fluke fishing problems

[bassmandan]

ok guys i have a problem i cant seem to get rid of.  i have a problem of snapping my line above the knot on the cast and on the hookset. my setups are Med. action casting rod with 10lb fluoro with a swivel attached to the same 10lb main line as a leader. these problems only occur after fishing a fresh rig for a good amount of time never timed it but it could be over a few hours. im just looking to see if anyone has had problems like this and or never had an issues with your setups thanks

[dartag]

You may want to try switching to 8 lb braid on the reel with the swivel and floro leader.  I use that on my drop shot and fluke figs.   You will be able to cast it a lot further and have a better feel.

[Team houston]

Check the eyes on your rod.

[YpsiBass]

Could just be a bad batch of fluoro too. I get those issues after a bunch of fish, but cutting off 3' of line or so and retying fixes the problem.

The guides on your rod comment reminds me of an incident a few years back at a madwags where I ended up fishing with bob o and mojo. Mojo kept breaking off his line and was perplexed why it kept happening until bob pointed out the broken guides on his rod.  3 or 4 of his rods had broken guides.

[djkimmel]

Checklist:
1. Cracked, rough or broken rod guide.
2. Bad batch of line.
3. You catch too many big bass too often.
4. Are you wetting your knots before you pull them tight? Fluorocarbon is dense and builds up heat fast weakening the line.
5. Are you fishing lots of cover with zebra/quagga mussels on them?
6. Is Mojo around - he could be involved somehow? Seriously, some fishing partners have been known to play jokes on anglers by nicking their line...
7. Did you have some bad backlashes that put kinks or notches in your line?

Try a different spool of line if you can. Try a different rod and reel. See if the problem continues.

[Got Fish??]

I always have two rod and reels set up. I check my knots and line all the time,and retie. I don't use floro, just for that reason. I like mono, i guess I'm just old school. I may use braid when I'm on big water. I get better hook sets on long casts with braid.

[Slipkey]

these problems only occur after fishing a fresh rig for a good amount of time never timed it but it could be over a few hours.

Since it's breaking above the knot, it may be that you're not lubricating your knot before pulling it tight (or pulling it tight too fast, creating heat and friction).

Part of it my be the physics of flourocarbon line.  Contrary to popular belief, flourocarbon *does* stretch, but

A) less readily than mono - which is why it has a more sensitive feel.  Lines meant to be used for casting generally have more stretch than leader material.

B) it doesn't bounce back to the same degree like mono - which means your after you work free of snags or catch a bunch of fish on the same length of line, your flouro will stretch less (and is weaker), but feels more sensitive because it now has less room to stretch.

If you're catch a bunch of fish or working around heavy cover, try stripping off 15 yards or so after you've given your line a workout or caught a few big ones. 

[bassmandan]

whats crazy to me is i used this same setup for hard jerkbaits this year minus the leader and have not had an issue. i put a different brand of line(from last year), and a different rod(from last year) and im still having the same issues with soft jerkbaits, i believe i did have the bait break off while casting when using mono as well(a few years back).  i ALWAYS wet the knot before tightening. the leader never sees the guides of the rod and the grass ive fished around i dont see that being an issue in fraying the line, why always right near that same spot at the knot or maybe a few inches above it. maybe ill try taking more care of the knot when pulling it tight, and i could do an experiment on marking the line and seeing where the breaks are actually happening. i tried the other day playing with a braid leader but feared not being able to set the hook into the fish lost 2/3 with this setup just not enough proof to tell me if that was the issue i need more subjects to test that on lol. id even bet if i tied the hard jerkbait back on i would still not have this problem and i work that one harder than the soft jerkbait. im also wondering if line twist along with the stress of the jerks are the culprit maybe the swivel isnt quite doing its job, i believe i still had this problem before i used a swivel.

[djkimmel]

What knot are you using to make the connections? What line are you using for the leader - lbs test, brand, model?

You shouldn't have that much problem with soft jerkbaits, that's for sure.

