Between fishing sessions I like to buy fishing magazines and if I really need a fix one of the weeklies.

When reading these it seems to me that 90% of the rigs published use a hook length of a higher breaking strain than that of the main line.

When I started fishing I was taught to always use a hook length of a lower BS so that in the event that you had to pull for a break or were broken by the fish all that was left on the bottom (baited) or in a fish was your hook length.

This was brought to light this weekend when I was fishing straight through and became snagged on a sunken reed bed at my feet. I had to pull for a break and the line parted between the second and third rod rings. I attempted to minimise the line left to the hook.

It got me thinking.....

If the hook length is of say, 25lb BS and the mainline of 12lb, where does the line part if the lead becomes snagged?

If this then leaves a baited hook on a popular bolt rig set up with how much line attached???

I have on occasion been snagged on someone else's line and luckily retrieved some 20 yds of line and baited hook.

Now add lead core into the equation which is generally in the 45lb BS range.

I'm not knocking modern rigs. In fact I think some of them are pure genius. This one has just got me thinking.

Does anyone have any views on this or is it just me?

I always thought it was a daft idea to have a higher breaking stain hooklength to mainline. But it MUST be right if the Carp lads say so. I think not.

Personally I always use a lighter bs hooklength if I am fishing snaggy waters.

I've found that often high tec hook length lines snap at lower breaking strain than the one stated on the spool. So this could explain why some anglers use hook lengths which appear to be stronger than the main line.

For floatfishing when talking about lines down in the 2-3 lb breaking strains then reel lines tend to be UNDERSTATED ie 2lb Maxima breaks at 2-13, and high tec hook links over stated so one with 2-10 on it will break at 2lb so whilst theoretically fishing with a stronger hook link it isn't actually the case.

But the carp rigs described clearly have hook links of much higher breaking strain and that must be for a purpose - abrasion resistance, or getting the link to sit hard on the bottom but the disadvantage of breakages leaving the rig in the water must out weigh this. There are other ways to get the rig to sit tight to the bottom without a link much stronger than the main line and perhaps it is the responsibility of the magazine editors to pull up their contributors on this? I'm with Baz on this one.

This is a thorny subject, but I'll try and answer because in certain situations I use a heavier hooklink.

The biggest risk seems to be that of trailing mainline. My opinion is that the weakpoint on the mainline is where it joins the swivel (used in many modern carp and barbel rigs) and therefore break at the knot. In the case of an underwater snag, you may well end up trainling mainline regardless of whether the hooklink is stronger or not.

If the angler is using a running or helicopter rig then a snagged hooklink should leave the hook, bait, hooklink, swivel and a bead.

A lead clip system would leave a clip, tail rubber and lead instead of the bead. A working leadclip system should ditch the lead, should it become snagged and a fish pull the other end.

In theory there's very little difference, in my mind between a fish towing around a hooklink or a hooklink complete with swivel and bead, or swivel and leadclip.

I feel the real danger lies with people using death rigs where the lead will remain attached to the rig after a breakage, or when people fail to spot damaged mainline. The commonly used loop to loop feeder rig is a great example of an unsafe rig.

And of course there are those anglers out there who fail to understand how their rigs are supposed to work. People glueing the loops on leadcore, or pushing tail rubbers too fair onto a lead clip and so on are potentially doing damage to the fish and to the reputation of anglers who use these systems in a safe manner.

I often use 25lb coated hooklengths when barbelling in snaggy rivers because they are less likely to break due to abrasion. In fact I’ve never had one break on a fish, but I have had many mono or fluorocarbon hooklinks go. I don’t like losing fish and I don’t like leaving hooks in them.

A similar situation lies within pike angling and yet it is never questioned. How many pike anglers use a mainline of say, 12lb, but a wire trace of a higher breaking strain? Of course the wire trace is a requirement to prevent the pike biting through the line.

Using very heavy mainline is not an option. Imagine trying to pull for a break with 30lb mainline after casting into a far bank tree, or trying to hold bottom at 30 yards on a big river.

I think that each item of tackle is part of a system and should be chosen very carefully to aid the catching of fish while keeping fish safety very much in mind.

Matt you have a valid point.
What does worry me are the people you describe as those who don't understand their rigs.
I believe education is the key. However how can this be achieved?
Personally I was introduced to fishing by my relatives at a young age and didn't go fishing on my own until I was 16, 8 years later.
I now see parents dropping their kids off early morning to fish and picking them up at dusk (where does a fishery's 3rd party liability stand on this?).
Golf courses have a club pro to give lessons and to preserve the conditions of the course. Could fisheries do the same?
I know there are some coaches that post on here so it must happen on some waters.
With constant press coverage of fish theft, cormorant and now otter (?) predation, what is the point of protecting fish stocks if they are put in danger by the ill informed angler?
I'm sure this has been tackled many times on this website.

One one hand, the learning process is part of the fun of fishing. I love the fact that no matter how much I learn about fishing in my lifetime, I'll never know it all.

On the other hand, we all make mistakes. I know I have. It's a good thing that those new to fishing are less likely to come into contact with that many fish (commercials excepted).

The best we can hope for is that more 'educated' anglers will help others. There are often magazine articles that try to get the 'fish safety' message across.

I've not been fishing anywhere near as long as some of people on this site, but it does seem to me that fish safety is much higher up the agenda than it was when I wa a kid.

Maybe I'm being old beyond my years.
I too have made regretable mistakes on the bank.
The main thing is to learn from them.
I'm sure we all have a few skeletons.
I remember using a cheap pike trace, hooking a good double and loosing it when the snap link opened like a paper clip leaving the pike with the lure.
Having bought the trace from a tackle shop I assumed the connections were as good as the stated breaking strain.
I have learnt from this and now make all my own traces using top quality components, but the thought of that fish is still with me. If I had known the gear was innapropriate I would not have used it.
The worst thing is that I informed the shop staff and they still sell the said traces.
At the moment education is in the hands of experienced anglers when they see bad practice. But is this always safe to do so? I fish on my own 99% of the time and I don't think I would always feel safe to intervene.

I too lost a good double figure pike, on a plug last season, also because the swivel opened up. Now use a completely different type of locking swivel. I wish I knew what they were called so I could recommend them.

I'm not too comfortable about approaching other anglers either, but now and then I am asked for advice while out on the bank and it's nice to help. Most people are open to ideas.

Of course there are people out there who don't care, but they exist as a minority of all walks of life.

Berkeley Crossloks are excellent. The design means it pulls itself closed, rather than open, when pressure is applied.

I use end tackle from yhe fox stable. Mainly becuse local tackle shops stock it above most other brands but it hasn't let me down yet.

I use 50 or 65lbs line for most of my fishing, so I can normally straighten the hooks I use with a straight pull on a snag.

12lbs line's not much use for pike fishing, minimum of 15 if you use mono, better still 18 or 20lbs for a bit more safety margin.

I think the reason behind the stronger hooklenghth is that it will always break at the knot provided you dont fish straight through and have a knot the line will break at the knot also if you use a double overhand loop to a figure of eight loop the double overhand will fail first 99% of the time

I'm not convinced that a knot will drop a breaking strain by up to 50% in the case of say 25lb braid hooklength and 12lb mono mainline. If it did then what is the point of the knot.
I just can't see it in my mind's eye so I think I will stick to what makes more sense to me.
That to me is what fishing is all about, fishing for yourself but not at the expense of the quarry.