18 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

......I’d hate to lose some bites due to the fish seeing the line.

 

 

Is there a source to this idea that fish are scared of fishing line? Are there any statistics on it? Because from my own personal experience I have never seen anything to support it.

 

Years ago I was fishing in a crystal clear spring fed lake and not having much luck.

 

But I was noticing small bass in the 6 inch to 8 inch range swimming right up to my braid line and pecking at it to see if they could eat it. There was no fear of the line at all. They could see it clearly and watch it move and were curious about it.

 

I stopped using all clear lines decades ago. I use straight braid for everything, except backing line on spools. I no longer use any leaders and I don't miss clear lines at all. And I don't lose as many fish as some of my buddies who swear by leaders.

 

From what I can see with my own eyes, bass are not afraid of line. And I never even think or consider these days I might be losing fish strikes because of it. It just don't seem to affect the numbers for me so I'm sticking with straight braid til I die!

 

 

^^^^^^^^
 

All I can go off is from other people’s experiences.

 

Some say it doesn’t matter much but some will say they’ve seen a difference.

 

I lean towards the later I guess.

Understanding what a strand of braid is might be helpful. Understand what a end is vs a carrier also is helpful.

A strand of braid is a strand of twist spectra fiber yarn it isn’t a single filament.

A a carrier holds a single bobbin (spool of yarn) called an end or up to 3 bobbins. A 4 carrier braid machine could have 1, 2 or 3 ends. 8 carrier machine can also have1, 2 or 3 ends. What makes a braid tighter is the angle or picks the braid has. 45 degrees will be tighter with more picks and 30 degrees angle would be looser with fewer picks.

Too many variables to define a difference is marketing number of ends making a difference in the finished braid line. 
What is import and is the strand coated, Fins coats thier strands with polyurethane others may use polyester most use nothing making the braid a little fussy in lieu of smooth.

Tom

15 hours ago, Joedodge said:

@WRB-2.0 I just got 2 of my wife’s 2 pound work out weights out. Holy cow 4 pounds of drag seem so loose I’ve been way over tightening my drag!!!!! It feels like a lot lifting the rod tip but once I try to pull line out with my thumb and 2 fingers it’s way lighter than I expected. The drag will slip bad on a good hookset like this though??

Put your thumb on the spool if needed. What rod are you using?

Tom

2 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Put your thumb on the spool if needed. What rod are you using?

Tom

That’s actually what I do is thumb the spool on a hook set. But ibe never been sure if that’s a bad habit lol. Right now I’m using a

falcon lowrider swimjig rod 7’ MH-MF 1/8-3/4

Phenix feather 7’1” MH-XF 1/4-3/4

fishing with 15 pound big game mono. 
these are my bank set ups I take every time. Both have Shimano slx xt reels one is a slx70 though with the smaller spool. 

57 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

That’s actually what I do is thumb the spool on a hook set. But ibe never been sure if that’s a bad habit lol. Right now I’m using a

falcon lowrider swimjig rod 7’ MH-MF 1/8-3/4

Phenix feather 7’1” MH-XF 1/4-3/4

fishing with 15 pound big game mono. 
these are my bank set ups I take every time. Both have Shimano slx xt reels one is a slx70 though with the smaller spool. 

Surprised you could lift 4 lbs off the floor without the full loaded, 5 lbs is close to bottoming out most MHF bass rods.

Tom

1 minute ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Surprised you could lift 4 lbs off the floor without the full loaded, 5 lbs is close to bottoming out most MHF bass rods.

Tom

Oh it was fully loaded and into the shut down of the rods blank. 

30 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

Oh it was fully loaded and into the shut down of the rods blank. 

So does your rod load up like that every time you set the hook?

6 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

So does your rod load up like that every time you set the hook?

Not sure. I actually have tried looking lol. Just never truly noticed 

I use my reel set with firm rod sweep to set the hook when casting any distance where the lure is out more then about a 45 degree angle. Straight down or more vertical a rod set works OK because not moving much line.

Tom

26 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

I use my reel set with firm rod sweep to set the hook when casting any distance where the lure is out more then about a 45 degree angle. Straight down or more vertical a rod set works OK because not moving much line.

Tom

I need to get better at that for sure 

2 hours ago, Joedodge said:

Not sure. I actually have tried looking lol. Just never truly noticed 

I ask because I set my drag with a scale and I'm very confident in my hook sets when I set the drag to 4 lbs.  If I'm using light line I set the drag lower and I start thinking about the hook I'm using and if I can set the hook successfully.  

Just now, Tennessee Boy said:

I ask because I set my drag with a scale and I'm very confident in my hook sets when I set the drag to 4 lbs.  If I'm using light line I set the drag lower and I start thinking about the hook I'm using and if I can set the hook successfully.  

Does your drag slip on a good hook set when set at 4 pounds? 

4 hours ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Surprised you could lift 4 lbs off the floor without the full loaded, 5 lbs is close to bottoming out most MHF bass rods.

