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Braid Line keeps breaking during Casts???

26K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  zimno1 
#1 ·
I am new to surf fishing so I may be doing something obviously wrong but I have lost two lures on back to back weekends due to my line breaking during casting. The first time, using braid line connected to a 15" fluorocarbon leader throwing a 2 1/4 oz plug. The line broke right at the albright knot connecting the braid line to the fluro line. After doing some research online I came to the conclusion that this was due to increased loading during casting causing the line to snap. I decided to try using a shock leader on my next time out. I attached my braid main line to a 15' mono shock leader using an albright knot, allowing for multiple wraps around the reel. Again, I had the same result. On my third cast the line broke right at the albright knot.

Gear:
9' Surf Mojo 3/4-4 rod; Shimano Spheros 8000 reel; 30lb PP braid; 50lb tirlene big game mono shock leader; 50lb YO-Zuri Fluorocarbon leader.

The surf Mojo has small guides, could it be the albright knot is getting caught in the guides and breaking? I also have an 11' Ocean Master rod that I use for bait and I use the same line 30lb pp and same leader and shock leader, and have never broken the line and I throw 5+ oz's with it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to surf fishing and loosing brand new 12-15$ lures every time I go out is getting frustrating.
 
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#3 ·
Run a cotton ball through each of your guides to check for any nicks or abrasions that could be cutting through your line during the cast. This is probably the most common cause of what you're experiencing, assuming that the line is actually breaking and not that your knot is simply coming untied.
 
#4 ·
Alrighty thennnnnnnn..... do what i say. Dump the fifty for thirty yo zuri. THROW ANY AND ALL TRILENE LINE OUT! The above mentioned alberto/ simple simon knot will take a few tries till you get it right. But after you tie it... lock it with an overhand and hit it with pliobond or knot sense. Your leader can be shorter so it stays outside of the guides when you cast.(not what is universally reccomnded as you want mono/fluoro on the reel... however, in your situation i dont want you to lose any more pluggage). Sending a plug into the outer stratosphere wont get you any distance casting pats on the back. Cast short from the beach in a clockwise fashion from 10 to 2 o'clock. THENNNN Cast further out as to not spook the fish on the retrieve that are most likely at your feet. Untill you have mastered thewhole braid thing? I would first test cast a 2oz weight so as not to lose any more wood. You dont always need a shock leader but some plugs will warrant a swivel. So a modified albright from braid to shock leader -
-swivel - fluoro.



 
#5 ·
Here's something I discovered recently. I am a resident of Houston, and fish for bass in area ponds. I have fished all my life. As a rule, I did not rely on a leader, but because of the presence of concrete walls and pipes where I fish, I needed to add a heavy leader. I began tying 30lb mono to a main line of braid, and started doing so with a double uni-knot. I switched to a modified-Albright, because I heard of its superior break strength and low profile as it passes through guides. HOWEVER, what I discovered is that the friction from the Albright moving through the guides seems to degrade it until it fails. Try tying a leader on with an Albright knot at your house, and then scratch it back and forth with your fingernail fairly aggressively. I bet you can make it fail! (And yes... I am using enough turns...lubing the line... and cinching the wraps tight.. and making the tag end exit the loop the same way the main line entered it.) I think that's what's happening to you. I found this post because I was looking for info on failed Albright knots. I'm going back to the double uni-knot until someone can convince me that I'm missing something in the build of a modified-Albright (and I've watched about 25 videos on it so I think I have it right). Good luck.

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#6 ·
... Try tying a leader on with an Albright knot at your house, and then scratch it back and forth with your fingernail fairly aggressively. I bet you can make it fail! (And yes... I am using enough turns...lubing the line... and cinching the wraps tight.. and making the tag end exit the loop the same way the main line entered it.) I think that's what's happening to you. I found this post because I was looking for info on failed Albright knots. I'm going back to the double uni-knot until someone can convince me that I'm missing something in the build of a modified-Albright (and I've watched about 25 videos on it so I think I have it right). Good luck.

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Note this instruction in the post directly above yours... I've not had a modified Albright knot fail in over 5 years, and use a long enough leader that it's going through several guides on each cast.

But after you tie it... lock it with an overhand and hit it with pliobond or knot sense.
 
#7 ·
This was brought up to me by a fellow who could not understand why his knot failed.. "I taught him to tie it so that's why I was baffled" ... seems he didn't take the time to do it right... Not saying anyone else does it wrong.. I made him tie it right in front of me and this is while fish are bustin... he was so irate that I made him stop what he was doing for a lousy bluefish and tie it.... now... was he tying it half arsed because he wanted to fish again or... did he just not SEE wtf he was doing wrong?.. when that reverse tie is not tied directly on top on one another on the way back to the hole.... when you cinch down on that knot it WILL set down and form to where you can pull it shut BUT any of those return winds that overlap one time will pull across the knot and "eventually" cause the knot to fail... if you scraped that one errant wind once it will start to unravel the knot like a piece of spaghetti in your mouth.. and even if you didn't scrape it it would eventually fail as it will overtake the others with tension or just casting motion.. with this said,, I've seen mine fail,,,,, the knot didn't but the mono shock leader snapped like a twig.. this man was ill equipped to fish that knot as he was not paying attention and made this flawed mistake on who knows how many occasions.. so armed with the correct way to do it... not certain he will have the eyes to make sure but confident he will get it right every time from here on end... lesson learned... hey,, mike is absolutely right... that knot gets frayed? yes It can fail... all braid is succeptable to fraying and not much one can do to avoid that unless you keep an eye on your business end before you cast your lure/plug... sometimes I fail to check basic things like my rod connection or my knots and it can be the start of a really bad night if you screw up like that in the dark... I've had issues with braid loooong ago... if casting wasn't bad enough it was the learning curve.. for anyone thinking this sport doesn't come with difficulties or setbacks once in a while they're lying... we all have moments where we see the flaw and really HATE what it is that creates it... but I've laughed off so much stuff over the course of decades of mishaps i don't find anything surprising...



 
#8 ·
I have had that happen to me in the past. Make sure your bail is open and away from casting finger and line. Also check the tip of rod and make sure your line is not twisted around rod. These are things that I corrected to that eliminated this problem. I am using a 11 ft rod with 20 lb braid, 30 leader and casting 2, 3 or 4 oz inline sinkers.
 
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