Bass-Addict

I currently have them on cheap 1/8 oz jigheads but it has come to my attention that these hooks are far too weak to throw on a swimbait setup (7’8” IRod swimbait jr w 20 lb big game) and will bend out. Should I switch all of my paddle tails over to these stronger hooks even when throwing them individually on a medium fast spinning rod with 8 lb test or only on the umbrella? I haven’t lost many fish but they do bend out on a snag.

Do they use a special type of neoprene?

“Snake everywhere” great wording lol, can’t count the number of times they’ve slithered off my kayak into the drink.

I am looking at the Evolv tournament grade sleeves to better protect my guides but hesitant to pull the trigger as traditionally I’ve known neoprene to absorb water and be fairly slow to dry. This is a concern as I often leave my rods in a sealed storage tube between trips. I also remember handling my friend’s and they seemed a little less slick for sliding on and removing, like they got stuck often. Wondering if the added benefit of the plastic molded tip inserts and protection afforded by neoprene is worth these potential drawbacks? They are unfortunately not cheap enough to just give them a shot blindly.

Cool, done. Thanks! In the meantime I had my local tackle shop put a new micro guide on, it is bigger than the original and the two guides below it, will this make any appreciable difference?

Won’t a new tip throw the action? Won’t a new tip effect the action?

Yeah, can any repair shop do this or do I have to order OEM from IRod?

Did you not see my last response w the pics?

Ok think we’ve found the culprit. Does this look to you like the guide has been dislodged somehow, and is likely the source of my problem? Is it worth repairing, or would a higher quality rod help me avoid this in the future? Wondering if I did it by jamming/scraping the rod tip or reeling a bait up to the top guide too hard/hooking it. Full resolution What exactly does this mean

What is the likely cause of a chipped guide? Could I avoid or at least minimize the likelihood of this happening again by upgrading to a higher end rod like a Dobyns Champ? You wouldn’t repair it?

Is it 100% as strong?

Interesting. Did it happen immediately when you started the bad spool or was it later on? I have used this current one I have to spool my reel twice and haven’t had this problem until recently. Is it possible only part of the spool is defective or does this likely eliminate that as the cause?

So it wasn’t your guides? Yes river is rock bottom and wooded but like I said I’m fishing glide baits that very seldom cause my line to make contact with cover.

River and I don’t believe so, I am fishing glide baits and the line makes almost zero contact with cover.

I’ll have to check my line but I believe it was up a ways, at least a foot from the lure. Is there anything else it could be besides the guides and structure?

Scotty F w the pro tips 🙌🏼

So I believe I recently discovered the source of my aforementioned glide bait break off. Today when obsessively checking for nicks every cast I noticed my 20 lb big game was peeling with mini strands curled up like string cheese and felt very rough as I ran my fingers up the line. Is this most likely caused by a damaged guide, or is it possible my Daiwa Tatula is somehow causing this where the line feeds through that metal? If the guides, what are my options? Can a new insert be installed or would you recommend upgrading to avoid risking another guide failing? Are certain rods more susceptible to this issue than others? Rod is an IRod Genesis III SBJr. It wasn’t terribly expensive for the amount of rod you get, under $200 and I would happily spend more to avoid this stress and potentially losing another swimbait. Thanks!

Makes sense. And the SDJ knot protects from this significantly better?

Those are the exact ones I use

Wait what? Swimbait guys retie every hour, spooling new line every trip?? That’s crazy.

Thank you, this makes perfect sense and it is now clear to me that this was my point of failure - the knot wasn’t properly cinched. I am going to dedicate myself to learning this knot, I guess my only remaining question is, I have seen this knot shines as a direct to lure knot - is it equally effective if tying to a clip? I find it not only much easier than tying to a big lure but also like the ability to quickly and easily switch between different swimbaits and A rigs. Thanks! Here are the clips I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09FDT6CY8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Thx, is SDJ stronger than Palomar?

Yes, and did you see where this happened not once but twice recently to me?

That makes sense, although I do believe it was pig tailed. How does a knot fail, is there a stronger/better knot than a Palomar for 20 lb mono/swimbaits?

I had a 2-3 lb smallie grab the Chad and the line broke relatively easily. 20 lb Berkley Big Game mono, spooled on a Curado 200 XGK thrown on an IRod Genesis III Swimbait Jr. Here are some details that may or may not be at play: - Rods had been left outside overnight at 35-40 degree temps a few times lately. - Was using these speed clips that I’ve never had an issue with but I suppose could have potentially nicked the line - Have yanked snags free with a decent amount of force occasionally. I have been trying to make it a habit of retying every trip, as I noticed a couple trips ago the knot had come undone or broken I can’t remember (possibly from aforementioned cold exposure?) Line was relatively new, respooled a month or two ago. Do you think it is more likely it broke or came untied? It seems incredibly strong, hard to imagine it just failing like that. How does a knot fail, is there a stronger/better knot than a Palomar for 20 lb mono/swimbaits? Any input would be greatly appreciated as it cost me $140, I would really like to avoid this heartbreak in the future 🙏🏼