Breaking braid lately

[BrianB]

I hope someone can tell me what is going on here.

Over the last week I have lost about $25 of lures, mostly spinner baits and buzzbaits. Even a nice Baby 1 minus. :'(

This has never happened to me before last week either.

Sequence of events is like this.

I cast out and begin the retrieve.

Get a bite and set the hook.

The line breaks (instantly) and I loose another lure.

I am using 30Lb Suffix Braid, and even respooled it thinking I got a bad batch. The only fish I know of in this pond are Bass, Bluegill, Pickrel, and a few Crappie.

I have caught the Pickrel before and never had this problem, but I could see their teeth doing this I guess.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Would a Mono or Fluoro leader be a better choice here?

[Alpster]

Make sure you are using a knot that works with braid. A clinch knot with braid will slip off every time. Palomar knot is the way to go with braid. Also check your rod guides and be sure they are smoot and not cutting your line. JMHO

Ronnie

[BrianB]

I did check the rod guides, but I will check again right now.

I guess that I am a self professed novice compared to most of you guys....the Palomar knot is the only knot I ever use with the braid. I used a uni-uni to get the braid tied to the mono backing on my BC'er.

[BrianB]

I checked the guides again, and they all look fine. No sharp edges or anything like that.

[Alpster]

If your knot is good and and your guides are good you must have bad line. Even though you re-spooled, you could have two spools from a bad batch. Buy a new spool of line or different brand from another source. It is VERY unlikely that toothy fish are cutting your line on the hook set. It is far more likely that the knot failed or the line is defective. I hope this is helpful.

Ronnie

[BrianB]

I just got back from fishing again. I was throwing out a 1/2oz rattle trap and getting it stuck on trees on purpose.

I was able to pull hard enough to rip it free of the stumps and even bent the hook once. The line never broke or even frayed.

I also caught an 18" Pickrel on a red spinner bait and it did not tear the line. I am at a loss here, since I don;t want to loose any more expensive lures and I don;t want to waste a $17 spool of the Sufix Braid.

[Garnet]

If you inspect the line and see little lumps or feel little lumps, like hard spots thats a manufactors defect. Send it back to the company.

Garnet

[Grey Wolf]

I just got back from fishing again. I was throwing out a 1/2oz rattle trap and getting it stuck on trees on purpose.

I was able to pull hard enough to rip it free of the stumps and even bent the hook once. The line never broke or even frayed.

I also caught an 18" Pickrel on a red spinner bait and it did not tear the line. I am at a loss here, since I don;t want to loose any more expensive lures and I don;t want to waste a $17 spool of the Sufix Braid.

You sir are in a pickle ! The line is either no good or you are doing something wrong.

[BrianB]

I just checked over the line and did not see or feel anything bad.

I also just landed a few 2Lb bass just fine. The rage tail shads are great.  8-)

[Jimzee]

Same thing happened to me last year.  I was using 20 pound Sufix braid and snapping it like crazy on hooksets.  I was puzzled just like you for a while.  It even was happening with Power Pro too.  I figured out that my hookset was a little to hard for the 20 lb.  The instant shock I was putting on a zero stretch line was too much for it to handle.  I switched to 50 lb. on my heavy flipping setup and it never happened again.

[David P]

I know everyone says Clinch knots are a no-no on braid, but that's all I use, never with a single problem.

I just don't put the line back through the bottom. I've bent out superline hooks, and even broken a hook pulling out a snag, on 50lb braid with the clinch knot (just not entering the line back through the bottom.

[Ky_Lake_Dude]

use Spiderwire. Breakin aint happenin

[Ky_Lake_Dude]

use Spiderwire. Breakin aint happenin Its cheaper and better

[dave]

I have had it happen on 50# braid.  I am convinced that you need to re-tie more often than you think with braid.  You get sort of lazy and don't  re-tie.   I think that in time and a few fish or hang ups,  the line cuts itself.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Use crazy glue on all ur knots it works great

[BrianB]

I have tried the spiderwire because it was cheaper, but I dod not like the way at casts compared to the Sufix.

I could see it being a problem with the knot, but I usually switch lures pretty often. Plus this just started last week, and I have been fishing the exact same way for 6 months or so when I bought the Curado.

[MikeMc]

When I first began fishing I used braid almost exclusively. I'm from Massachusetts and fish in waters with lots of pickerel. Pickerel are very active this time of year and will slice through braid VERY easily. You might have caught some and landed them, but pickerel are very aggressive and don't always hit on the mark when they strike. Alot of times they'll miss it or hit a bit in front of the bait and slice the line. Or swallow it down and when you set the hook the line hits there teeth and will slice. With the ones you are actually catching you are lucky enough that the fish hit the lure and got no line in it's mouth in the process.  I've seen this happen a zillion times with my own eyes in clear ponds in my neck of the woods. I really don't think it's the line.

[BrianB]

I am thinking the same thing.

I landed 6 bass in hte last two days and had no problems with the line.

Seeing as how I have to deal with the Pickerel, do you suggest that I use a mono leader?

Will it fare any better?

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

Why not try another line? I don't use braid and my line never breaks.

:

[dodgeguy]

I have tried the spiderwire because it was cheaper, but I dod not like the way at casts compared to the Sufix.

I could see it being a problem with the knot, but I usually switch lures pretty often. Plus this just started last week, and I have been fishing the exact same way for 6 months or so when I bought the Curado.

try spiderwire ultracast or invisibraid.both are the new 8 strand type of braid.they cast better than even sufix and are even smoother.diawa and saltiga also make 8 strand braids that are really smooth.

[ptrosch]

Try a floro leader when dealing with picks and rocks.  In my oponion braid is good in grass and such, but does not do well with teeth or other sharp things.

[SteveF]

You will not beat the teeth on pike.  I lost 15 jigs in a 2 day tournament to muskie's and that is just a day on the water with lakes with pike and muskie.  The only way to beat them is to use a leader which is designed for toothy critters.

Take care,

Steve

[sal669]

It's the pickrels !

Been in the same situation, and thats the reason I'm not buying expensive lures.

Musky, pike, pickrell and all the relatives are cold(er) water species (they thrive in Canada) and they are most active in spring and late fall. They ambush and atac the HEAD of their prey, like trying to bite off the head of the bait. Most of the times, when they clamp down on the lure, the line is sitting between their teeth. The moment you set the hook you are pulling the line accross a gazilion of teeth. It's not the big teeth that break the line in most of the cases, but the small ones that look like a rasp or a fine saw blade.

To solve your dilema, buy some cheap wire leaders (6-8" long, 7 strand, 15lb or the lightest you can find) and use them for a day. That will answer your question/ problem. Many times bass won't mind the light wire leader.

Pickrell has excellent, flaky meat, if you know how to filet them, otherways they are extremely bony. You might want to take some/most of them out of your pond/lake so there is more food for the bass. Of course obeying the law regarding creel and size limits.

Tight lines, Alex

[BrianB]

It is not my "personal" pond so I release everything I catch.

I prefer to tie the lures directly to the line, but I will try the wire leader idea.

What do I do when I want to throw a spinner bait? A snap swivel would ride all over the place.

[sal669]

Cut an 1/8" piece of clear silicon tubing (or some electrical wire insulation, color doesn't realy matter), like the one you use to position trailer hooks on the SB hook and position it on the line tie bend before you atach the crosslock snap to the SB.

Hope it helps