cant reel fish into boat Help!

[Hatco]

I'm new to bass fishing. Been to castaic lake three times and each time I get a solid bite, I lose the fish somewhere in the fight without even seeing the fish come up to the surface of the water.  I set the hook and start fighting the fish, the first time I was using a Carolina rig with a senko worm and the other times I was drop shotting robo worms. I fight the fish for a at least 2-5 mins and then *poof* it's just snaps my line right off. I'm using a ugly stik elite rod with a basic ugly stik combo reel and 8 lb. Berkley vanish line with the drag set. I'm not exactly sure what the setting is because I don't have a scale. I feel like I'm doing it wrong and it's very frustrating not knowing where to start. Sound familiar to anyone? Any ideas?

[Choporoz]

On 5/5/2017 at 6:21 PM, Munkin said:

 

 The reason they call it Vanish is that is what happens to any lure you tie on, they Vanish!

 

Allen

 

On 3/22/2017 at 10:53 PM, lmbfisherman said:

If you like your fish and lures to "vanish" you picked the right line.  Don't even use it for leader material, not worth the headache.  

 

[J Francho]

24 minutes ago, Hatco said:

I fight the fish for a at least 2-5 mins and then *poof* it's just snaps my line right off.

 

First, I don't care for vanish, but your drag shuld set to less than the breaking strength of the line.  Second, you're fighting the fish for 2-3 minutes?  I can't remember a fight lasting longer than a minute, ever.  Even for fish over 6 lbs. Sounds like you are under matched.  What is the whole setup, reel, line, rod, and all the specs like rod rating and line size.

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

 

Berkley Vanish in 8lb test and a Carolina rig sounds a bit

under powered to me. I'd definitely go heavier. And you 

say your drag is set, set how? Tightened down, or does

the bass take line?

[WRB]

8 lb Vanish FC should be stronge enough however it does have a bad reputation for a good reason. Your drag shouldn't be set over 2 to 2 1/2 lbs  with 8 lb FC because of the 80% knot strength and marginal impact strength. 

1 pint plastic drinking water bottle weighs 1 lb. put 2 pints into a plastic grocery bag and hook your line to the handles. Loosen your drag and slowly tighten until you are able to lift the bottles off the floor with the drag just starting to slip= 2 lbs of drag. You will be surprised what 2 lbs of dead weight feels like on your rod!

Practice tieing knots. Don't know what knot you use, FC line is knot sensitive. The Palomar knot is easy to tie for drop shot, you must tie it correctly. The San Diego jam knot is more forgiving, both knots must be wet before clinching tight.

Carolina rigging FC requires 3 knots, not a good idea with FC. Use a slip shot rig with 1 knot at the hook; Carolina plastic keeper, mojo weight and hook.

The bass at Castaic can be line shy because of the fishing pressure they get. 8 lb FC or premium mono are good choices.

Tom

[Hez]

Welcome to Bass Resource - you definitely came to the right place for answers.  

 

[LxVE Bassin]

Your are fighting the fish way too long. You def need to go up in line size if you are using a Carolina rig and you need to have braid as your main line. What type of knots are you using? That could be the problem too because flouro is not knot friendly 

[CroakHunter]

I feel like you are being over powered and the fish are wrapping you around structure Or taking you into rocks and your line is fraying. Another possibility is line/knot weakness. If a big fish makes a hard run and your knot or line are not in tip top shape it could be breaking the line. 

[scaleface]

It appears you are hooking big bass and you need stouter line .

[FCPhil]

2-5 minute fight seems too long. I fish a pretty different set up but even with 8 pound line I would be shocked if you spend more than a minute fight a bass. If you are fighting a bass that gently and they still are breaking your line it sounds like either the bass may be taking your lure down into cover and breaking the line on rocks or wood like other said...OR...your knot could be bad. Look up knots for fluorocarbon line and make sure to wet the line before tightening down the knot.

 

Another possibility is something has nicked your line and causing it to break. A bad line guide or sharp spot on your reel could be making abrasions in the line.

[Crestliner2008]

I really get tired of fellow fishermen with preconceived notions about products. But that's another story. I've been using Vanish as a leader material for over a dozen years. I've caught tons of fish on it. Everything from 2# crappie with a 2# Vanish leader to that 31" lake trout I jigged up from 65' on a 6# test Vanish leader that I recently reported on. I know how to tie a knot and when used properly, there is nothing wrong with Vanish. But hey.....that's just me I guess. Maybe I'm too old for this game?

[WRB]

I am not into product bashing but Berkley Vanish has had some quality control issues and I base my remarks on personal experience.

Vanish was Berkley's 1st FC line on the market and they had to pull it back and release it as "Improved" Vanish, then released as a 3rd time as "New and Improved" Vanish and that tells the story.

If the OP's line is getting old or was old off the shelf any line degrades.

Regarding how long the OP is fighting his fish he may be exaggerating the time so take that into account.

Tom

[bagofdonuts]

Look at your line where it broke. If there's a little curl,it's your knot. If it's a clean break, could be bad line, drag too tight, or big fish got you around a limb or something. 

[geo g]

So many things seem wrong with the scenario.  Like someone else said, fighting a freshwater bass for 2 to 3 minutes is way to long.  If my line is breaking, I'm changing line brands, and beefing it up a little.  If its clear water think about Fluorocarbon. Finally fishing Florida with big bass and very thick vegetation,  breaking off just doesn't happen that often.

 

Change the game plan, evaluate your equipment, and what your doing.  This should be an easy fix!