Can you break off 50lb mono (even on land?)

I got a newell 533 (wahoo casting reel) to play with a while back and first i did the whole tani-treatment myself, replaced drags, lubed every screw hole, popped bearing shields off and filled with corrosion-X. just this weekend, spooled some 60lb spectra backing and a 50lb mono topshot to test it out a bit.

Then  I grabbed my 9' long cabelas dispsey diver trolling rod, tied on a skateboard wheel (62mm 95 durometer BDS  ) and went out in the street to try casting it. Wow, that skateboard wheel went a long way! so cool! and no birdsnest, a true miracle. That rod might not be a true wahoo casting rod, but it felt pretty darn good and I'm sure would do in a pinch.

Then I was wondering how strong that 50lb mono is and tied off to my truck. I tried to break it off but damned if I could not hold the spool stationary and break it off. I cranked the drag down but that would be an insane amount of drag lockdown pressure to be able break off 50lb that way.

I guess I'd have to wrap it around something like the reel itself or a gaff handle or something, to be able to break it off.

Now I have to figure out some way to actually use this reel someday...

I got a newell 533 (wahoo casting reel) to play with a while back and first i did the whole tani-treatment myself, replaced drags, lubed every screw hole, popped bearing shields off and filled with corrosion-X. just this weekend, spooled some 60lb spectra backing and a 50lb mono topshot to test it out a bit.

Then  I grabbed my 9' long cabelas dispsey diver trolling rod, tied on a skateboard wheel (62mm 95 durometer BDS  ) and went out in the street to try casting it. Wow, that skateboard wheel went a long way! so cool! and no birdsnest, a true miracle. That rod might not be a true wahoo casting rod, but it felt pretty darn good and I'm sure would do in a pinch.

Then I was wondering how strong that 50lb mono is and tied off to my truck. I tried to break it off but damned if I could not hold the spool stationary and break it off. I cranked the drag down but that would be an insane amount of drag lockdown pressure to be able break off 50lb that way.

I guess I'd have to wrap it around something like the reel itself or a gaff handle or something, to be able to break it off.

Now I have to figure out some way to actually use this reel someday...

John
I hooked up to a huge fish outside of Santa Cruz one time on 50 lb test and big 5/0 hooks. We were on a 23' boat and I had a 5' heavy boat rod. This fish towed us up and down the coast for about and hour and the hook finally got loose. The line did not break! I will never use 50 lb test again!

Yeah........it's those good knots......versus those bad knots.

I have what I call my "trout reel" and for years now I've loaded
the spool with 2# line.   No complaints, no lost fish.

According to legend, you can land any fish whose weight is up to 5-times
your line test.     That's not counting the kind of weeds you encounter bass fishing.

Judd

Any line over 12-15# is hard to break on land unless its on a heavier rated rod.

John I have the 533-5.5 for Wahoo, they can snip your line like scissors if not hooked in the jaw(at $12 each). There is always a big controversy over straight tie mono or wire leader on a wahoo jig. The theory is mono gets bit more but cuts off easier.

Up here I do use short 50# leaders and lighter mainline for big toothy fish(got sawed off on 40#). That way you have abrasion resistance for a swallowed lure and the ability to break off a snag.

I got a newell 533 (wahoo casting reel) to play with a while back and first i did the whole tani-treatment myself, replaced drags, lubed every screw hole, popped bearing shields off and filled with corrosion-X. just this weekend, spooled some 60lb spectra backing and a 50lb mono topshot to test it out a bit.

Then  I grabbed my 9' long cabelas dispsey diver trolling rod, tied on a skateboard wheel (62mm 95 durometer BDS  ) and went out in the street to try casting it. Wow, that skateboard wheel went a long way! so cool! and no birdsnest, a true miracle. That rod might not be a true wahoo casting rod, but it felt pretty darn good and I'm sure would do in a pinch.

Then I was wondering how strong that 50lb mono is and tied off to my truck. I tried to break it off but damned if I could not hold the spool stationary and break it off. I cranked the drag down but that would be an insane amount of drag lockdown pressure to be able break off 50lb that way.

I guess I'd have to wrap it around something like the reel itself or a gaff handle or something, to be able to break it off.

Now I have to figure out some way to actually use this reel someday...

You might want to just keep it in your truck and use it as a winch 

"Now I have to figure out some way to actually use this reel someday..."
Fisherman's Warehouse of Fresno is now booking for a 6-day trip in late September of "09" aboard the Intrepid 
Eric

"Now I have to figure out some way to actually use this reel someday..."
Fisherman's Warehouse of Fresno is now booking for a 6-day trip in late September of "09" aboard the Intrepid 
Eric

something like that is the eventual plan. The reel is pretty light @ 21 ounces, you could use it on the yak for pelagics too I'm sure.

