Lost 2 lures this past weekend, help me figure out how

[FishNTexan]

OK, hope this is the right section to create this post...

 

Over the weekend I fished a forgotten pond on our land that has not been fished for many years.  Im gonna give probably more detail than needed just to help save questions asked and hopefully get to the answer faster.

 

I bought a couple new frog lures to try out , Spro Poppers full size... I was using a Daiwa Fuego CT with 15# Berkley Big Game mono as there was no slop at all on the pond, but there are some sticks around one side about 6-8ft in..I tried one for a while and got nothing so decided to try a choppo as it was late in the day and water was pretty smooth, caught a 2.6lb bass probably a dozen casts in. I only had 2 rods this day and had one rigged with my trusty fall back weightless senko. So after no more hits I decide to change back and retie to the frog again. I get a nice one to inhale it right away, start bringing him in and he goes right away for some of the sticks that poke up about 2ft out of the water, the instant the line touched the sticks, the line just snaps. No tangle and snap, not hung up or anything , just sorta went around at a 45 degree angle and snap...I was upset to say the least, this fish was for certain larger than the one I caught on the choppo. Line was a tad rough feeling around the break, but nothing major and it was cut clean, not a knot failure, I know what those look like, as I have experienced them like Im sure many have on occasion...

 

Fast forward to next morning...I had bought a white belly and black frog...so I try the one I had left. And close to the same general location I get another one that just kills the frog right away and the fight is on, start bringing him in and sure as heck, he does the same thing by going at similar, but not the same sticks in the water, same exact thing happens, the line just snaps and Im left holding a rod with the line waving in the wind. I examine the line and its the same, its slightly rough near the cut, its cut clean and not a knot failure.

 

Needless to say, I lost $25 worth of lures and lost 2 decent fish in the process. This is a brand new spool of line I got about a month ago from Amazon, did not appear to be a knockoff or anything like that. I had used it already and caught fish with no issues. If I fish a frog and its got more weeds and such I will use another rod and 65# braid, but went with what I had for this day or I would not of been able to fish....

 

What can be causing this to happen so easy? Again, this is not a hung up and tug on it and it snaps deal, this is just hitting the sticks swimming side ways and bam..Should I strip the line and replace with something else?

 

Anyways there is my story, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

[MN Fisher]

If you're fishing around timber - 15# Big Game ain't gonna cut it. 20# minimum.

[roadwarrior]

Don't know for sure, but I would try another line.

[casts_by_fly]

I'm with RW here, I'd probably be changing out that line.  I'd check out your reel and start stripping line off of it.  Feel for nicks or weird feels on the line.  Check your tip top ceramic ring for a sharp edge that could have weakened the line.  I'd also double check that the 'sticks' you were casting around aren't also laden with barbed wire, maybe an old metal fence post, or something like that.  "Sticks" to me is anything under an inch in diameter and loosely scattered around.  If that's the case, then 15 lb big game shouldn't break just by touching it.  

[FishNTexan]

I have not noticed anything else really that could of caused it with rod and reel so far.

 

These sticks , I dont know what else to call them...its a ring of what I am guessing was some small trees that was around the pond and at some point the pond got bigger and the sticks are left poking up, they are all just small diameter up to maybe a couple inches tops, thats funny on the barbed wire as I joked with my brother who was there with me that the fish put razor blades around the sticks just under the surface...they are typical no branches left simple sticks poking up, not over rough as I have had to get a lure,the choppo to be exact as those hooks seem to grab anything that gets close...and they are not totally rotted, but are not fresh and strong either. This is why it did not make sense how it happened, I would not of thought twice about it if the same thing did not happen the very next day.

 

I mean I have gotten caught on stuff, had to pop and pull at times, some as far as straight back pulling to just break the line and it took effort to make it happen. Again I dont usually fish frogs this way on these rods, but had to do what I had to just so I could fish, you know how it goes sometimes.

 

I just thought maybe somebody would come up with something I was not thinking of on how it could of happened is all.

[WRB]

It’s up to you to control the bass by keeping it in front of you. 15# BG is strong enough to force a bass to turn, and you can hold the rod as high as possible to clear the stick ups.

Another option when the bass manages to wrap a stick is loosen the drag and keep light pressure until the bass is free of the sticks, then fight it.

Frogs have big large diameter wire hooks and some knots never fully clinch tight. The Paloma’s is a double line knot and works good as long as you don’t twist the loop putting the lure or hook through it. The San Diego Jam knot is another good knot for heavier wire hooks.

It sounds to me your knot slipped and light abrasion wasn’t what caused your problem.

Tom

[FishNTexan]

I use the Palomar , and have seen when I do anything wrong on the knot , it will have a pretty bad curly cue going on the end of the line, I didnt see this when it happened, but for sure wont say its not possible.

 

And it was just far enough away that I could not go over the sticks , and he hit very near them so by the time I see him going sideways towards it was too late, I was walking the direction to help with it, but he shot sideways instantly. It is what it is.

 

I would not use the same rod again for using the frog, but I do use it with other top water lures and never had any issues. Oh well, guess its one of those just chalk it up to wasnt meant to be, I will be back and get my revenge, heh.

[Choporoz]

I lost a PopMax to a big girl a couple weeks ago.  15# Elite mono; clean, loud snap halfway between me and the fish shortly after a beautiful leap.  Can't explain it...and, I'm I afraid I cant help you, OP.  I just chalked it up to happenstance .... or me not being anal enough about checking my line.  Agree with above about checking your guides, though.  If it happens twice to me, I'm tossing the spool.  

  $20 lure and probably $300 difference in tourny standing...a lot more than a new spool of line

[WRB]

The fact the line broke twice using frogs points to the frog hook. The stick abrasion on the line was up line away from the fish.If abrasion broke the line the break would be at the roughened line. You ever tried to break 15# BG, difficult to do!

Another factor to consider is hook barb cutting the line when the lure is stored on the rod. If the line manages to contact the hook barb vibration during travel can nick the line.

Just my 2 cents.

Tom

[GreenPig]

Could be as simple as a bad/old spool of line. As others above have stated 15 lb BG is pretty strong. I'd get a new spool and change it.

[Big Hands]

On 7/5/2023 at 12:57 PM, GreenPig said:

Could be as simple as a bad/old spool of line. As others above have stated 15 lb BG is pretty strong. I'd get a new spool and change it.

 

I had a spool of line I was using for leader material suddenly begin failing. Lost three fish in a row, way too easily. I have had it happen before. The exact cause, I can't say, but I know ditching that spool of line and using another suddenly cured the problem. 

 

There has been a common denominator that I noticed of having had those spools of line on my deck recently for extended periods of time right before the failures happened. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm not here to debate why. I just swap out spools of line and move on. And I will go back to not letting the spool sit in the sun and we'll see what happens.

[Team9nine]

Zebra or quagga mussels attached to those sticks?

[Woody B]

I had a spool of XL from the big company named after the river that was junk.   I don't know if it was old, counter fit or just a bad spool.  It looked just like the line I usually by at my local tackle shop.  

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Ive wrenched some good fish out of wood with 12lb BG, surprised to hear the 15lb breaking like that.  Maybe its just a dud spool or sat in the sun?

[txchaser]

15lb big game is slightly smaller than 22lb tatsu or 22lb armilo. Point being it should be very tough to break. 

 

Get a new spool, mono degrades in the sun, maybe the heat too. It's either a bad spool, a bad knot, or mussels growing on the sticks that are now above the waterline. BG is pretty forgiving of a bad knot, mussels are possible but kind of a stretch. But bad or degraded mono happens for sure.