Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

At the end of last season I was throwing lures in the lake because my line kept breaking on the cast.  I used several different lines so I know that's not it.  I think its the guides but I do not see or feel any flaws on them.  Someone said something about using a q-tip.  What is the purpose of this? Will it snag on the guide if its got a nick in it?  Should I do this with all my poles and guides.  Thanks for any advice on trouble shooting my baitcaster.

I would bet lots of money its probably your top guide and yes the q-tip is the way to go.

What do you do with a q-tip?  What am I looking for?

rub the q-tip around the inside of the guide and if it snags at all your guide is cracked and needs to be replaced.

If it's not your guide and you're using fluorocarbon make sure you using a good fluoro knot. The shock value on a dense line like fluoros, causes them to break when snapped hard. No power sets and the whipping action on hard casts can cause an otherwise tough line to break or fracture. If the line fractures, it will have tiny cracks that weaken it and cause it to break sooner than later. A palomar, according to Aaron Marten is not a good one for the very dense fluorocarbon. Aaron is also a stickler for cleaning guides. He cleans them after only a couple of tournaments. He also uses a silicone type spray, a line treatment on them.