breaking off a snag

I'm re-reading the old safety posts again and ran across one from 2008 http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=14800.0 that brings up the question in the subject title.

At simplyfishing I snagged up a couple of times and had a hard time breaking off my leader (20 lb mono).  I also quickly realized that too much drag and too much swell would probably pull me off of the yak.  I reeled straight down on the first snag but let the wind push me for the second. 

Is there an established method for breaking off a snag that minimizes the chance for immersion?  Is 20 lb too much?

mono stretches, so sometimes in swell it can be hard to get a good tug to break off, some just tighten up the drag and take their rod vertical, tip down, to break off, i like to wrap a few coils around my fish be good stick and then give a good snap at the top of the swell. but the best is not to get snagged, hahahaha, cameron

I won't go heavier than #20 because it can be tough enough to break off, for me. I'm fishing 50 lb braid with 7' of mono topper. I too wrap the braid around my fish billy, hunker down, and let the boat's rocking break it off. Mono mainline is tough to bust.
I don't like breaking off snags. Lots of room for error there.

Many times going upwind, up current and giving the line some slack can get the snag unstuck without having to break off.

Some of us carry a quick release knife on the PFD in case condition dictate or there isn't time to use the wooden shampoo stick.

Many times going upwind, up current and giving the line some slack can get the snag unstuck without having to break off.

Some of us carry a quick release knife on the PFD in case condition dictate or there isn't time to use the wooden shampoo stick.

mono stretches, so sometimes in swell it can be hard to get a good tug to break off, some just tighten up the drag and take their rod vertical, tip down, to break off, i like to wrap a few coils around my fish be good stick and then give a good snap at the top of the swell. but the best is not to get snagged, hahahaha, cameron

^^  Yes and yes.

from a snagmaster like me. i have ended many trips because of running out of gear.  i usually pre rig 6-7 setups on 25lb mono.

anyway, i would paddle the opposite direction freespool and tighten as you go away, this is to try to free the snag. you can try the guitar method too.  even though i make my own jigs, its still stuff i dont want to lose, and time i dont want to spend re-rigging instead of fishing.  not to mention seasickness.

if all else fails to free the snag, i would reel up and point the tip downward so the line puts little to no tension on the rod.  i would loosen the drag a little bit, just in case, watch the swells to be safe. ill thumb the spool real good and yank upwards on a swell while going up.  if it feels sketchy just release some pressure off your thumb.

never tried the fish beater method because it takes a bit more time and you cant control the pressure.

try to use braid mainline that's higher lb test than your mono leader, so when this occurs, you are only loosing your leader 99% of the time.

to add salt to the wound, oftentimes, i would snag up, and a fish would hit my teaser hook, and while trying to free my snagged jig, i feel the fish struggling. More often than not, i lose the rig above the teaser, so poor fish, stuck on a hook tethered to a rock.  hope that helps.

i think im going to increase my leader to 30lbs im confident i can free it up.  but probably no more than that.

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I like winding it around the wood shampooer and letting the swell break the line.  But now that I'm usually in a hobie it's easy.  point rod at line to ease tension on rod, thumb down hard on spool, and pedal away.

I give mine 3-4 wraps around the Head and Scales shampoo loose enough that I can "reel" in some slack and once I'm over the snag tighten the wrap and put my hand in the water against the side of my yak in a fast motion on the bottom of the trough, then as I'm hitting the top of the swell pull fast straight up without leaning hard to keep from swimming. This was after my first ocean snag gave me a bath when it snapped on top of a swell while my meat crane was out to the side of the boat.... boat stayed upright but I rolled off on the back swing.

Great input, thank you all.  I think I'm going to lighten my leader just a tad until I've got a few more break offs under my belt. 

If you can't get it out and braking off is the only option, here's what I do.
Get directly over the snag.
Point the tip at the snag and reel down as far as possible with the drag as tight as can be so almost the entire rod is submerged.
Thumb the reel and either pull up or let the swell break you off.
20lb leader isn't that much. Balance yourself properly and either it will break off or line will still peel off the drag. Always point the rod at the snag. NEVER pull straight back like you are setting the hook. Only bad things will happen if you do.

My lightweight tackle is just that - light. So, from gear suitable for trout through LMB. I fish that horizontal presentation, no need to worry about snagging on rock. It mostly pulls through kelp.

My ling/bottom gear is heavy. Same stuff I used up in AK. 50-65 lb braid, 40 lb leader. The leader is short - 4 to 5 feet.  I went to it after something south of Pedro Point just blew away my light 30 braid/20 leader. Felt like the mother of all Cabezon, but who's to say???

I've rarely have a problem paddling back up drift, and yanking the crap out of the jig to free my self.  But when I do, I just reel in as tight as I can while drifting over the jig, with the rod vertical, then use the swell to get tighter yet. I use my fingers on the spool as a brake, and just keep building tension til "pop".  No fuss, no muss, no extra gear involved, no swimming...

But there was this one time, up in AK, when I wound up bringing up a rock the size of about 3/4 of a cinderblock. Lost it right at the boat though, doncha know...

Scott I can relate to those rocks in AK. On a drift at 225 feet two of us got two boulders up and on the boat. Must have been 20 pounds a piece. Had to throw them back because they weren't in the slot limit!!!

 Crash mentioned using a hard pedal forward on a Hobie to break off a snag. This is a very effective method as long as the rod tip is painted toward the stern. I use a couple of feet of 30 or 40 pound mono connected to a five foot shot of 80 pound mono connected to heavy braid and use the pedal method as well as rod pointed directly down with thumb on spool to break off. Lighter leader always breaks first. Just using 20 pound mono alone  can be a bitch to break especially when fishing deep. Too much stretch.

Or use a lure retiever. Or make something like this...

My lure retriever is named Big Jim......The only sure thing.


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