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my braided line keeps snapping...

16K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  merrillizer 
#1 ·
hey everyone,
i have a problem with my braided line. it has been snapping at least once every time i go out fishing. i just converted over to braided about 2 weeks ago and i dont have much experience with it. my setup is 2 swivels with a plastic fish finder in between with a 4oz weight for beach fishing. below that i have about 2ft(still braided line) of leader and then a gamakatsu bait hook about size 7ish. the line is 30lb test (fireline? bright green)with something like 10-12lb diameter. i use all the recommended knots for tying my rig together(uni knots/snell etc...). ive snapped line when i try to set my hook when a fish yanks my line. whats going on? i also notice that line cuts into the fish finders and they kinda fall off or get stuck on the line. usually the line breaks dead center between the 2 swivels with the fish finder. any help or suggestions? thanks!

-mike
 
#2 ·
Check the guides! A cracked ceramic could be the culprit. How do I know this? It happend to me. I had power pro on a tidemaster St. Croix and I noticed frey when casting poppers. When I checked the tip it was cracked. I changed it and had to cut most of the line and toss it.

Braid also does not hold up well on mussel beds.
 
#3 ·
afx

Afx

I have taken to braid when plugging only now. Like you I dont have much experience with braid. I've always used mono. I like the stretch. Nothing compares to the casting ability of braid though. It is significantly better. I wont use it if its windy, The wind knots are a bitch. I dont like to put any hardware on the braid. I tie the plug directly to it using the palomar knot. If I fish a particular rocky area with bait and use it for abrasion resistence, then I will only use 1 swivel and tie a bank sinker to the fishfinder rather than clip it. it will break away easier if caught up. It is another knot but it puts less stress on the plastic. Alternately you can use a metal swivel and let it run up and down your standing line to your swivel. If your worried about reeling your fshfinder back to your guides and use the second swivel as a stop you can use a bead instead. I dont bother with the second swivel though and it still casts OK. But it is a matter of preference. my 2cents.
 
#4 ·
What kind of fishfinder are you using?? Sounds to me like there is a gap in the fishfinder - cuz you say the line "cuts into it", and you say the line snaps on the section the fishfinder is running on.

The fishfinders I use when I bait fish are molded plastic. They are nice and smooth on the inside and glide nice. I've seen some that look like they were "snapped" together, and I didn't buy them cuz I thought my line might get into the "crack"

If your line is always snapping on the leader where you have the fishfinder, I'd say the fishfinder - not the braid - is the problem.

Suggestion: Use 80# mono leaders. They are much thicker (so it won't get into the fishfinder's gap), won't ususally get cut by a blue (too thick except for the 15#+ gators), and is just as strong as your braid. Or, get some new fishfinders.

Let us know what you find. I use braid for chuncking with a fishfinder and haven't had the problem, so you've got me wondering.
 
#5 ·
One other question. Why the 2 swivels? If you have the fishfinder bewteen 2 swivels, it can only run so far until it stops at the top swivel - defeating the purpose of the fishfinder.

Try this:

Run your braid thru the fishfinder to your swivel. From the swivel, attach your leader, then your hook.
 
#6 ·
sorry took so long to reply....
its not the guides, otherwise the line would snap before the rig, not in the middle of it. my fish finders are solid plastic. they seem smooth and well made. as for my setup, i use 2 swivels because of casting distance. ive tried using just one swivel but it doesnt cast as far because the bait and weight[fishfinder] seperate in mid air and lose momentum. are there such things as metal fish finders? like aluminum or something similar? i think that would be good for the braided line.
 
#7 ·
:oops: oops...i just read the part about mussel beds... i think there's a good chance that might be the problem. i always seem to get one or two mussels on my hook when i reel in. but who knows...ill keep trying different things and see what happens. thanks for the help!

-mike
 
#8 ·
afx

Like charlie says the second swivel defeats the purpose of the fish finder. The idea is for the fish to pick up the bait and continue pulling line without picking up the weight of the sinker. The second swivel assures that the fish will feel the weight at that point and probably drop the bait. I sacrifice the extra distance of the cast. I realize that a three foot leader, a chunk of bait and a 4 ounce sinker clipped to a fish finder can be tricky to cast far but after some practice you can get it out far enough. Most big fish are caught very close to shore. At high tide I dont have to get the bunker head out more than 30 or 40 feet. :D Smaller chunks like the section closest to the tail will fly out there far even with the finder traveling up the line, but thats what you want. Its a comprimise but for me its the correct way. Braid should get out there that much furthur. I really believe the stress of the weight from swivel to swivel is weakening that section of line. Unless its constant abrasion but less likely.
 
