What do you do when you snag using braid?

[Kirtley Howe]

First off, I should say that I fish from the bank 99% of the time. So my question is what do you do if you snag when using 30lb or heavier braid? I have a hard time breaking it off down near the lure. I don't like leaving lengths of cut off braid in the water, as it is a hazard to wildlife, and can get wrapped around the props of boats. And braid does not break down quickly. That is one of the main reasons I am hesitant to use straight braid. I could use a mono or floro leader, but that adds another knot to the line, which is another potential failure point, so I don't like to do that either.  Suggestion, please.

[optimator]

I keep a small piece of wooden dowel in my bag. Wrap the line around it and pull. 

[PaulVE64]

Use magical water faries or a leader.

[Catt]

Your reasons for using straight braid?

[fin]

6 hours ago, Kirtley Howe said:

I could use a mono or floro leader, but that adds another knot to the line, which is another potential failure point

 

You hear that preached here a lot, and I guess it's good advice if you have trouble tying a good Alberto knot, but in my experience, breaks at that point occur like maybe less than 5% of the time, and that's when trying to break free from a snag, not when catching a fish. I don't think I've ever had a break at the leader knot while landing a fish.

 

If you don't care about losing a bunch of braid, and you don't care about leaving a bunch of heavy braid in the lake or hanging from trees, then the argument to not use a leader because "it's a potential failure point" makes more sense.

[Tennessee Boy]

Wrap the line around something you brought for that purpose or find a stick.   Line almost always breaks at a knot.  

[Bdnoble84]

Use a leader. Tie a good fg knot and you wont need to worry. You can always stick to lighter wire hooks if you are fishing an appropriately powered rod but that means having to bend the hooks out.

[Dwight Hottle]

8 hours ago, optimator said:

I keep a small piece of wooden dowel in my bag. Wrap the line around it and pull. 

X2 always do this because the hooks will usually straighten out. It also keeps your braid from digging in and causing a massive backlash. 

[gim]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Your reasons for using straight braid?

Let's bring @T-Billy into this conversation.

[Deephaven]

First try everything to get it unsnagged.  Plucking the bow, lure knocker and then a wooden dowel or other similarly hard object to wrap and pull the hooks out or flat out retrieve whatever anchor you are attached to.

[casts_by_fly]

I always have a pair if pliers on me whether I'm in a boat or on shore.  Wrap around the pliers and start pulling.  Most of the time with 50 lb braid you'll straighten the hook, move the rock you're stuck under, or pull in a tree branch.  30 lb braid normally snaps at the knot or does the above things.

[bowhunter63]

I have a round piece of mfh 2 inch diameter. Wrapped with yellow electric tape so the lines bite in it. Drilled a hole in the end and put a zip tie in to hang it. 

[Kirtley Howe]

In reality, this was a more or less rhetorical question, as I only use braid for topwater lures. I was really just wondering how you all handled this situation.  Thank you for all the responses. 

[Jar11591]

I usually get cuts on my hands is what I do. 

[TnRiver46]

Pull the snag into my boat and get my plug back 

 

apparently the standard procedure for bank fisherman is to leave 3-5 miles of braid on land and in the water. Then for some extra flare leave a shirt and a sock on top of the braid 

[Cbump]

Agree with most. Weakest part of your whole setup is the hook or knot. Dowel Rod or stick and pull. It won’t just break in a random spot if the line is healthy and you won’t leave a bunch of line out on the break. 

[Darth-Baiter]

i think i  would flip my kayak if i pulled hard enough to free some snags.  it gets sketch..  

 

in the ocean, it aint happening.  

[garroyo130]

Daiichi finger saver

 

[Bankc]

6 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Wrap the line around something you brought for that purpose or find a stick.   Line almost always breaks at a knot.  

That's what I do when fishing from the bank.  I almost always use straight braid, and when I get hung up, which is often since the lake I fish is filled with car parts and cattails, I'll just find a big stick, wrap my line around that several times and pull until it snaps free.  It almost always breaks at the knot.  

