I've never had a break off go quite like this. Have you?

[Glaucus]

Yesterday my girlfriend got hung up on what I assume is a log. No big deal. It was 10lb line and I broke it off with ease. Later, since I'm intelligent, I hit the exact same log with a chatterbait and got hung up. It's a little harder to swallow losing a chatterbait and a trailer than it is a trick worm. After several minutes of trying and failing to get it back, I put my thumb tightly on the spool and started walking backwards until it broke off (15lb Big Game). When it finally did break off I was looking for the end of the line but it was nowhere to be found. Somehow it was in the spool. I never could locate the tag end or pick it out. I had an entire spool of line with no way to tie anything to it. Eventually I just cut it out respooled right there on the bank.

[a1712]

I wouldn't pull a snag from/using the spool, that's not good on your drivetrain. Brian.

[garroyo130]

16 minutes ago, a1712 said:

I wouldn't pull a snag from/using the spool, that's not good on your drivetrain. Brian.

^ wrap line twice around hand and give it a firm, even pull or walk it backwards (i usually put my shirt over my hand then wrap the line). If using braid wrap 4 times around pliers or a stick and do the same.

[Glaucus]

6 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

^ wrap line twice around hand and give it a firm, even pull or walk it backwards (i usually put my shirt over my hand then wrap the line). If using braid wrap 4 times around pliers or a stick and do the same.

I usually do put my hand in my shirt and wrap the line and walk back. It wasn't working though and started to hurt my hand so I clamped down on the spool as hard as I could. Not really the point here though. My line somehow got completely embedded in the spool. No line end to put through the guides or tie something on and I couldn't pick it out. It was a glorious looking spool of line with no end lol

[garroyo130]

39 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

I usually do put my hand in my shirt and wrap the line and walk back. It wasn't working though and started to hurt my hand so I clamped down on the spool as hard as I could. Not really the point here though. My line somehow got completely embedded in the spool. No line end to put through the guides or tie something on and I couldn't pick it out. It was a glorious looking spool of line with no end lol

I hope you were using Big Game and not Tatsu

[NYWayfarer]

11 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

I hope you were using Big Game and not Tatsu

He said 15lb big game.

 

That's rough. I hate wasting line.

[fishwizzard]

Your line likely got wrapped around the long so that you could not bring force to bare on the knot.  The next weakest spot in the line was on the spool, so it broke there.  If you were pulling super hard the line likely dug in to it's self which is why you didn't find the end.  

 

Pulling line with the reel is bad news, it can easily result in a broken rod if you don't keep the line 100% straight to the snag.  I used to carry a small 4" section of 3/8" dowel with tape wrapped around the center for braking line, now I use this fancy little tool.  It's really great, it protects even thin fluoro from getting too stressed and I have used it to break up to 65lb braid with no issues. 

[Glaucus]

20 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

Your line likely got wrapped around the long so that you could not bring force to bare on the knot.  The next weakest spot in the line was on the spool, so it broke there.  If you were pulling super hard the line likely dug in to it's self which is why you didn't find the end.  

 

Pulling line with the reel is bad news, it can easily result in a broken rod if you don't keep the line 100% straight to the snag.  I used to carry a small 4" section of 3/8" dowel with tape wrapped around the center for braking line, now I use this fancy little tool.  It's really great, it protects even thin fluoro from getting too stressed and I have used it to break up to 65lb braid with no issues. 

I did indeed keep it straight. Thanks for the link to the tool. 

[fishwizzard]

13 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

I did indeed keep it straight. Thanks for the link to the tool. 

It's a great little tool and has paid for it's self a few times over at this point in fluoro that it has saved from wear/breakage.  It's also great for tightening line/leader knots with thin braid, it really lets you get them nice and snug w/o slicing into your hand. 

[Vilas15]

49 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

Your line likely got wrapped around the long so that you could not bring force to bare on the knot.  The next weakest spot in the line was on the spool, so it broke there.  If you were pulling super hard the line likely dug in to it's self which is why you didn't find the end. 

That's what I'm thinking. It dug in and stretched, then when it broke the end retracted back down into the spool.

[NYWayfarer]

20 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

It's a great little tool and has paid for it's self a few times over at this point in fluoro that it has saved from wear/breakage.  It's also great for tightening line/leader knots with thin braid, it really lets you get them nice and snug w/o slicing into your hand. 

I want one. Out of stock and not shipped due to the virus

[fishwizzard]

19 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

I want one. Out of stock and not shipped due to the virus

They are all over ebay and other jdm sites.  There are still plenty of overseas shipping options from Japan at the moment, but the biggest one is closed so a lot of places are just not shipping at all.  I think both of mine came from ebay.  

[WRB]

If the line on the spool is loose and you pull hard breaking 15 mono it will dig down into the spooled line and break like the op discribed. 15 lbs is 2X more force then a MH bass rod can withstand. Pointing the rod tip at the snag was the right thing to do, putting all the pressure on the reel spool wasn't.

Big Game is strong line and isn't expensive. Replace it and go fishing.

Tom

[Way north bass guy]

Everyone should have at least a pair of needle nose pliers with them for hook removal. I just use them to wrap the line around a couple times and pull, they’re a lot tougher than even my old stonemason hands are ?.

[king fisher]

I use a pair of gloves.  I can rap the line around my hand without cutting myself, and am able to use both hands if I need too.

[fishwizzard]

3 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

Explain this space age D ring to me like I am a little babby.  I don't understand.  

D Ring has a concave groove around the OD with some soft rubbery liner in it.  You wrap the line around it a few times and it lets you bring all your strength/weight to bare on the line, letting you break even heavy braid with relative ease.  For fluoro, even lighter stuff, it seems to prevent any (viable/tactile at least) damage to the wrapped line, unline when I used to use a wooden dowel for the same job.  I suspect it's a function of the larger diameter vs the dowl, or maybe the rubber insert helps?  No idea but it seems to work, I fish a good bit of 7lb Sniper and I get so much longer life out of it now.  The insert on my older one has gotten a bit chewed up, but it seems to function just as well.

 

The only downside is that it lets you bring all your strength/weight to bare on the line, so if the hook bends before the line breaks, that jig is coming back at you at very high speeds, so taking cover is a good idea.