#9 ·
well yesterday i set up my rig with only one swivel instead of 2 swivels with the fish finder in between. even though i had no bites all day, the line held up very well. it got tangled from being tossed around in the water a couple times i guess, but it didnt snap :D ...and i even yanked a couple times to test it. thanks for all the advice guys. i guess the water is still too warm here in jersey for heavy striper action cause i havent had any bites in a while. it did give me a chance to practice my plugging and jig action. i think i'll be very well prepared for when the major action comes my way. :twisted: :twisted:

-mike
 
#10 ·
afx

It has been slow down our way still. Indian summer. Some of the boat guys reporting finding some schools. but hasn't busted open yet. I may try this evening. Got to put your time in for a big un. :D
 
#12 ·
Here is another 2 cents, Hope it helps.

Personally, I have found that a mono shock solves this problem.
I was snapping 20 lb braid on 2 lb largmouth bass with just a worm hook.
If you are going to use a technique that requires a hard hook set you
need the stretch, mono is also less visable to fish.
Also, rock/mussle damage is more apparent (feel you line with your
fingers after each cast)on mono so you will know earlier if you need to change it.

Only use a swivel if you have to.
Attach the braid/mono with a knot. not a swivel.
This site has a good page on shock leader creation:

http://stripers247.com/shockleader2.htm

Note: with that size braid you are going to need 10-12 wraps in the
uni knot portion. (not kidding)

Also, are you using guides that are rated for braid? Some older guides
create too much friction, and even with new ones, braid creates more friction. Sometimes you can compensate for this by setting your drag
considderably lower. Be sure to test the drag in a real
world manner. Put your hook on something heavy and get your rod to bend a little. I was supprised how low I had to set the drag on some of my
riggs with braid.

Anyway.. I hope some of this helps you out.

Petri Heil

Travis.
 
#13 ·
Hey guys.....Hope everyone is having a good time out there. Fishing is still thick down here in rhode island. Just got off the beach, plugging for stripers and kept coming up with blues. oh well, i like the fight.

I just have a few cents for you here.....

I really am the opposite on this whole mono vs. braid thing. Myself, i don't like the stretch at all of Mono lines. I've tried it, i mean, isn't that what we all started off with? But the No-stretch of braid, catches me fish everytime where mono would have faultered. With my 30# PowerPro, i turn the rocks over when i get hung up and i've never lost a fish on account of braid. Now don't forget, everyone has their own preferences, this is america. Some guys will always use mono, and always catch fish. the other guys will always use braid, and always catch fish.....I don't think its as much the line you use as much as its the place you fish. i've never fished mussel beds in my life, so who am i? I just know this......I have to be one of the hardest "hook set" guys i've ever known, i mean, hell, i've come up with just lips before, hahaha.....but my line has never broke because of it.

Ok thats like 4 cents.....but what the hey.

Like i tell my friends......Use what works for you.

this has been a public service message.........

:twisted: craig aka briggs :twisted:

aka surfcastermaster

8) MASTER OF HIS DOMAIN 8)
 
#14 ·
Let me ask a connected question.

When I fish with braid, the more I cast the more knots I get - to the point where if I'm chunking I will use braid (casting less) and if I'm plugging I use mono (even with the lower feel, but no tangles)

So here's my question. Is this the experience of others? If not, what could I be doing wrong? Casting too hard? Some flaw in my cast?

The other issue I see is with plugging & braid, you go from tension to slack, and the line gets wrapped that way, causing little loops, that create monster messes.

I love braid, but have given up on it for plugging. What am I doing wrong??
 
#15 ·
i use the 30lb braid and ive had no problems other than the line snapping as i stated in the begining. ive casted as hard and as far as i could and i have no tangle problems. im thinking perhaps its the brand you use? or did you fill the spool all the way to the outer edge?

ever since i started using braided not too long ago, ive become accustomed to the sensitivity and would not want to go back to mono. i still have mono on my other reels because i havent had time to switch them over. i just used a mono reel the other day and i can see how much a difference the braided makes. mono = mushy. but as others said before... everyone has their own personal preference.
 
#16 ·
Hey Charlie.....

I used to have the same problem with braid. No matter what line you use, they always tell you to keep the line on your spool within 3/16" from the edge for better casting. Not with the braided lines though......if you try to put as much line as possible on your spool, you'll get what looks like "wind knots" everytime you cast. I tried backing off the line a bit on my spool and let me tell you this, i never get knots and i can outcast most. I'm a firm believer in PowerPro, my cast has gotten longer, and my retrieve has gotten alot better, I can watch my line when i cast and it looks like i'm flyfishing, theres so much slack in it, and still no knots. I couldn't see using anything else other than braid to cast with, i just get alot more distance. i caught blues today where nobody could ever have reached with mono, in 20mph winds and no knots whatsoever.

I guess when my braid lets me down, i'll switch, until then, i'll be the unofficial spokesman lol.