[32eml24]

I know the swivel is in for line twist but i bet it wouldnt snap without it. If you only have say two feet of line between two fixed points... swivel and hook... that small 2 feet is taking a lot of force feom your hook set. If that force was spread through your entire line all the way back to the reel i dont think youd have as many problems. Either way it shouldnt be snapping but its just a thought. Not sure what knot youre using but dont make it too complicated either. Ive always tied a simple clinch knot and never had this problem on floro. Always wet the line... etc. Etc.

[32eml24]

Also if you are super glueing your bait at all if that gets on the line it may become brittle?

[bassmandan]

10lb test, i believe it may be invisx(changed from sniper), palomar knot on all of it. i could try without a leader again but i think i still had that problem along with line twist, but its not just with the hook set either its casting as well, maybe after a few hook sets it occurs on the cast? hmmm, its frustrating to be dealing with this issue just delays fishing and heartbreaks 

[32eml24]

If it's happening on the cast and its consistently right above the knot in the same place then it's something with the way you're tying the knot... try a different knot or go over the way you're tying the palomar.  Otherwise I'd say a guide but it would not necessarily be right above the knot each time. 

[Slipkey]

10lb test, i believe it may be invisx(changed from sniper), palomar knot on all of it. i could try without a leader again but i think i still had that problem along with line twist, but its not just with the hook set either its casting as well, maybe after a few hook sets it occurs on the cast? hmmm, its frustrating to be dealing with this issue just delays fishing and heartbreaks 

What's your leader length?  If you're fishing 10# leader, you should be fishing at least a 18" (up to 24" on 8#) length of fluro or more to give some shock absorbtion in your line.  A flouro leader that is too short has a very low limit to what it can take, since it doesn't bounce back like mono(see my reply above on fluoro stretch). 

Also, since you're breaking off on the cast (assuming it's a baitcaster?), look at your wind-up and release and whether you're trying to over-compensate for the weight of the bait to avoid a backlash.  Whipping that bait back and forth more than you need to, combined with a short leader, can really stress your line in addition to working the line around the knot back and forth (think of working a piece of wire back and forth until it breaks). When I fish really small baits on a baitcaster I tend to overcompensate on the force of my casts until I get in the groove and I have to focus on making my casts easier and letting the rod tip do the work.

As for knots, I always tie a palomar on the leader to swivel connection and to the hook, but I always use a Trilene or an improved clinch from the main line to the swivel, which saves me time from having to loop around the rig. I pre-make all of my leaders and put them on a small velcro tackle tamer that fits in a standard 3600 Plano.

[bassmandan]

What's your leader length?  If you're fishing 10# leader, you should be fishing at least a 18" (up to 24" on 8#) length of fluro or more to give some shock absorbtion in your line.  A flouro leader that is too short has a very low limit to what it can take, since it doesn't bounce back like mono(see my reply above on fluoro stretch). 

this makes more sense than anything so far, my leader is not very long i would say around 10".  if that is the case i may eliminate the leader and fish it straight again but ill look into getting a snap swivel and see what that does, let the search begin

[djkimmel]

You could be doing a little whip-crackin'... I didn't think about that but on a leader that short of fluorocarbon I can see you could be snapping it. I have fished with 2 rocket cast experts this year who also have a tendency to send a few baits space-wards during our fishing trips... sometimes never to be seen again they fly so far out!

[bassmandan]

i dont really cast anything harder than what i do with most of my baits, just compounding issues is what i believe is happening. only time will tell, i appreciate the feedback 

[Rangerman]

Check eyes on rod. Fluro does have it's problems but it also helps catch more fish in the clear water. Down south we take the hook and drive an awl in the eye to spread it and then put the swivel in the gap and close it. Most times use a 4/0 or 5/0 hook used in poring jigs with the eye in line with the hook. Then add a Hitch Hiker to whole the fluke. Works great and you don't have the bolo rig and have problem getting it in the eye. I don't use fluro on fluke of top water due to hurts action when working top water.
Lets face it Fluro does have it's problems