 

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Pull the snag into my boat and get my plug back 

 

apparently the standard procedure for bank fisherman is to leave 3-5 miles of braid on land and in the water. Then for some extra flare leave a shirt and a sock on top of the braid 

Yes.  If you're fishing for catfish then you're legally obligated to unspool all of the line and lay it on the bank.  The shirt and sock are optional, but highly recommended.  You may also leave one shoe if you have a half full bucket of stink bait to go with it, but only if it's sunny and warm enough to cook it.  

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, Bankc said:

That's what I do when fishing from the bank.  I almost always use straight braid, and when I get hung up, which is often since the lake I fish is filled with car parts and cattails, I'll just find a big stick, wrap my line around that several times and pull until it snaps free.  It almost always breaks at the knot.  

 

Yes.  If you're fishing for catfish then you're legally obligated to unspool all of the line and lay it on the bank.  The shirt and sock are optional, but highly recommended.  You may also leave one shoe if you have a half full bucket of stink bait to go with it, but only if it's sunny and warm enough to cook it.  

And cigar wrappers, let us not forget 

[Cbump]

30 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i think i  would flip my kayak if i pulled hard enough to free some snags.  it gets sketch..  

 

in the ocean, it aint happening.  

Unrelated but some of the best times I ever had were between boats when I owned Hobie kayaks. I would take them up to 5 miles off shore in Florida. One day I got into schools of thousands of Bonita hitting top like sandbass. Every cast was a 5 pound fish. But then you had bottlenose dolphins stealing them before you got them in. Great times. 

I was insane. I was by myself though and got back to the rental place later to tell my wife and kids. Of course it’s not the same as if they had experienced It. 
 

Probably pretty dumb being that far offshore by myself. Lol

[Kirtley Howe]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Pull the snag into my boat and get my plug back 

 

apparently the standard procedure for bank fisherman is to leave 3-5 miles of braid on land and in the water. Then for some extra flare leave a shirt and a sock on top of the braid 

I used to go to Pulaski NY to fish for King Salmon when they ran up the river. The last couple of years I did that, braided line was becoming a "thing". Several times when wading I got tangled up in long lengths of heavy braid. I managed to cut loose from the line, but it got me thinking as to what could happen if I had been wading in slightly deeper faster flowing water. I could easily have drowned because there was no way I was going to be able to break that line, and I would not be able to reach it to cut free. Scary. It is very irresponsible, and downright dangerous to leave long lengths of line of any kind in the water, and especially so for braid.

[Bankbeater]

I fish from the bank a lot and this is one of the reasons that I went back to mono.

[Pogues2300]

Don’t mind fishing straight braid in shallow water from my kayak making shorter casts although most of my straight braid usage is probably top water. I’ve literally NEVER had my fg knot fail I can’t be alone here. But many people say they don’t use a leader because it’s one more thing that can fail. I understand that in principal but in practice it’s been a non issue. I have snagged on part of a bridge before and was pretty happy I was using a 12lb leader. Also this part I’m curious about. For those who said something like this is why I use mono…. How much of the line is compromised after pulling to break it at a random spot or doesn’t it work like that? 

[Bankc]

11 minutes ago, Pogues2300 said:

Don’t mind fishing straight braid in shallow water from my kayak making shorter casts although most of my straight braid usage is probably top water. I’ve literally NEVER had my fg knot fail I can’t be alone here. But many people say they don’t use a leader because it’s one more thing that can fail. I understand that in principal but in practice it’s been a non issue. I have snagged on part of a bridge before and was pretty happy I was using a 12lb leader. Also this part I’m curious about. For those who said something like this is why I use mono…. How much of the line is compromised after pulling to break it at a random spot or doesn’t it work like that? 

Oh, it works like that.  And any and all points between the knot and the reel can get compromised.  That's why it's usually a good idea to run your fingers down the line and check for nicks and rough areas after a break off, or really any situation that stresses your line.  Also mono tends to hold up better than fluorocarbon in this respect.  It rebounds from being stretched better.  

 

I typically avoid leaders because they're not necessary in the waters I fish (too stained).  And with 40# braid, there's a decent chance I can straighten my hook out and not leave anything in case of a snag.  Whereas with a 12# leader, I'm probably breaking off and leaving something behind.  And with something to wrap it around, pulling 40# braid until it snaps isn't that hard, after you've done it a couple of times.