I always either lose that monster bass in my local pond ( I know she is out there ) b/c of 2 main reasons she has done before is jumped out of the water and flipped and broke my line > happened only once but still did happen

or she goes into high dense cover with broken down trees(havent seen pond too much this year & if the trees got cleared) :-? weeds and such

so thinking of buying a bit bigger heavier rod only had a 6'6" med power rod last time was woundering what you guys recomoned baitcasting I believe is the only way to tackle such a problem and saw the new BPS nitro rod and reel combo

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=97965&cmCat=WISHLIST

what do you guys think about that combo or what rod and reel would be best suited for the job? thanks bassmaster

IMO, if a fish is jumping in the air and breaks your line ... sounds like a line issue to me and maybe some new line or heavier line is in order, as the fish is more likely to throw a bait in the air, but is putting very little pressure on the line in the air which in turn is the reason behind them throwing the bait as there tends to be slack in the line on the jump ... however

What lures are you typically using in this pond?  What is the normal bass that you catch there for size?

Personally I wouldn't buy tackle for a particular fish, and maybe the type of lure that you are using can give some of us a better understanding of what may help you, such as maybe it is dull hooks or maybe it is the pound test line that you are using or even the type of line you are using.  

Big fish get off, and on sometimes they will even break you off in thick cover ... that is what keeps us coming back for more.  Is the water clarity clear or stained as maybe braid is a better option?

Give us some more info and maybe we can help you out.

Take care,

Steve

steve to answer your question I had 17# trilene xt extra tough freshy lined not to long before

main lures were are mixed between swimbaits some rapalas, devil horse on outside of weeded area and I believe my friend got one on a bigger buzzbait

caught a lot of 3-4.5# bass but we have lost some 6#+ which we landed but didnt have a scale at the time (mine Conveniently was broken )

woundnt believe in dull hooks as they were newer baits / sharp hooks they were looked at before leaving

water is most of the time stained lots of algae  I think braid and a leader could be better but I dont know

hope that helps and feel free to ask any other questions as it helps the both of us  ;D

I had 17# trilene xt extra tough freshy lined not to long before

That sucks... but you must have had a nick or cut in the line. #17 XT takes more pressure to break than the Med power rod you were using.

edited to add:  Glad you are serious about line, you just got unlucky.  as for the rod, I don't know the one you are looking at, but I'd say you need something heavier if you are fishing places that require #17 XT    Good luck!

My #1 petpeeve...

There is no reason your line should break. Regardless of the brand, find something that works. Set your drag properly, retie often and check for nicks or frays.

>

My #1 petpeeve...

There is no reason your line should break. Regardless of the brand, find something that works. Set your drag properly, retie often and check for nicks or frays.

>

I agree with you in principal...  but even when you are careful, it can happen once in a while...  we all have been cut off before.  What do you think...  Ban him???   ;D

My #1 petpeeve...

There is no reason your line should break. Regardless of the brand, find something that works. Set your drag properly, retie often and check for nicks or frays.

>

Guilty as charged, when on a good big fish bite I do not take the time to retie.  Although using braid it has not happened but on a couple occasions last year when using a copoly I did not retie when I should of and it cost me some big fish.  I agree with what RW said though, pay attention to your line!

roadwarrior brings up a good point that once I was so modavated to land that fish I probly didnt check my line after casting into and around such heavy cover

pond hopper I feel your pain I should have checked and retied my lure on but was worried about losing the fish which would be my PB

flechero there is a link to my rod on BPS on the top of the post what would be a good action and power and length for this type of fishing?

roadwarrior do you believe that line would be strong enough or should I move to braid and a leader? :-?

thanks bassmaster

just throwin this back up top ;D

I do not believe braid with leader will be stronger unless you use a heavier leader than the 17lb XT.  The line to line knot is my weakest point.  I think this is due to braids thin diameter allowing it to cut into the mono /floro.

If you went with straight 50 lb braid it would be much stronger than the 17lb XT.  If you put a 17 lb XT leader on the 50lb braid it would be a little weaker than straight 17lb XT.  

Unfortunately there haven't been a lot of test done on line to line knots and leader knot strengths.  This is just my observation from fishing braid with leader.  

if the water is pretty stained i wouldn't even worry about a leader on braid anyways.

like others have said, a leader with braid isn't necessary but some choose to use one. it's personal preference, but your best bet would be 30-50# braid tied straight to the lure (depending on your reels line capacities).

are you already using a baitcaster and having these problems or are you looking to get one to alleviate said problems?

thanks for the info surfer

Mass Hole Mike

I am using a baitcaster now its med power 6'6" 10-17#test

and to the orginal question was looking at maybe getting a better

rod for this kind of fishing  and was woundering if this rod is any good or what would be a rod for this? :-?

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_97965_100003001_100000000_100003000_100-3-1

For the money i'd suggest a heavy power shimano crucial!

yea shimano crucial looks sweet but what reel would you put on that?? that could keep up with it :-?

I have a Citica 200 for sale in the flea market section that would be perfect for a Crucial. No matter what you decide if you dont want to lose the fish you have to up your line. 30-50lb braid should do the trick. Its small enough dia to cast fine but strong enough to pull the fish out of anything. Your rod will break before your line!!!