Tom

Theres a video of a guy lifting 15lbs off the ground with a 7'6 ML F purple (OG gen) mojo inshore

13 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Theres a video of a guy lifting 15lbs off the ground with a 7'6 ML F purple (OG gen) mojo inshore

Try lifting 4 lbs with your MHF bass rod!

Tom

8 minutes ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Try lifting 4 lbs with your MHF bass rod!

Tom

I flipped a fluke onto the 8th street jetty in Avalon just shy of 6lb the day before yesterday with a MH M1.  I do it with smaller bass too.  Its not like picking a dumbbell up, I can use the waves to get momentum.  The SC mojo is true ML 1/8-1/2 oz.

Check it out 

 

3 hours ago, Joedodge said:

Does your drag slip on a good hook set when set at 4 pounds? 

I haven't noticed the drag slipping on hook sets but I'm not worried about it if it slips a little.  If I manage to put 5 lbs of force with 4 lbs of drag then it will slip but it will still deliver the 4 lbs of force to the hook set.  The purpose of a drag is to limit the force on the line and rod.  If I somehow manage to set the hook to hard,  I would rather have the drag slip a little than have the line break.

1 minute ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I haven't noticed the drag slipping on hook sets but I'm not worried about it if it slips a little.  If I manage to put 5 lbs of force with 4 lbs of drag then it will slip but it will still deliver the 4 lbs of force to the hook set.  The purpose of a drag is to limit the force on the line and rod.  If I somehow manage to set the hook to hard,  I would rather have the drag slip a little than have the line break.

Very well said. 

Reading through all the responses I never saw it asked “where did the line break” My experience, a lot of line at cast distance usually the knot. Mid cast distance usually a nick or fray in the line at that point. At the reel typically a locked down drag.

Not always the case  in every situation but common atypical scenarios.

Look at this way 4 carrier is like an off road tire and 8 carrier is like a highway tire. Use 4 carrier where there is a lot of debris, etc and the 8 carrier for distance with minimal debris.

18 minutes ago, Motoboss said:

Reading through all the responses I never saw it asked “where did the line break” My experience, a lot of line at cast distance usually the knot. Mid cast distance usually a nick or fray in the line at that point. At the reel typically a locked down drag.

Not always the case  in every situation but common atypical scenarios.

The drag was locked down which I’ve since adjusted.

 

It broke between the fish and the tip. Half way maybe.

 

I keep reliving it. 
 

I’ve caught some pretty decent fish with this rod, never has it bent like this.

 

I’m just hoping she threw the jig and I’ll get another crack at her.

 

 

I would agree the locked down drag was the culprit.

Someone feel free to tell me why I'm wrong but I dont think theres any way a locked down drag was the problem in this situation. Undamaged braid is ridiculously hard to snap off, 20lb will slip a fully cranked drag on a brand new standard size bass reel, it would roast a 20y/o pinnacles gears before the line breaks. 

 

Your line was compromised/damaged in some way, it got pin-point tension on some kind of underwater obstruction, or your knot failed.  

 

 

 

 

As for your actual question I've personally found 8 strand to be better than 4 in every way. Namely it casts much better and is less likely to get "caught" on stuff. 

8 hours ago, Hogs_n_Logs said:

 

Your line was compromised/damaged in some way, 

 

I’m pretty sure this was the main problem.

 

With that said, I have a feeling if the drag would have given out a little line there would have been slightly less tension on the line and I would have been able to land her.

 

I can’t 100% say it wasn’t the knot. But same thing, drag works maybe there’s less tension.

 

All I know is that I fought her for at least 10-15 seconds, she pulled hard under my kayak and my pole was bent like crazy. The only time I saw her was when I was getting her up and she turned her head away and took off from me. That’s when “it” happened.

 

IDK, clearly no expert.   :)

36 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I’m pretty sure this was the main problem.

 

With that said, I have a feeling if the drag would have given out a little line there would have been slightly less tension on the line and I would have been able to land her.

 

I can’t 100% say it wasn’t the knot. But same thing, drag works maybe there’s less tension.

 

All I know is that I fought her for at least 10-15 seconds, she pulled hard under my kayak and my pole was bent like crazy. The only time I saw her was when I was getting her up and she turned her head away and took off from me. That’s when “it” happened.

 

IDK, clearly no expert.  

 

I dont think a looser drag wouldve saved you, especially now that you say you were on a kayak which is another source of "cushion" between you and the fish. 

 

If your kayak has a skeg, foot paddling system, or deep scrapes or burs on the hull from use, the line might've gotten compromised if when the fish dove under the thing the line made contact with one of those.

 

 I'm not trying to go on and on about the drag to try and school you or anyone else, and not to say you shouldn't loosen your drag if you want, with straight braid its easier on the reel and you'll lose less fish from thrown hooks. Its just that if you understand how fishing line(all the types) works you can almost eliminate break offs due to line failure entirely by being aware specifically what to look out for and do before and during the fight you'll not lose those big fish when the moment comes! If you rely on a loose drag and an identical or similar situation arose in the future you'd probably still lose the fish!