Breaking strain vs knot strenght vs fish that got away
During the past weekend's Nymphing Master Class we had an interesting discussion.
I asked the participants on what line breaking strain they where fishing.
The replies where between 6 and 10 pounds.
And they fished so heavy because they loose a lot of fish was the reason.
We discussed this a little bit, using the 10 pound as an example.
If you fish with 10 pounds and use a bad knot, it will reduce the breaking strain by up to 50%, then you might as well fish with a 5 pound breaking strain and tie a good knot.
If you use old mono, the breaking strain reduces with sun, age, etc.
If you use a 10 pound line, you need to fish much heavier/bigger/bulkier nymphs. which will reduce your effectiveness.
Thicker line is easier for the fish to spot, thus rejecting the fly.
Or you are using a good knot, but it is not suited to a specific type of mono i.e. softer or firmer etc.
The same principle applies to a 8 or 6 pound breaking strain line.
You could be fishing with a 6 pound breaking strain, but effectively fishing with only a 4 pound line.
How good is your knots, do you check your line on a regular basis for nicks, bumps etc near the flies?
Maybe you should change your knots that you are using? Or change the brand of mono as some have a better knot strenght than others for a specific knot.
Korrie Broos
Don't go knocking on Death's door, ring the bell and run like hell. He hates it. (anon)
Nymphing, adds depth to your fly fishing.
Nymphing, is fly fishing in another dimension
Bookmarks