I fish 3/8 oz jigs on a duckett micro magic pro heavy rod with 15 pound p-line flouro. I have had fish snap me off on the hook set. I like to set hooks hard but wouldn't say I set them like some of my buddies. I set the hook at around my 10 o'clock. I also change my flourocarbon religiously so I don't think line is an issue either. What could I be doing to prevent this?
Knot failure, nicks in line, maybe a sharp spot caused by a broken or cracked eye, it could be a lot of things really
But the thing is I check my knot after each fish and almost always it happens very close to my jig.
Maybe your knots are bad or you burn the line near the hook when you're tightening the knot? If you're not fishing in really rough places and you check the line for nicks regularly and the line breaks near the knot, I expect you knot tying is the issue.
You weaken the line when tightening the knot, the line overheats as it rubs against itself when it slides to tighten the knot creating an overstretched weak spot. Lubricate your knot profusely before tightening. saliva is an excellent lubricant.
Sounds like a knot issue.
I always lick my knots before tightening them and I don't have a problem!
Well maybe not, but....
~Kevin
I ate my like when tying the knot excessively and pull my tag end of the Palomar. I think that would prevent knot burn. I also test the knot by pulling the main line.
It still has to be some sort of weak spot in the line I'm guessing
The weak spot is the line you are using with the knot you are tying. Either change line or change your knot. Keep doing what you are doing & it will continue to happen. If you want to stay with 15lb test line try a quality copolymer line. Otherwise increase the line test in the P-line or change to a better brand.
Spot on Dwight!......It is amazing how many fish you can actually land on the same line with the proper knot and retrieval technique.
or switch to braid...
If you're breaking off with 15# line, it's either your knot or a bad spool of line. Try SD Jam.
Try a different knot. I use the improved clinch with fluoro and never have issues. There are lots of choices.
My opinion -- Obviously it's the line or the knot. #15 should not break on a hook set, never. Switch brand of line to see what happens. And when you tie your knot, moisten the line before making the knot, then hold the loose knot in your mouth in a pocket of saliva and slowly pull the knot as tight as possible while keeping it surrounded in saliva. Then grip the tag end between your teeth and jerk the line a few times.
I've had no issues with P-Line 15lb on my spinnerbait rod. Like suggested earlier, try using the San Diego Jam knot. I personally like to dip the line into the water whenever I'm cinching it down.
What type of line are you using ? It does make a difference, i use Seagar Invisx, and never had a problem, I always use 15lb Floro, and when it breaks and doesn't happen often, it's at the knot.
It's the rod.
Just messin', what kind of knot are you using and are you wetting it before you get it tight?
Normally if you burn the line, the line will tend to coil when you put slack in it. Kind of like how you take a straight ribbon across a scissor to curl it. So after you tie one on (hehe), hold the bait in your hand and let the line go slack. If you notice a difference in the straightness in the line in the last few inches, cut it off and try again.
If you don't see any change, then your knot tying should be okay, which leaves two other factors. The line, or the knot itself. Some lines get really weak when you fold them over, Palomar knots have a lot of right angles in them, making it hard on some lines.
Experiment with other knots, like a clinch knot. See if you still have that problem. If you do I would suggest trying a new line.
Make sure you don't have any slack in your line when you make your hook set. Flouro didn't take the sudden shock of a big hook set with slack line well. I was using 49# braid and a 12# flouro leader and snapping the leader in the middle on hard hook sets. I had to really train myself to crank up any slack and it cured the problem.
I had the same problem, switched knots and still had failures. Couldn't change my hook set, so I changed my line. Now I have a love for braid that equals my dislike of fluoro.
Another vote for switching to a San Diego Jam knot. I used to have problems one in awhile with fluoro breaking on the hookset when there was no reason for it to but it's not an issue once I switch to the SDJ for fluoro.
I've and others have experienced knot failure on hooksets. The key reason why was that the line got wedged into the area where the eye of the hook meets the shank. After a number of hook sets or pulling the hook off a snag there is line failure.
Had same issue with fluoro. Switched to yozuri hybrid and have not had a break off since. Also, it casts better and I do not feel that I lost anything in sensitivity. Personally, I know a lot of people disagree with this, but I think fluoro is over-rated.
Knot failure tie a Palomar and wet the line before tightening. I had the same issue until I went to this.
Good point. It can happen. I recently used a tiny spot of JB Weld on the "eye gap" on a dozen hooks. Did a nice job and is very smooth.On 7/11/2015 at 7:47 PM, smbrule! said:I've and others have experienced knot failure on hooksets. The key reason why was that the line got wedged into the area where the eye of the hook meets the shank. After a number of hook sets or pulling the hook off a snag there is line failure.
I am knot sure what it could be....
Thanks a lot everyone for the funny and different points. I will try to take all of these into consideration next time I go out!
I was having the exact same issue, losing too many jigs....I recently switched to 12# Yozuri and started using a double San diego jam knot....been out a couple time since switching and No lost jigs!
If you're using a short enough leader to use it, use a swivel. SPRO Power Swivels in the smallest size work nicely. I had a lot of knot breaking issues too going double-uni braid to fluoro but haven't had any since.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt regarding your connection knot,
which then strongly suggests frayed or nicked line, which is very common if you're negotiating heavy cover.
Roger