Line Problems

[Dan]

I recently lost catching a limit of fish because of line breaking. I have had some problems in the past thinking I was buying some bad line and having it freshly spooled and breaking. Yesterday it happened again. Line that was just recently replaced going bad on several rods. What affect does direct sun exposure and high heat have on that line? Maybe I'd better start keeping the rods in the locker that I'm not using rather than cooking them on the deck for 10-12 hours in the direct sunlight. Any opinions?

[bshaner]

That 'could' be your problem, however I have a bad habit of doing the same and cant say as yet this year I've broken off on anything that wasnt my fault, i.e. drag, poor knot tie etc etc.

What are the circumstances surrounding the break?  Hook set, fighting the fish, mid cast?

B

[Bender]

I have had the same thing on both fluoro and braid. I chalked it up to bad spools of line.

[Cy]

It is a well known fact that sunlight degrades monofiliment line but I don't believe it degrades it that quickly.  You could have picked up a bad batch of line.  Like Shaner asked can you provide more details?

Cy

[thedude]

if its a spinning reel with a metal spool, check the top edge of the spool for knicks/gouges.

other than that try a different brand.. i have 8lb and 12lb pline that ranges in 3-4 months to a year old and still going strong. been fishing 2-3 times a week since may with them too.

[Kzoduckman]

Also may want to check your rod guides for rough spots with cotton.

[MBell]

From my experiences well over half the line on an average stores shelves is bad.  I always test my line with a simple knot before I buy it.  After I buy good line I spray it with silicone spray and store it in a sealed ziploc bag away from sunlight.  I've seen these problems with all lines, nylons,flourocarbons and copolymers.  Line will also go bad on the reel, but most cases it's bad to begin with.  Don't trust anyone but yourself when it comes to line, there's a lot of bad/misleading info out there. 
-Matt

[Dan]

Thanks for the input. I have recently, within the last two weeks, respooled with gamma and pline. I broke off near the boat both times with the fish in sight but not within net reach. I visually checked the guides on my Loomis Bronzeback and they appeared ok. I check the line that day on four other rods and all junk. I always check the line I buy before I buy it with an overhand knot with a little tug as you cinch it. Bad line brakes right away. I did check this line and bought it at BPS.

[bshaner]

Did it look curled on the end like it broke at the knot?  Are you using a palomar?  Drag set loose enough?  What test line and what power/action rods?

I was fighting a fish on light line last monday, very nice fish (cant say it was a bass) fought him for 10 minutes with drag set properly.  Made the mistake of putting my hand on the spool and the line snapped.  Might not be your issue but a good example of drag being a key to success.  Also if you are trying to power the fish into the net and getting in a hurry to land him you'll up your percentage of breaking your line.

You will snap line regularly with a combination of drag too tight and rod too powerful for the line. 

If I'm insulting your intelligence with things you already know I'm sorry.  Just trying to work you through it.   Could be the slightest thing happening that a fresh set of eyes might catch.  Don't discount anything, even something unlikely.

I just can't believe you are unlucky enough to get bad spools of both gamma and pline.

I'm sorry Matt but I dont agree with over half the line on store shelves being bad.  Maybe it was poor quality line, but not gamma or seaguar or something at that quality level.  Maybe I'm lucky because I buy online from companies that move tackle at a high volume?  But I dont think so.

Dan you've gotten a bunch of good tips here to check.  Nicks and gouges on the spool and guides can weaken line in a hurry.  Also, I dont know how you are spooling your line but if you are doing it so that the line drags around the filler spool and it starts catching on the edges of the filler spool you are weakining your line possibly by putting nicks in it.  Just thinking out loud here.

B

[djkimmel]

If you are using fluorocarbons - make absolutely sure you lubricate the line when you tie your knots. Fluoro is much more dense then mono and therefore builds up heat very fast. Heat weakens fluoro dramatically (mono too, just not as fast).

A knot tied on fluorocarbon without any lubrication is a knot waiting to break.

If you are throwing a lot of lures that pull back hard like spinnerbaits and crankbaits, it also helps if your rod guides are quality that dissipate heat well too, or change your fluorocarbon more often.

