Breaking strain, hooklengths etc

I fished Lymm Dam on Tuesday and sometime in the afternoon I got snagged and had to pull for a break. The mainline snapped above the float leaving my float sat there as a warning to others. It'll no doubt be there for many years to come, along with the one in the trees on the opposite side and then there's the one - never mind, enough of my casting prowessmg: I'm just glad it didn't happen with a fish on.

Main line was Drennan Float Fish 4.4lb, hooklength Drennan Supplex Fluorocarbon 3.3lb so why did the main line break? Conventional wisdom says main line 1lb or 0.02 above the hooklength so that should be OK. The previous occasion I was fishing I was fishing at around 7'9" I think. On Tuesday it was about 44" and my suspicion is that despite only using No8 and 10s Stotz which I'm quite careful with, the line snapped where the previous days shot had been. I don't pinch them on any more than necessary and they're not holding the float in place, I use float stops and loaded floats. I won't be able to prove that unless I get the float and line back which is unlikely but it's my best guess. However, I still don't think it should have broken which got me thinking as to why.

The 1lb/0.02 difference was set in stone many years ago before the introduction of fluorocarbon lines. Nylon deteriorates/weakens with moisture absorption and heat. Had I been using nylon for both hooklength and main line they would both have deteriorated in much the same way and I'd still (it was really hot on Tuesday as if you need telling!) have something like the 1lb difference. A combination of extreme heat and moisture could weaken the line considerably, maybe as much as 20% which would reduce the main line strength to something like (Drennan stuff is usually fairly accurate) 3.5lb which is worryingly close to the 3.3lb hooklength. Add a few percent for shot damage and we're there.

The difference is that fluorocarbon doesn't deteriorate with moisture and from some rudimentary testing, isn't significantly affected by the sort of temperatures encountered in the way that nylon is.

Maybe we need a bigger safety margin when mixing line types. I've just respooled mine with 5lb Float Fish and hope it's enough.

Before anyone says - ahh, but main lines break above and hooklengths below the stated strengths. I'm aware of that and would suggest that the 1lb difference was arrived at by trial and error whearas in reality the difference is more like 1.5:2lb.

Just food for thought.

I use Drennan Supplex Flourocarbon and I find it amazingly strong for its stated b/s.

I have no idea if that was the reason in your case with a fairly low difference from main line to hooklength but I tend to go a bit wider on the margin when using flouro in general.

I'd agree with you generally Steve, it's strong stuff in comparison to some other brands. By and large I find Drennan line quite accurate but the last lot of Supplex FC I got broke at around 2.9lb. The previous lot would break at around 3.25lb and the diameter was/is different on the two spools. What I have found with fluorocarbon which is in contrast to nylon that the lb/mm^2 (tensile strength of the material) is very close across the range of gauges. If you measure the diameter and it's the same it will break at the same load. Tensile strength of nylon hooklengths vary considerably from gauge to gauge, even from the same brand.

A short piece of line will always be stronger than a long length. It may be me but when i used to use FC as a hook length, i found FC had the strength to cut though mono using loop to loop on a pull. I put this down to the hook length being shorter which meant less stretch than the main line. Today whatever hook length material i use i always use a micro swivel now. For me this has helped

I only ever tried loop to loop once and got a wind loop on the first retrieve. I've used a swivel ever since.

Interesting that the loop knot itself breaks with fluoro' to nylon. Short lengths are likely to be stronger but that might not be the reason for the breaks. I've found light gauge fluoro' to be really picky about knots. It's easy with a simple half blood but anything else I've tried seems a bit unpredictable. Maybe it's just not suited to the loop to loop connection being harder and stiffer?

Its always possible that a piece of line was damaged unnoticed prior to fishing. Maybe from a piece of vegetation on a previous outing.
As line is used the last portion tends to get discarded. Maybe that place where the line broke was lower down before and nicked something on the bankside or underwater or caught around a reel handle or spool.
In any case "sh*t happens as they say"

john step said:

Its always possible that a piece of line was damaged unnoticed prior to fishing. Maybe from a piece of vegetation on a previous outing.

