Lures chewed off again. What to do?

[poiu]

Originally Posted by Ribbit

7 - 9 knots is a lot of pressure for trolling. Also, are you setting the drag in the reel low enough? Inexperienced fishermen tend to set the drag so there is fully locked drag, so the forces with a fast hit have nowhere to go.

The local trout fishery has superb fish, and the owner put in a 24lb rainbow for entertainment purposes. When that thing took your fly, it would cruise around in 'bada$$ mode' for a bit showing off, and 10lb - 15lb fish were jumping out of the water to get out of its way.

Then when it had had enough fun playing with you, it would step up a few gears and take off like a dragster, and even when you knew that move was going to come, and prepared accordingly, with loads of line off the reel ready to feed smoothly, it'd smash your leader like it was rotten cotton thread (even twice its weight breaking strain).

Impressive fish, when you first got into it, it would rise in the water, and it was like an elevator coming up, even the surface of the water used to rise up out of its way.

I think it finally ended up dying of old age.

As for hooks, I can confirm they don't seem to trouble the fish at all. At the same place with the big rainbow, I got into a really fit 3.5lb fish on my little Berkley Phaser (a pencil thin graphite rod with a terrific action and sensitivity), and it took over 50 minutes to land it.

That fish had 5 or 6 flies in its mouth (can't remember which, but I was surprised), mostly the big lure type flies. Didn't trouble it a bit. I've had others with less in their mouth, but also with heavily deteriorated lures in their guts on their way out of their system too.

So I suppose the takeaway is with the drag not set correctly to 'give' on a strike, and allow you to play the fish, and at the speed the boat is going, it doesn't take a shark to smash your leader (a shark hit can break surprising things - a guy in Eire on the West Coast - going back a few decades - used to try and catch one that was in his area, and it broke so much of his tackle, he tried a telegraph pole as a rod, and the shark smashed that as well).

If it's for the table, I'd beef things up considerably with a hand line. Three strand nylon anchor rode with a good stretch could act as a shock absorber, and be comfortable - relatively - to handle, and put a steel leader onto that perhaps? Go a bit slower and the results could improve dramatically.

I'll never forget a great uncle using one of the heavy monofilament handlines on his boat, and he got into a massive Pollock. Even with gloves on, that thing was a nightmare to get into the boat - the boat was a 16ft by a touch over 6 ft beam. Once dispatched, it's head hung over one side, and the tail hung over the other (should have weighed and photographed the thing, but it was filleted and in the freezer before we thought about it). Memorable trip that was, my grandfather got seasick and his false teeth went in as extra groundbait - seems they worked.

So be careful how you handle hand lines, you can easily do some serious damage to your hands with them.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I suspect the drag is ok. It is stiff, maybe a few lbs of pull, when set and the line always runs out a while before it breaks. It isn't the shock that is breaking the leader as its breaking strain is 140 lbs, but the line, which doesn't break is only rated at 40 lbs. the leader it is being cut/chewed through.

Interesting re the hooks and great tales.

What! - fishing with a telegraph pole and using anchor rode as line. I must have heard it all by now....

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by poiu

What! - fishing with a telegraph pole and using anchor rode as line. I must have heard it all by now....

It might have been the 1960's, but there was big coverage over here in the Angler's Mail, of the guy in Ireland's attempts to catch that shark.

I think he gave up after it smashed the telegraph pole, as anything that could do that, I don't think he wanted out of the water alongside him.

[zeehag]

use 100 pound test blue braided line n deep 2ater lure rigged with leader. . i am using heavy transparent plastic leader with decent luck. also pay attention.
i had to resort to use of hand line as rod n reel kept losing fish n breaking under load. fts. food fishing with hand line 100 pound test, a deepwater lure color silver or dorado color or flying fish color. affix to shrouds if ketch and include slipknot to set hook and tattle on fish on. hand over hand make that fish breathe air n bring dinner on boat carefly. i donot use gaff but reach low to bring up with 2 hands.
yummmmm

[poiu]

Originally Posted by zeehag

use 100 pound test blue braided line n deep 2ater lure rigged with leader. . i am using heavy transparent plastic leader with decent luck. also pay attention.
i had to resort to use of hand line as rod n reel kept losing fish n breaking under load. fts. food fishing with hand line 100 pound test, a deepwater lure color silver or dorado color or flying fish color. affix to shrouds if ketch and include slipknot to set hook and tattle on fish on. hand over hand make that fish breathe air n bring dinner on boat carefly. i donot use gaff but reach low to bring up with 2 hands.
yummmmm

I wonder if a plastic leader wouldn't be easier to cut than my steel one?

Using a hand line seems popular. I have one, but find it a pain to pull in 100m of thin slippy monofilament and not too safe. A reel is more comfortable for me, but I can see braid would work better.

[belizesailor]

Something is not right here. Thats awfully heavy leader to get "chewed" thru. Looks very twisted and abraded. How are you terminating the leader at the lure and and at its connection to the main line?

Looks like you could have a twisting issue to me. If you run the lure just a bit behind the boat where you can see it, is it running true (not spinning)?