[Dan]

Thanks for all the comments and discussion. I spent a week prior to the Sandusky BFL prefishing and my practice partner was saying he had problems with quality line going bad and was blaming it on being out in the sun and or being stored where temps were quite hot. That week at Sandusky we were dawn to dusk and all my rods were on the deck the whole time because of my coangler no boat status. I didn't really give his complaints much creedence. I really didn't think the heat theory was all that credible, but, but, but, after another week of hot weather up north getting ready for Green Lake and then having good line go bad I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't something to it. I have to check out my spools on my spinning rods though to see if there isn't a burr. I did check the guides on my rods. I do us a palomar knot and the line did not break at the knot. It broke with several yards of line out. I was fishing in the weeds and both fish as they got to the boat got into the weeds but not buried. I took a spool of 100% Fluro that I had used to spool with out to use as a leader and that line which wasn't good on the pole was good out of the box. If it were a guide or burr the rest of the line on the rod should test good and it wasn't. As I type I'm thinking more and more that high heat played a role. I'm going to take a little extra time and keep my deck rods in the rod locker when it's so hot. I also plan on trying some line dressing which I have not used in the past. I like the idea about spraying it and storing the spolls in a zip lock as well. In any case it is sure nice to have a great forum like this to just vent too. It certainly, whatever the cause, comes down to I should have done a better job checking my terminal tackle out. I use to put new line on before every tournament no matter how long it had been on. With gas prices etc. I have been economizing and I guess I have to go back to my old spend thrift days. Maybe I can get a second variable rate mortgage.
Green Lake did produce some nice fish. We, the tournament not me, weighed a 6-1 smallie that probably went 24 inches long. If that fish had been filled out and in the spring it would have been well over seven. The winners weighed 19 something pounds. Not too bad for an inland lake in the middle of the summer.

[MBell]

I'm sorry Matt but I dont agree with over half the line on store shelves being bad.  Maybe it was poor quality line, but not gamma or seaguar or something at that quality level.  Maybe I'm lucky because I buy online from companies that move tackle at a high volume?  But I dont think so.

You will have better results with high volume places like [REMOVED - see No Links Policy List] and higher quality lines like you mentioned.  Just look at some of the line over at bass pro, doesn't move as fast as you think it would it's usually covered in dust.  When I say half of the line in the store is bad you have to remember that 60% of the line in most fishing stores is made by one paticular company .  IMO really good line should cut your had before it breaks on anything over 2lb test when testing line.  Another thing I also watch is line diameter, I've seen 8lb test line being sold as extra strong 6lb test.
-Matt  

[bshaner]

Let's just call a spade a spade... A lot of the stuff at bass pro and cabelas and chain stores that we consider bad spools is probably within the quality tolerence accepted by the maker of the line.  I will agree that most of that line sits on the shelf well past it's recommended shelf life.

But what do you expect when they stock 50 types of Stren and Trilene and only 6 and 12 lb test of the good stuff.  I always scratch my head when I see that selection.  And it's not even that they are out of the rest.  They just dont stock the selection of line weight/diameter that most of us use.

The whole supply and demand principle really seems to have been lost.

B

[Cheetam]

But what do you expect when they stock 50 types of Stren and Trilene and only 6 and 12 lb test of the good stuff.  I always scratch my head when I see that selection.  And it's not even that they are out of the rest.  They just dont stock the selection of line weight/diameter that most of us use.

The whole supply and demand principle really seems to have been lost.

B

Shaner, you have to remember that Die-hard bass guys (read: tournament bass anglers and other fanatics crazy enough to spend $15-$30 for a spool of line) really represent a small percentage of the millions of recreational fisherman in this country.  In terms of catering to their audience, the big chains are doing just that; they are catering to the recreational anglers, who are really their largest customer base.

[bshaner]

Shaner, you have to remember that Die-hard bass guys (read: tournament bass anglers and other fanatics crazy enough to spend $15-$30 for a spool of line) really represent a small percentage of the millions of recreational fisherman in this country.

I agree with that.  I still see alot of the boxes with dust on them and so old that they are falling apart, and even laying in the catch all bin. 

I just dont have confidence that the people ordering and stocking the shelves are in touch with the general demand of the region their store is in.

I guess I'm mostly at fault here for derailing Dan's thread and turning it into a rant.  Sorry Dan.