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I would say that this is the most likely explanation, its why I now always strip some line off after fishing is finished and sometimes during if I change float or hook length for example.

thecrow said:

I would say that this is the most likely explanation, its why I now always strip some line off after fishing is finished and sometimes during if I change float or hook length for example.

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Me too. I always discard all the line below the upper lock shot on waggler for example. Thats one advantage of buying bulk line and having to renew and top up frequently. I wont mention the S word incase it starts another line war.:wh

I have done myself sometimes but tend not to if fishing deep but will in the future, sod the expense.

While I know many like Float Fish, I used it last year and found it fragile. Buy that I mean it gets damaged far to easy, say compared to Sensor. Moving shot or even a float makes its curl and fray, a nice line for float fishing when brand new, I've now changed over to another brand. Your own experience is very valuable and we can all learn from it.

Rich.

I would always trim a foot minimum above the float,makes of line are always down to preference,I find the occurrence galling,as I often use hooklink line over the breaking strain of my mainline,half a pound ish,this always breaks before the mainline,mainly due to the much shorter length imo.

****y123 said:

While I know many like Float Fish, I used it last year and found it fragile. Buy that I mean it gets damaged far to easy, say compared to Sensor. Moving shot or even a float makes its curl and fray, a nice line for float fishing when brand new, I've now changed over to another brand. Your own experience is very valuable and we can all learn from it.

Rich.

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I have some Sensor on order to give it a try. How does Sensor sink when say compared to Maxima? One of the reasons I don't use Maxima is that once it's had a good soaking it sinks like a brick which can pull the float towards you if fishing at distance in deep water. This is on stillwaters by the way. I also fish a slider from time to time so if it's not too soft it helps.

i agree with previous posts that you dont know what snags the line has caught on under the water when playing a fish, the slightest nick can severely weaken it, ive never been a big fan of drennan line, i think it breaks too easily. someone suggested i try Dip cromium pro which is low diameter high breaking strain so i bought some on ebay, just waiting to spool it up on my next rod n line outing

wetthrough said:

I have some Sensor on order to give it a try. How does Sensor sink when say compared to Maxima? One of the reasons I don't use Maxima is that once it's had a good soaking it sinks like a brick which can pull the float towards you if fishing at distance in deep water. This is on stillwaters by the way. I also fish a slider from time to time so if it's not too soft it helps.

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I find sensor to be a pain on still waters as it floats and i've gott'a keep sinking it. If you can cope with having to sink it you may like it.

tigger said:

I find sensor to be a pain on still waters as it floats and i've gott'a keep sinking it. If you can cope with having to sink it you may like it.

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I always carry that old standby with me in the reel case. A container of weak washing up liquid. I dont know if it shortens the life of the line but it makes it sink when required and in any case the line gets changed often enough not to bother about it.

I find sensor always sinks when used for feeder fishing!

mikench said:

I find sensor always sinks when used for feeder fishing!

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Yeaph,legering isn't a problem Mike.
Neither is it when float fishing really, it can just get a little annoying having to sink it every cast, that's if you want to sink it. When there's no tow on the water or wind to speak of I let mine lay on the surface....i'd class that as a floating line but many people think it isn't floating when it doesn't sink...? mg:

tigger said:

I find sensor to be a pain on still waters as it floats and i've gott'a keep sinking it. If you can cope with having to sink it you may like it.

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I have not found a mono that does not need help to sink it.
Like someone else said washing up liquid watered down is what i use.

I do the same so sinking it might not be a problem. Always have a small bottle of dilute Fairy liquid with me. I tried Aldi stuff once and it caused a real frap up. The Aldi stuff goes gummy after a while and I suspect several coils came off the reel at once as they'd stuck together.