is the safety to keep from breaking anything. Sometimes you will lose a fish when treble hooks pull out. That's fishing. You lost this fish anyway. With experience you will get more comfortable doing it. FWIW you do not want the fish on the surface. Once it gets its head above the water the odds go way up that it will toss the lure. When you see the pros skidding a fish across the the top, you can bet it is hooked on a single hook.

[SirSnookalot]

Probably 95% of the time when a rod breaks with a fish on it's user error.  If one is using heavy rod like a 25# class rod there are very few fish big enough in the waters you fish to break that rod.  IMO the only reason to use a heavy rod is to handle the weight of the lures or pull fish thru vegetation, we catch 40-50" fish on med rods all the time, never seen a rod break yet.  I have caught dozens of 100#+ fish on a rod that size, it's about the drag.   It's also about the fish species too, how they fight and what kind of runs they make.  

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The dead-lift capacity of a Hvy bass rod is surprisingly high IF you use it correctly, as in keep the rod tip from bending beyond 90* to the butt.  You can lift without raising the tip straight up. 

[.ghoti.]

One piece of wisdom I've always kept in mind is a quote from a well known rod builder. He said, "I would never trust a bass rod to be able to lift it's rated weight".

 

One the many reasons I will not use braid.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Yes, line weight ratings are meaningless on a fresh water rod. If they have any use at all it might be to suggest techniques/applications but even that's a stretch. 

[fishballer06]

A heavy action rod should have no problem pulling a 3-5 pound bass around. 

[flyfisher]

No worries on a bass rod breaking on apish unless there is something wrong like has been said.  I have caught 20lb carp on a 4wt fly rod before and it is about fighting the fish and letting the rod do it's job.  I do have to admit that i was a little concerned on that carp though  

 

I had a similar experience yesterday with a fish that hit hard on my spinnerbait, went deep and got tangled up in some grass and came free.  I didn't even think about not horsing him around though.  Where i was fishing he may have been a big bass but i am thinking it was a big bowfin or gar as i saw them swimming around the area as well. What could have been is what keeps us all coming back for more