Hey all,

 

This is probably dumb I know, but I've used soft-plastics forever and am trying to diversify my portfolio.

 

Not sure if I'm doing something wrong but I keep losing Strike King Red Eye'd shad lures - and those lures only. I'm getting real tired of casting it only to watch it sail across the water and sink while I stare at my empty line.

 

I tie it to the ring at the top of the lure, and do my standard improved clinch knot (which has been working for years) on 30lb braid and 7/10 times I lose the lure, either during the cast or recently when I hooked a fish. I've looked at the line and it looks frayed with no indication of memory from it being loose.

 

Should I not be using the clinch knot? Am I casting it too far/hard? Should I remove the ring and tie it directly to the lure? Am I using too light of a braid?

 

Any help would be appreciated as it's embarrassing how many times I've replaced these lures in the past few weeks (plus I don't like littering).

It's not the lure. Check your guides with a q-tip.

38 minutes ago, ACGOG said:

I've looked at the line and it looks frayed with no indication of memory from it being loose.

 

Just now, roadwarrior said:

It's not the lure. Check your guides with a q-tip.

What RW said - sounds like a nick in one of the guides and that's what's fraying the line.

 

If the rod-guides are alright - check the line-guide on the reel.

saw a video with roland martin ( 3 best knots for braid ) and he says the clinch knot is no good for braid because the line is so smooth it does not hold, says to use a palomar knot instead. i use it and have never lost a bait with it.

 

Has to be something like a guide, like a few others have said. The fact that it's only happening with RES is just a coincidence. Are you casting other similar-weight lures on that rod as well? 

9 minutes ago, leinad said:

saw a video with roland martin ( 3 best knots for braid ) and he says the clinch knot is no good for braid because the line is so smooth it does not hold, says to use a palomar knot instead. i use it and have never lost a bait with it.

 

It can for sure, so short from trying a different knot, the improved clinch (IC) knot just has to be tied well.

 

I’ve been using the IC knot for a long time and it works with any line. I know that some braids are pretty slick, especially when new. If I get the gut feeling it might slip, I will increase the number of wraps. The base number of wraps is 5 and I will increase it to 7-9.

4 minutes ago, islandbass said:

It can for sure, so short from trying a different knot, the improved clinch (IC) knot just has to be tied well.

 

I’ve been using the IC knot for a long time and it works with any line. I know that some braids are pretty slick, especially when new. If I get the gut feeling it might slip, I will increase the number of wraps. The base number of wraps is 5 and I will increase it to 7-9.

Or double it through the hook eye. Or tie a Trilene knot. 

If its up the line a ways I'd agree its a guide nicking issue. If its right at the lure then its a knot issue. I use an improved clinch for everything and almost never had a failure. I use an IC for frog fishing with 50lb braid which is a violent high impact style of fishing and can't remember a knot pulling out.

If you are seeing a section of the line frayed, then it's not the lure. a 1/2 oz RES can load up a lot of pressure on a cast, so maybe that's why you aren't seeing the problem with soft plastics. There is most likely a problem with one of the guides, or the line was compromised in some other way. Tie a uni with 9 wraps, that isn't going to slip, but I'm not thinking the knot is the problem. Could be something else less obvious, but not likely. 7 out of 10? is the water deep? cold? long/lat #s?...

When using braid I tie a palomar . The Red Eye Shad doesnt have a flaw design that causes the line to fail .

Need to narrow down the problem.  Using a dummy lure the same weight as the Red Eye, cast a few times in a field with the exact setup you are currently using.   I can't see the lure being the problem during casting as it is just a weight at the end of a line. Need to know what and where it is failing. 

 

If it is the knot then tie a couple of different knot.  Does not matter what knot works for others, the knot that works for you (i.e. the knot you tie best) is what matters to you.  I for one I'm not very good with a San Diego Jam knot while others swears by it.  I will use a red sharpie and colour the line a foot up from the knot.  That way I marked and id the knot area for inspection later.

 

If you suspect the problem is the guide, then change to 1 or 2 other rods.  Like 99% of us on here I doubt you only have 1 rod.   If the line consistently breaks on one rod and not another then you have your answer.

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

When using braid I tie a palomar . The Red Eye Shad doesnt have a flaw design that causes the line to fail .

 

I'll have to give that a go.

 

I did the q-tip thing and didn't have any issues: no nicks or pulls on the cotton (that's what I'm looking for, right?).

10 minutes ago, ACGOG said:

I did the q-tip thing and didn't have any issues: no nicks or pulls on the cotton (that's what I'm looking for, right?).

 

That's it.

 

If the cotton looks good, it's just about got to be a knot issue as discussed upthread.

I used the Improved Clinch knot for years with mono and fluoro, and I eventually found that small variations in how you tie it can cause it to break easily. I could never figure out exactly what it was that I was doing differently that would cause it to break, but after I switched to the San Diego Jam knot, the problem went away. I don't know how SDJ knot works on braid, so I'm not recommending that, I'm just saying I will never trust the Improved Clinch again. Try a different knot.

 

Split rings can cut, but I don't think that's what's going on in your case.

 

I second what @Cigarguy said about marking the line with a sharpie. I would mark it at the knot and about a foot back. It might help you figure out what's happening.

How many casts in is it happening? Has it ever happened on the first cast? My bet would be that the line is getting tangled and nicked by the hooks on the lure ... whatever it is it doesn't sound like a knot issue to me. I doubt a cast alone would send a lure flying even if it was just tied on with a double overhand knot. 

Check the ramp supports on your tip.  Twirl the lure in a circle numerous times then look at the line to rule that out.Where’s Columbo when you need him?

+1 on the rod guides cutting line

How old is the line? Had this happen last year,  lost 3 lures. 15 lb braid P-line about 4months old. I respooled it and the problem went away. So I guess it was a line issue. If it's newer line, I would suspect a top guide issue of some sort. 

On 5/1/2021 at 12:27 PM, scaleface said:

The Red Eye Shad doesnt have a flaw design that causes the line to fail .

It has a flaw design that causes the paint to fail.

Sounds like the knot to me.  Braid will slip.  I'd try a palomar or uni.  

On the off-chance you are using it, 8 carrier braid is pretty slick. 12-turn uni-knot, but go around the ring twice.

 

One of the things you can do to see what's happening is to mark the line just above the knot - if it's slipping it should be obvious when you reel it back in. Put another mark a foot up too. 

Cinch knot is probably the culprit. When I first tried braid I attempted to use the cinch knot like I do with fluoro. When I went to cinch it down the whole knot pulled out. I could repeat this easily. Braid is too slick, use a different knot. Palomar will be good to go. 

I'm thinking it's a line issue.  Do you have this line spooled on different rigs, or just the one you are losing baits with?

Clearly the Fishing Gods want you to quit fishing RES's so I'd start throwing LC's, Spro, Cotton Cordell, Megabass, or any other brand as to not cross them. ?

I bet it is a combination of the line and knot. Good thing the RES are on sale a lot. That helps ease the pain.