Any idea what kind of fishing you are hooking when this happens?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by poiu

I wonder if a plastic leader wouldn't be easier to cut than my steel one?

Using a hand line seems popular. I have one, but find it a pain to pull in 100m of thin slippy monofilament and not too safe. A reel is more comfortable for me, but I can see braid would work better.

Careful working braided line by hand too, it can easily cut you badly...more so than mono or wire.

[SailRedemption]

Originally Posted by poiu

That's reassuring about the rusting. I'm going to not look to argue against it.

Are you saying to use a braid as the trace line? Is it more tooth resistant?

I have caught plenty of nice fish at those speeds, so I know it doesn't deter them, but I wonder if there a minimum speed that sharks will hunt at?

I find the braid holds up well even after being gnawed on or rubbed against the hull or the like.

Originally Posted by poiu

I use a rod and reel and do end up with heavy drag. Usually the line will run out as the fish dives with the lure, then I tighten the drag to prevent it running all out, so it then ends up heavy and then reel in. Is this wrong?

Sounds good to me. I have had be tuna hit my lure when casting at work and my line would pop. What I think was happening was(besides too small of line and/or possibly bad batch) was that my drag was set a little too stiff and the line was getting buried into the drum on my reel and locking up.

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Careful working braided line by hand too, it can easily cut you badly...more so than mono or wire.

This is true, use gloves.

See more @ redemptiverepair.com

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by poiu

Thanks.

300kg! That's a big game fish line strength isn't it? I suppose you must be using small lures to limit your catch size?

I guess 100kg trace wire should be tougher to bite through than 2 x 70kg, so I could look to get some.

I think what limits the size of fish we catch is the hooks and split rings on the lures. As I said we do get broken or straightened hooks from time to time.

The 300kg VB cord is really just to try to prevent lures breaking off. We don't want 300kg fish! Or even 1/6 of that.

It's also pretty easy to handle. We don't use rods either though.(When trolling.)

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by poiu

I use a rod and reel and do end up with heavy drag. Usually the line will run out as the fish dives with the lure, then I tighten the drag to prevent it running all out, so it then ends up heavy and then reel in. Is this wrong?

I think that's correct. Plan for the drag to pretty tight for most fish you will hook. These will quickly wind up on the surface where you can easily drag them in. The larger fish will sound and strip out line. Not being able or willing to stop your vessel, you need to expect to lose the big ones. I assume you use a gaff to land anything for the freezer.

On the issue of hooks, steel or galvanized steel corrode rather quickly from the salt and the fish's body fluids/slime. I am told SS hooks corrode too but much more slowly. If you want to be sporty, use barbless hooks.

I have heard tales of towing generators being taken at night, presumably by sharks. Big lure, like a giant jitterbug.

[Terra Nova]

OP--you're using way way way too light a line and leader. Better to use heavy hand line with shock cord and a heavy braided wire leader.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Something is not right here. Thats awfully heavy leader to get "chewed" thru. Looks very twisted and abraded. How are you terminating the leader at the lure and and at its connection to the main line?

Looks like you could have a twisting issue to me. If you run the lure just a bit behind the boat where you can see it, is it running true (not spinning)?

Any idea what kind of fishing you are hooking when this happens?

Looking at the line with a strong magnifying glass shows more a cut. Not a twist, stretch or abrasion damage. Also, the plastic wire coating has the appearance of being cut first and teeth scraping it down, then cutting through the wire.

The lure is terminated at the hook with a loop and crimp. Ditto at the other end, or if double wire, then just a bend. A swivel goes on the end of the line.

I have no idea whatsoever what fish are taking my lures. I would love to see what is going on.

I should check for twisting, but the line reels in fine, so I doubt it is a problem. I'll be back out in 4 weeks. Will try again.

[bobnlesley]

[QUOTE=... using small lures to limit your catch size?...[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't bank on that! Having suffered the same problem as the OP - the Cuban and Bahamian Barracuda(?) decimated our onboard lure and wire leader supplies - we bought some 240lb, single strand leader wire and 180lb line for our Alvey reel in Fort Lauderdale; two days later, whilst trawling a couple of 3" plastic squids and a wooden 3" fish lure, we tagged a Black Marlin, whereupon the big question that arose was exactly who had caught whom? The reel and whole rear goalpost/pushpit were shaking and shuddering and the stern slewing sideways by the time I grabbed a knife and cut the line! I guess it did prove that our 'over-sized' line and trace set up worked though.

[Capn Jimbo]

Best advice you've gotten so far is to lighten the drag and the impact. This is an impact break. Once hooked you can then stall the boat and tighten up.

[guyrj33]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Something is not right here. Thats awfully heavy leader to get "chewed" thru. Looks very twisted and abraded. How are you terminating the leader at the lure and and at its connection to the main line?

Looks like you could have a twisting issue to me. If you run the lure just a bit behind the boat where you can see it, is it running true (not spinning)?

Any idea what kind of fishing you are hooking when this happens?

I have very little fishing experience, but I was thinking the same thing the damage looks more like twisting than cutting.

[Symphony]

just have to say - Great bunch of posts here. I've learned a lot, better than a book.