Trace failure

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James stewart

Guest
Gentlemen.
Yesterday I had a Pike of approx 10lb lost due to trace breaking ..right at the side of the boat.
The trace had been freshly made up , this is the second failure in three weeks.
Prior to this I have had no problems in the past 7 years.
(If anyone is interested mail me and I will let the sender know the name of the brand used).
Loosing the fish is not the issue...a fish with two size 6's (semi-barbed ) attached to its jaw is.....this not being a regular occurance you can understand how vexed I am.
Can anyone recommend based on their own direct / first hand experiences a good brand of trace wire.... ?
Whilst I would not consider myself an inexperienced Pike Angler I placed this posting so as to get a good picture of what is on the market and how widely products are used...and with what results by anglers who use them.
The trace wire I was using is a well known brand name.,..it parted company at the eye of the second hook. (The fish was hooked in the scissors ..one hook in situ).
On examination of the trace from swivel to break the wire was intact and was not kinked in any way...the fish had not rolled on the trace and prior to use no damege oor weakness w as evident...it would not have been in the water had that been the case.
Presntly I am "in the market" for a more user friendly product...if anyone can recommend a good based on their own experiences I would take on board the sum of all advice communicated.
 
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Eric Edwards

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What breaking strain was the wire James?
I don't use less than 28lbs bs unless there are exceptional circumstances and my traces never break whatever the make.

Eric
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
Best I've used are:

Fox Easy Twist - the 30lb is strong and fairly fine diameter. Avoid the 20lb whatever you do as it kinks up to bits.

ET 49-Strand - a bit thicker but seriously durable stuff and virtually kink-proof.
 
T

Tim Kelly

Guest
If the wire was Fox easy twist in 20lb, it's fairly well known for being unreliable. The 30lb is fine though. As Eric said, use relatively heavy wire. The Drennan 28lb 7strand or plastic coated are fine, as is the Fox 30 and Terry Eustace 30. If you are twisting the wire and heating the tag end to make it twist better be very carefull. Make sure that only the last 1/4" of the wire gets hot or else the whole trace will be weak.

Tim
 
D

Del Jarman

Guest
Eric, you forgot to say you only catch tiddlers:..o

Del
 
C

Carp Angler

Guest
Does everyone make their own traces?

I only pike fish very occasionally and usually buy ready made traces, are these the same as carp rigs, in as much as they are OK but very expensive?

I used to make my own traces from wire when I eel fished a lot, these were 28lb, 7 strand Drennan and they were crimped using the correct Drennan crimp, but only with a single hook and I didn't have the difficulty of attaching a second hook.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
It's easy - just use the knotless knot to attach both hooks and cover it with silicone or a bit of shrink tube. Avoids the need for crimps, twists etc so all you have to worry about is the swivel at the top of it.

I used the Fox 20lb wire a couple of times. It kinked up after every fish and the final straw was when it broke when I was unhooking a fish - I just pulled it tight to turn the hooks out and it broke.

Last season a mate who used it went to chin a fish. He grabbed the trace to steer it towards him, it shook its head and the wire broke.

I'm surprised they still market the stuff.

I've gone right off these thin wires. They can cut into fish like cheesewire, you should see some of the zander you get up here with great lines in their heads, bits of fins missing etc.

Problem with them is they shake around like mad when they're on the end and they often roll on the trace or get it caught round a fin etc - fine wires cut into them no end.

Another wire which is quite good is that Middy Seven Strand stuff, it's quite stiff so it's top for paternostering lives.
 
R

Rob Brownfield

Guest
I used to use 30lb Marlin Steel...wonderful stuff...but i cant get it anymore (anyone help?) the Drennen 28lb stuff is reliable as old boots...and the Fox Soft Steel in 20lb has done well for me. I use this for Fly fishing and dead baits on waters with loads of small fish. The reason is that is does not seem to kink, only seems to go a little curly....and u can pull most of the curls out. Seems to be tuff stuff and because its not too thin, it does not cut in libe some lower breaking strain traces do.