Shim, I got the 4.6 rather than 5.5 gears.   36" of retrieve vs 44", well, I guess I just have to wind faster if I am really going for wahoo or hope for a slower one,  .  Based on my experiences with big atlantic barracuda I would use a short (9" or less) length of wire if I get my shot at wahoo.  I do use 40lb leaders quite a bit for abrasion resistance on 30lb spectra and have no problem breaking off either the abraded leader, or if it has to be, the mainline.

I was just surprised I could not lock the spool with my thumbs enough to break off that mono. I can do that easily with 30lb spectra on the yak, but could not break off 50lb mono on land? well, maybe that mono is very conservatively rated. just goes to show why it's worth testing the rigging in the front yard before you end up attached to an angry fish in the water.

Don't burn up your thumbs J. Cut about a foot of slack, with your left hand.....or your right hand if you fish those backwards reels.....make one or two wraps around the reel frame and your locked down. You can pop the line with a little thumb pressure and no drag adjustments.   

Unless its IGFA rated line the breaking point is always above the stated line strength. P-line original was always way over, I think the 20lb was more like 45 and it stretched like crazy.   

Don't burn up your thumbs J. Cut about a foot of slack, with your left hand.....or your right hand if you fish those backwards reels.....make one or two wraps around the reel frame and your locked down. You can pop the line with a little thumb pressure and no drag adjustments.   

Unless its IGFA rated line the breaking point is always above the stated line strength. P-line original was always way over, I think the 20lb was more like 45 and it stretched like crazy.   

Thats a very good point, some lines are rated incredibly low for their actual breaking strength. Izor and Maxima are good examples vs something like the old P-line. I usually mic. my mono for comparison.

I've said this before, but a long time ago.
I guess it's worth repeating.

With heavy Mono there's an important issue:

You can't cut it with a knife to save your life....literally.

If you become entangled in heavy Mono and attempt to cut free with a knife, you will be unable to do so.

Consider:    All knife-blades are a "wedge" leading to the sharp edge.

Bring the edge to heavy mono with cutting pressure, and even as the blade bites into the mono, the pressure of the cut presses the mono away.

Now visualize:   The actual "sharp part" of a knife's cutting edge is way-less than 1/10,000th thick.

That is...in back of the SHARP EDGE is only the inactive thickness of the blade.

So in your visualization picture.......that the blade will bite into the heavy monofiliment line.......and that line correspondingly will deflected away from the cutting pressure (under the effort to perform cutting).....AND AS IT DOES...!!!!.... the ALREADY CUT EDGES of the monofiliment pinch the blade, REARWARD, of the cutting edge.

The harder you PRESS to perform cutting, the more tightly the "cut portion" of the line pinches BACK onto the bevel of the blade......which-action prevents further cutting.

So you see, a knife cannot be used to "cut free" from heavy monofiliment line entanglement.

Scissors, of course, work like a dream.

In every single venue where a knife might be used by a fisherman (except filleting) scissors are more effective than a knife.

Judd

internethyperanalyzationism.

I think its more likely that a person in danger would grab the knife with one hand and use the other to pull the mono over the blade or slash through it. My dive knife serves this exact function, the serrated edge will cut through mono like butter, the fat stuff too.

I'd use needle nose or dikes before a pair of scissors.  My $.02

Al is right on. When under tension, mono cuts easily and a serrated knife will chop it in an instant. And by the way so does kernmantle climbing rope but those are stories from another chapter in my life.

I have not had a problem breaking lines--you just wrap them around something that doesn't compress. I was able to break a 300# anchor line by cinching it down on the boat with my weight over it on the fore and then moving to the aft to lift the fore up--used the boat's mass and it snapped like a twig.

LOL, jwsmith, I think you should sharpen your knife occasionally. 

I can shave with any of the knives I carry.
My WARNING stands:  No "knife(**)" will cut heavy mono.

(**)...."serrated knives".....are not knives, they are modified saws.
They are extremely functional...I've tried them.
But I'd never own one....there's no way to properly sharpen one.

My WARNING is directed to ANYONE carrying a conventional knife:
If you become entangled in heavy mono, your knife will not cut you free.
For explanation of the mechanics, why this is so, read my post above.
If you doubt this warning, whip out some 60# mono and see how it goes.

Those of you who DO carry serrated knives....don't deny my warning; you might be killing a fellow.    Wouldn't want that.

Judd

jwsmith

I don't know what kind of knife you have but my swiss army pocket knife can (I just did it) cut through 50# mono like butter. And I'd dare to put my life in between against a 60# test.