Fish keep breaking my line. Advice needed

[A.Do?]

I've been having a lot of trouble keeping my line from snapping this season.  Not sure what's going on.  I'm using 6# yozuri ultra soft and tying a polymer knot to almost everything I throw, from soft plastics to crank baits.  Today was just the las straw for me, as I lost a very nice fish only a few feet from me.  

Where is my problem?

Drag:I feel like my drag is set just right, but maybe it's not.  I have it so that if i do a super hook set you'll hear the drag for a quick sec. On normal hook sets you hear no drag.  Should i be using weights to find the right drag?

Knot: from what i've heard, the polamer is one of the strongest and most reliable. I moisten before I tighten the knot and check the line a few inches to make sure there are no frays in the line.

Line: Yozuri Hybrid ultrasoft in 6# test with KVD line treatment, spooled up only a few weeks ago.

Reeling in the fish, i keep the rod tip low, with constant tension and i do a semi-fast retrieve, i let the fish tell me how fast i need to retrieve and try not to rip the fish through the water.

Should i be pointing the rod tip toward the fish when it's closer to the bank so there's less strain on the line?

Should i try and fight the fish longer to wear them out?

I lost 3 fish today, all of which were well over 3lbs, to snap lines. I'd really like to figure out what i can do to prevent this from happening.

Thanks for any info/tips!

Andrew

[frogtog]

Double check your drag, don't point the rod at the fish, you need to let him fight the rod not the line. I'm assuming you are using a medium to medium light rod for the small line. Also check the eyes on your rod to make sure none are damaged. You can do this by pulling

a small amount of cotton through them and see if any hangs on the eyes. How old is your line?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Set your drag

If still happening, change line.

[CFFF 1.5]

Use higher lb. test line. Maybe it is just a florida thing but the lowest lb test I have on any of my reels is 14lb.

[iamjoe2]

try changing line....

i took a reel to a store to have it spooled, and they put some really bad line on, snapped easy and tangled easy,

tokk it back put 8# trilene on, problem solved

[A.Do?]

This is only my second season fishing, whats the best technique for setting the drag?

Sorry forgot to mention that I'm using a medium action rod with a spinning reel.

The line was spooled up recently and purchased this year.  I bought a large spool from cabelas, could the whole spool be bad?!  :'(

Around my area we rarely see bass over 6 or 8 pounds, Citation size is 8lbs.  I caught my PB using 14lb test and didn't enjoy the fight at all! So this year i told my self i'd use a lighter line.

Thank you for all your quick responses, i'll look into each of these carefully.

[Bass XL]

I would up-grade your line size...maybe to 10 pound.

[Daiwa]

If your using a ultralight rod, it should be fine. With ultralights, the fish puts stress on the rod, and not the line. If your on a medium+ rod, go up to like what Bass XL said, 10lb.

[Redsyn]

Okay just let me say I am not the most experience or the most knowledgable angler.

Are you fishing off the shore, if so do you think the fish cut you off from rocks/branches right by the shore? Does the end of the line have a clean break or line freys or swirles which might be due to bad knot.

I am asking because I have had all those thing happen to me before.

If anything try to set the drag a little lighter then what you had today and see if you get cut off.

[burleytog]

Buy better line.

[flippin4it.]

               When does the line break? Is it on the hook set?  I use light line and have landed some good sized bass. I'm using old school hybrid.

[grimlin]

This worries me now....I'm using a MH rod with 6# test yozuri ultra soft as well for my spinning set up. That 6# test played a critical role in feeling those soft bites in 25 MPH winds i had to face today.

[A.Do?]

I'm fishing from shore and at a pond on a friends property.  There's no rocks or any other things to abrade my line.

The breaks usually occur when the fish is only a few feet from me, close enough for me to see them in the water.

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

#6 is equivalent to just under 12 lb test, that isn't the problem.

Recheck your equipment and carefully examine the last 10 yards of line to see is there is damage.

The drag should be set @ 3-4 lbs (23-30% 0f breaking strength), but in this case that is an issue that can be ruled out. A 3-4 fish can't break Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft.

If your equipment is fine, return the line for exchange or buy another brand. I'm stumped, but you don't need a heavier line, that's for sure. With #6 your spinning reel will perform better and you will get more bites. This line should not be breaking.

8-)

[JayW]

It really sounds like to me that your drag is still a little bit too tight. I use 12# Yozuri Hybrid down here in Florida and I've NEVER had a fish break me off since using it. I keep my drag set a little loose. When I set the hook, I can sometimes feel it pull a little bit of drag, but just barely. I like to enjoy the fight, so I keep the drag a little loose and use light line compared to many here in Florida. I also use Calcutta 100's and even a little 50. Small reels as compared to what a lot of guys use down here.

[A.Do?]

The drag should be set @ 3-4 lbs (23-30% 0f breaking strength), but in this case that is an issue that can be ruled out. A 3-4 fish can't break Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft.

I'm going to try and check my drag today with a few techniques.  As for the fish being 3-4lbs, these are really conservative estimates.  The last fish that broke off had a huge head as it jumped out of the water. Fish might have been close to 6lbs but this should still be small enough for my 6# test to handle.

Thanks for all the tips!

[christopherjake]

Well, test to see just how strong the line is yourself.  If the line breaks on you without you putting a lot of resistance, then it's probably is the line.  If it breaks at the knot, then it may be the way you tie your knot.

[NBR]

Your line size should have more to do with the type of lake and how you fish. I fish very clear lakes with little cover other than rocks and use anything from 4# to 19# but usually 6 t0 12# depending on the fish and how I'm fishing. If I fished lakes with lots of wood or weeds I'd fish much heavier line.

My buddy took a 16# northern last year on 8# mono with no leader; it took a while and as long to get the fish revived for release but it is done often.

Make sure the line is within the line size rating for the rod. Set your drag with bend in the rod. Guide friction adds a lot of load to the line and if you are using a straight pull from the reel you are most likely set way too heavy.

While a bad batch of line is possible I doubt that it is the reason you are breaking off.

[lubina]

Make sure your drag is working right and then set it like RW said.

[Dan:]

I had this issue with my Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft recently as well. I started to check the line for nicks and cut off the line above any that I found. That seems to have stopped the problem for now.

[dman]

Your line should be fine and even with the drag too tight i wouldnt think a 3-4 pound bass would break that...I agree with the other poster to check your rods eyelets with a q-tip....I think your line is getting sliced not snapped.

[A.Do?]

So, as a ghetto way of testing my drag I fastened my digi scale to a heavy object and then hooked it up to my line. i pulled the rod back slowly and waited for the drag to start ticking and found that this was at 2.5-3lbs for 2 different rods.

Should i use this technique to see at what weight the line breaks?

I checked the eyelets for the guides and they're all smooth.

I think I'm going to have to just put some new line on the reel. :-/  I really hope this 1lb spool isn't a bad batch.

[Daiwa]

How about the last eyelet? I have a sharp cut in one of mine and it made the line cut.

[ABC123]

I just had to pull off a full spool of Hybrid, becouse the line snapped while removing a nest I made playing with the cast control. First time I have ever had line snap like that.

[Hillvis]

agreed, better line. or if it's close to your boat, just get close to it and grab it w/a net.