I have only had one trace break, and that was Drennen 15 pound stuff...and that was years ago.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Back to Rik's original question I suspect you get what you pay for. There are some dreadful-looking ones lurking on tackle shop shelves - wire too short, thick barbed hooks etc. I expect rigs made by people like Partridge, who make top hooks, are probably ok.

It must cost an arm and a leg though. You can easily get through three or four traces in a day, esp if the jacks are going mad.
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
C.A. I used to buy Kamasan ready tied traces, but on two occasions the top treble came off the trace (attatched with a seperate small loop of wire and a crimp). After that I started to make my own with Fox Wire.

Rob, A small tackle shop in Glasgow used to make their own traces with Marlin steel, don't know if they still do but might be worth a call.

Angler's Rendezvous
18 Saltmarket
Gasgow
G1

0141-552-4662
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
That method of attaching the top hook via a couple of inches of separate wire is asking for trouble.
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Chris, I agree however when people are just starting out in pike fishing they are advised to use ready made traces, you would expect the quality to be profesional from a company like the one I mentioned, this is what I did and as I said the results were unacceptable. I don't even use crimps now as I've no faith in them.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Crimps are ok as long as you don't ask too much of them.

Hitch the wire through the eye of the hook or swivel first, pull it tight and all you're asking the crimp to do is keep the loose ends neatly together.
 
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Stuart Johnson

Guest
I buy ready made rigs also. But I am now going to make my own. One question I have is, what should the distance be between the top an bottom treble. I know it should depend on the size of bait you are using , but there must be a good average. I do remember someone writing that the maximum should be 3ins. So what do you guys reccomend
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Depends, I wouldn't go much over three or four ins and I suspect I probably use bigger baits than a lot of people.

The danger is you'll end up with a hook near the bait's head, which makes it easier to deep hook fish as they swallow baits down head-first.

With deads the bottom hook, the one in the flank doesn't want to be much further forward than the dorsal fin. That way it sould be in the pike's mouth as soon as it picks your bait up, but it won't ge down its throat as soon as it starts to turn and swallow the bait.
 
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Carp Angler

Guest
Any recommendation on the easiest wire to start on and also any particular brand of hooks?
 
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Steve Burke

Guest
I haven't seen the ET 49 strand wire from Relum, but if it's anything like the Wonder Wire I introduced before I retired from Caliber it should be very kink-resistant and reliable.

Wonder Wire was more expensive per metre, but we found that in the long run it worked out cheaper than 7 strand wires as it lasted very much longer, with one trace catching many fish before it needed replacing.

You could knot it using a 2 to 4 turn untucked half blood knot depending on the breaking strain. The secret to prevent the end curling was to pull on the short, tag end of the wire, not on the trace itself.

Wonder Wire was also much more supple than 7 strand wires, making it especially suitable for species like perch and zander.

The ET wire may of course be different, but the above may help anyone who buys it now that the remaining stocks of Wonder Wire in the shops have probably nearly all gone. However, I do know Andy Lush at the Friendly Fisherman still had some recently in 15, 25 & 40lbs b.s.

When it comes to crimping we found when making up ready-tied traces for the trade that it helped to squeeze the crimp in 2 places using a slightly longer crimp than normal.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I think it's better than Caliber, as it's much smoother and tougher, albeit for a slight sacrifice in diameter.

I think the 24lb Wonderwire seemed to cut fish up more than Fox - maybe because it was a bit rougher to the touch.

Best wire/hooks to start on - try Fox Easy Twist in 30lb BS, tough, workable and cheap.

Kamasan Pike Trebles are a strong, reliable hook - I use them in 6s and 8s for lives and smaller deadbaits.

Otherwise Partridge Z3s or Extra Strong.

If you want to crimp the traces, the finest Drennan slim crimps are the right size.

Hitch the wire round the eye of the swivel or treble first. If you tighten carefully - both trace and tag end - all the crimp has to do is keep the loose ends tight.


Swivels I'd go for Berkeleys or American crane ones, 40 or 70lb BS.
 
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