:twisted: craig aka briggs :twisted:

aka surfcastermaster

8) MASTER OF HIS DOMAIN 8)
 
#17 ·
Craig

Craig. :D

I hate ta break this to ya. but your 6 foot somethin and 260 lbs and cast with a 15 foot stick. If you were using linen or telephone line I think you'd outcast most guys. :lol: :twisted:
 
#18 ·
:lol: Hahahahaha!!!!! :lol:

Ok, first of all......I weighed myself today and i think all those walks up the beach in the sand with 100lbs of equipment, this season payed off.....i'm 246lbs hahaha. sh*t, i might blow away in a good wind now.

2nd of all.....I only take the ole billy barroo (15') out when the seas are 6' and over...its all about that Okuma 9' Solaris surfcaster now.

damn that was funny Jim, you know how to make me laugh my arse off man...Kudos, not many do.

on a serious note........... You just made me laugh on an unlaughable day my friend, you were the first one all day that did, let me tell you. As you know, i just buried my brother from a drunk driver........this morning at 1:30am, my aunt passed away suddenly. from early morning until now, its been hectic. My mother was her last sibling that was living and i only live a few miles away from her so i'm the dude. i have two sisters and had a brother but their all way to far away to help immedietly. So here i am, me and my mother, having to do basically everything from picking shit out for my aunt to wear to making funeral arrangements, to trying to uncover some awful paper trail to nowhere that she left behind. what we needed was a lawyer and there were no answers to be found. i ended up acting like a detective....finding old day planners, finding names and trying to findout which one was her lawyer to no avail. I found accounts to 4 different banks and investment statements from a few brokers in NY. now we definetly needed a lawyer. we found a key that goes to a security box at the bank but without a lawyer, nobody seemed to want to help. There was cash in envelopes all over the house...there were investment statements with numbers like 7,600,000 on them. I found a peice of paper, that looked like something my aunt was jotting down while a lawyer talked....in the upper right hand corner was the word "Will". anyway.....i finally got in touch with one of my sisters in N.H. and she told me that, well for one, she couldn't believe what i had to go through today, and two...my aunt had made her excecutress a long time ago, on account that she never thought that her older sister by 10 years (my mother) would outlive her. there was our answer.......now we had the lawyers name and it is time for him to step in and do what he does best, fix this crap up because i wasn't getting anywhere by myself. such a burden lifted let me tell ya. My sister also told me that everyone of us is in that WILL, but thats a story for another time. Sorry about the post guys, i've done everything there is to do today and i'm finally sitting home and trying to get my head together. my wifes workin and my two and a half year old just went to sleep and i have to vent or do something, so you guys are the poor soles that have to hear this. easy with the sympathy...thats not why i wrote this. just had to talk thats all, i know its the wrong place to do this but this was the forum i was reading at the time...good thing i wasnt checkin the weather or something hahaha.

so in a nutshell........i've been going nuts since 1am, had to deal with a bunch of crap that i'd rather someone else took care of, it kind of came together in the end, well, so far anyway. and then along comes Jimbo...bastard made me laugh, Thanks Bro, i mean it man.

by the way, went out yesterday before all this went down and caught a bunch of schoolies and a couple nice 40 inchers, dragging plastic eels through the eelgrass down here in lil rhody. good day but it rained on me. good thing i aint made of butter.

thanks for the ears guys. sorry.

:twisted: craig aka briggs :twisted:

aka surfcastermaster

8) MASTER OF HIS DOMAIN 8)
 
#19 ·
Craig Your a good man bro.
My condolences to your family. No doubt the rest of us feel the same way Craig. All our friendship and affection brother. Any thing I can do Id do it gladly.
Jim
 
#20 ·
Craig - I'm sorry to hear about all that. Condolences to you and your family.

Thanks for the tip on the braid. I had put tons of backing on the spool so my braid would be "full". I will back off the backing. I, also, love the casting distance and feel. Before I stripped off all the braid I was casting miles, until the knots came!

Thanks for the tip, and deep sympathy.
 
#23 ·
Hey thanks Steve,

I'm not one of those people that say they dont need anymore friends, i'm that guy that says "welcome to the beach fire, nice to meet you, here, have a beer". We'll definetly get a group together next season for a little Rhode island shore fishing. I was think that its definetly gonna have to be a two night thing though....first night we need to fish our asses off until the sun rises, and the second night we need to be sitting around a beachfire, all of us, and bullshit about the night before and fall down a little. trust me, i aint an alcoholic, but when its summertime and all you have to do is crawl back to a beach house and not drive, well, thats a whole different drunken night hahaha. that and the fact that nobody can ever kick you off the beach (privatetly owned).

thanks again man.

:twisted: craig aka briggs :twisted:

aka surfcastermaster

8) MASTER OF HIS OWN DOMAIN 8)
 
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