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[JBB]

I was at the Stave yesterday and the chums ( stale bucks for the most part ) were breaking my leaders. I was using up to 20lb. maxima and they were usually broken off at the knot. What would you suggest for either fly lines or casting using jigs ? Thanks

[Fish or cut bait.]

Better knots.
Check your leader after every fish.
12- 15 lb should be good bit I do notice a lot of folk try to horse them in too early (before they're tired)
Don't over play it but be sure it's calmed down a bit.

[Damien]

Old line, kine frayed from teeth and/or rocks, poor knot tying, damaged rod eyes...check all of these.

20lbs should be sufficient if you are playing the fish properly, with a suitable rod that takes pressure off of the line.

[Fish Assassin]

I just use 10 lb. test leader and it holds up well.

[JBB]

If you have foul hooked them , sometimes you just have to horse them in. I'll pay more attention to the leaders. I also replaced 25lb loops on the end of my spey sink tips with
braided loops . Thanks for the help.

[milo]

If you have foul hooked them , sometimes you just have to horse them in.

Wrong. If you foul hook them, breaking them off is the right thing to do - hence the need for a lighter leader.
Make sure your leader is always at least #5 test lighter than your main line. That way, when you are breaking off a fish (or a snag), it is your leader that gives in, not your main line or rod.

I have witnessed guys breaking their rods trying to horse in a snagged spring or chum. Without exception, they were fishing a line and/or leader heavier than what their rods were designed to withstand.
If your rod is rated 8-17# (medium), using 50# test Fireline for main and 20# maxima for leader is just a disaster waiting to happen.

[JBB]

Sounds good to me.

[Knnn]

the chums ( stale bucks for the most part ) were breaking my leaders. I was using up to 20lb. maxima and they were usually broken off at the knot.

Odd, I fish with 15 lbs leader on 20 lbs main and rarely have the line break.  I aleays check for abrasion after each fish and re-tie if the leader feels anything but smooth.  However, the fact that you are getting breaks at the knot suggests something else.

What knot are you using, the improved clinch?  Also are you lubricating the knot with spit to prevent line burn as you tighten it up?

Are you sure the knot is not unraveling (i.e. not enough loops on the clinch) rather than actually breaking? 

[Sandman]

I use a 12 pound ultragreen leader to which I tie a tippet of 6-8 pound fluorocarbon. Recently I have had big chum and coho snap off the tippet at the knot, once on a double surgeon then next on a blood knot. Never at the fly which I always use a no slip loop.  I figure the knots were failing due to a too great of step down from the 12 lb leader to 6 pound tippet.  When I purposefully target chum I simply remove the tippet and use the 12lb leader.

[bluenoser]

I agree with Milo JBB on using lighter leader so you can break off foul hooked chum. If hooked in the beak even the biggest chum can be brought to hand with 8-12lb leaders....a foul hooked chum is a different beast all together. I got my knuckles rapped a few times by the fly reel when trying to land a foul hooked chum....now i just point my rod, hold the reel and say goodbye to my fly...maybe shed a tear depending on the fly.

BN

[clarkii]

I agree with Milo JBB on using lighter leader so you can break off foul hooked chum. If hooked in the beak even the biggest chum can be brought to hand with 8-12lb leaders....a foul hooked chum is a different beast all together. I got my knuckles rapped a few times by the fly reel when trying to land a foul hooked chum....now i just point my rod, hold the reel and say goodbye to my fly...maybe shed a tear depending on the fly.

BN

sometimes the fish is so far gone the fly will pop and not have snapped off.

Albeit very, very rarely

[Flytech]

I use 14lb suffix smoke green for chum, never lose them due to breakage of the leader. Usually it's a popped hook if I lose one. I use 15lb fluoroflex for other spooky situations, but it's such a weak product that I don't usually stick with it. Rocks will smash/chew it up fast.

[NiceFish]

I run 20# main with 12-15# leader for all river salmon fishing.

Some fish are just HOGS and win the battle....

[Spawn Sack]

JBB, the issue is almost certainly your knot. I am assuming you are using a typical float fishing set up of float on mailline, weight above swivel, then leader off the swivel to your hook/lure? If your mainline were breaking then it could be a chipped eyelet on your rod that is chaffing the line. But using this set up you do not reel past your float so the leader does not go through any eyelets. So that potential issue is ruled out.

20lb Maxima UG leader definitley should NOT be breaking. I typically run 20LB mono mainline (UG or similar...currently using Berkley Prospec, like it a lot), and max 15lb mono leader (I like Maxima UG or Berkley XT). Typically I run 12lb leader because, and as others have pointed out, if I foul hook a fish, or hook a snag, I want the LEADER to break, not my mainline (bye bye float, weight, etc). Sometime I'll run 10lb or even 8lb leader if the water is really clear but then I find more fish are lost due to teeth sawing through the thinner line. With 12 or 15 it rarely gets sawed through and I check it often, if getting rough/nicked up I tie on a new leader.

If I were you I would go into a fishing store (not crappy tire) during non peak hours and ask one of the staff to take a look at your knot where the line keeps breaking. Chances are they'll point out some issues with your knot and show you how to better it.

IMO for mono line to swivel all you need is the improved clinch knot. Easy to tie and reliable. If you like farting with knots there are lots of others to try

[NiceFish]

Sorry to de-rail the thread a bit here, but has anyone been out to the stave in the past week? Are the water levels extremely high like last year or is back to "normal" levels?