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Topic: Line abrasion  (Read 2329 times)

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littoral

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It would seem that the fish have finally become sentient and are now busy constructing line-cutters in the reefs.

I've lost a couple of big fish yesterday. At least I think they were both fish, the way the second one hit it could have been a submarine. I'm currently running 20# mono all the way and both times the line broke and came up with rock abraded 'skid marks' leading up from the break for a couple feet. The area is thick with kelp and reefy (apparently sharp rocks), there's little room to play the fish without getting your line wrapped around something.

Under these conditions what line or line/leader combo would you run? And IYO, what is the most abrasion resistant line?


bsteves

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Sometimes it's not a matter of getting better line (assuming you're not using the really cheap stuff), rather getting a rod and reel combo that can quickly reel in the fish before they have a chance to run you into the rocks and kelp.  A stiffer rod and a reel with heavier drag might take some of the fun out of fishing but you'll probably catch more fish.
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littoral

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A stiffer rod and a reel with heavier drag might take some of the fun out of fishing but you'll probably catch more fish.

That's pretty much the rig I run in this area. I don't ussually fool around playing the fish too much in these beds.

The culprit looked to me to be abrasion on sharp rocks. But for all I know it could have been sharp teeth as I never really saw them.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2006, 01:23:24 PM by littoral »


KZ

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In my experience, 20# mono has not performed well for rockfishing in terms of abrasion resistance when targeting bigger lings.  Works OK for rockfish, but I've had quite a few hook ups on big lings that broke off due to abrasion of the 20# line. 

I notice a definite improvement with 25# mono, and prefer the tougher varieties of that, such as P-Line X-tra Strong, Momoi Diamond, Maxima, and I'm currently trying the new Stren Dura Tuf line  http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklestore/showcase.cfm?PID=3664.

Any more than 25# mono and you'll have a tough time breaking off permanent snags in your kayak, so that's why I draw the line at 25#.

No matter what, you need to check your line regularly and re-tie as necessary. 

This year I'm switching to 30# powerpro with a 25# Stren Dura Tuf leader... we'll see how that goes.  It'll mean replacing the mono leader periodically, but it should be worth it in order to get lighter jigs to the bottom.
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jmairey

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the lack of stretch for spectra makes the breakoff easy if you snag.
So with spectra, I think you can go with a bigger leader. I use 40lb yozuri hybrid north
of santa cruz and 25lb in santa cruz.

Before I tried the spectra I would almost panic trying to break 15lb big game off. it would just
stretch and not break. Now I just get a couple good wraps on the gaff and POP! I'm free,
sometimes with the lure still on.

kz, pspark uses 50lb mono leaders and spectra mainline as a reference.

One issue with leaders and good fishing is not retying. each fish will put some wear on the leader.
If you just go till it breaks, it's always the big fish that breaks it. I don't retie after each fish,
so I'm better off with a thicker leader.


J
john m. airey


KZ

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J... that's a good point about the no-stretch factor of the spectra... makes sense that a larger leader would be "breakable" in that scenario.  We'll see how the Dura Tuf holds up and upgrade from there.  Good stuff.

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littoral

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kz, pspark uses 50lb mono leaders and spectra mainline as a reference.


jmairey,

I was thinking along those lines except with a 30# to 40# mono leader. Oh, and I would be lying if I said that I was checking my line for wear when I'm out there in the fishing zone... I get incredibly single minded when there are fish under me.

Good tips guys, I have to admit, I was half expecting some NASA solutions involving rare materials and large piles of money.

One more thing: Is the Surgeon knot the way to go tying mono to mono?


jmairey

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well, I'm not exactly the expert, but I'm curious and I can read a book.

according to vic dunaway the author of 'bait, rigs and tackle' the surgeon's
knot should work pretty well to join your 30 to 40 lb abrasion resistant mono
leader to your 20 lb mainline.

good luck out there, boat some of those lings!

J
john m. airey


ScottThornley

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I'm currently using 20 lb PowerPro and 40 lb Trilene Big Game for the leader. I might go to 30 lb Power Pro next year, but the 6500 can't even keep up with the 20 lb, so there is no real point until I go to a bigger rod and reel. I can also see going to lighter leaders for spookier fish, but I had the 40 lb, so that's what got used. I just use the PowerPro for a more vertical presentation when the wind is a blowing.

The key thing about my rig is this though:

I tie a Palomar knot from the main line onto a swivel.  I then tie a triple sugeons loop onto the top of the leader leader. Then I girth hitch the leaders onto the swivel. The leader takes the brunt of the wear and tear, so with the girth hitch, it's easy to replace leaders while on the water. At most a one minute  job. Heck, I'm lazy and put a larger triple surgeons loop on the bottom of the leader, so it's easy to change lures too. I suppose I could use a snap, but I didn't have any the night last year that I tied up a dozen rockfish leaders. Oh, I also put in a butterfly knot dropper halfway down the leader. These droppers are about 8 inches long, so are plenty long to snell on a bait hook, or clinch/uni knot on some sort of hoochie/fly etc...  Another cool thing is that should I have to break off the main line on a snag, All I have to do is tie on another Palomar knot onto a swivel. I don't have to use one of those wacky knots that require dexterity, concentration, and 5 minutes time in order to go from spectra to mono. Remember, big swell + chop + 10 minutes working on assembling your terminal tackle = major chumming opportunity.

I just destruction tested the rig that I fished with all day on Friday and Sunday. The leader near the bottom, where the jigs were attched was definitely showing its age.  But it was the main line that broke, above the leader in a visibly frayed area. I did have to wrap the line around the reel in order to break it though. The drag was all the way down  and even with two thumbs on spool  it wasn't nearly enough. Estimated force was well above 20 pounds.

Regards,
Scott


KZ

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Just as an FYI... I saw this table posted on Coastside recently that lists the rated versus actual breaking strength of various powerpro line sizes.  Thought it might be pertenent to this discussion. (see attachment)

Also, here's the discussion thread on Coastside...

http://www.coastsidefishingclub.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/336227/an/0/page/3#336227
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