Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) > Tackle & Techniques

Line and leader break offs when using high drag setting

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Mark Harris:
I don't think I understand the problem any more  ::)

I thought from our discussion that the line had impacted and jammed?  But from your description above, that did not seem to happen.

I am lost on this one.  Barry's idea is interesting but like him I am pretty sure that if the braid was slipping en-masse the line will have dug in.

The only time I had impacted line which resulted in a bust off left the braid MASSIVELY dug in... took serious effort to get it out again.  This was not due to loose spooling but to the line finding a tiny channel between the main body of braid and the spool lip.

I am beginning to think that your drag settings were maybe just too high for the line you used. You mentioned fully tightened drag and then half a turn back. That is truly massive (on a Stella 18000  I am guessing) and not an initial drag setting I would even ever think about using.

Jussi Saarinen:
Barry, all spools where manually spooled, using Frank Fernkorn's Bee's Knees Reel Spooler (http://www.jdmtackle.com/product_view.php?product_id=2113) using some +6 kg pressure. I put TESA tape on all spools before spooling the line so there is no way that the line was slipping.

Mark, the line did dig into the more loosely spooled line (the last ~80 mtrs that had been out of the spool when casting), but not to the degree that it got "stuck". That happened once to me in Panama when I was stupid enough to let someone else spool on line on my reels. Then I had to dig out the line from the spool just as you described.

As I said, the thing happened to the third spool on land, but then I could ask my friend to stop pulling out the line, readjust the rotor arm and then continue. Obviously this is not possible with a +30 kg GT in the other end of the line. We never broke the line on this spool when fishing and I am currently trying to determine which line (JB or TT) I had spooled onto the two spools (one 130lb and one 100lb) that experienced all the break offs.

If it was the same brand on both these spools, that may be the answer why the lines broke. However, had we not stopped pulling out line on the third spool then something would have broken on this set up as well. The phenomenon was the same on all three spools/reels, all JM Monster Spools (two 25k and one 16k) with two different brands of Hollow Core - 130lb (two spools) and 100lb (one spool).

Will report back when I have been able to sort out the lines.

Brandon Khoo:
Jussi, I am in a very similar boat to Mark. The only way the line would snap if it was stuck inside the spool would be if there was no give at all in it. That way, the fish either turns around or the line snaps.

It might be worth testing the line for shock loading. you don't need to get too scientific. Just tie a leader on secure the braid to something and see how much pressure it takes with a shock load to snap the line. 130lb should take a very sharp and hard load to snap it.

Peter Olesen:
I think the JM spool provides more drag than the stock spools. When the bail arm hits the spool, it is a self-reinforcing process (creating more drag). I found at home that there is physical contact between bail arm and spool when the drag is pulled at 14 kg and up (JM16000). Jussi, did you try to measure the drag when you came home?

Jussi Saarinen:
I haven't tested the drag yet, but I just realized, upon inspection, that the five GTs I landed on my 2008 Stella 18000 have ruined the reel. The whole part where the rotor arm is attached is bent! (Will try to resize the pictures and post them.)

Mark, the drag was set at max and then turned back 3/4 of one turn.

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