Originally Posted by Dougie
Fishinggonewild: No offense, but my first guess is the knot is breaking and not the line, (UNLESS, it's old, dried mono line, because its been left outdoors, PARTICULARLY in the sun or elements, it's going to be brittle and chalky and no matter which knot you try, it's going to break.) I speak from experience about doing it wrong for many years before discovering my errors.
NEW LINE:
First of all, brand new line is slick and smooth and not weathered. And, tied with the proper knot, it's not going to break on a hook set. The brand of line, if new, is terribly unimportant if a knot is properly tied, contrary to all the favorites of individuals.
HOW TO TELL IF ITS YOUR KNOT or LINE BREAKING (MONO ONLY):
LINE:
Generally, if it's your line breaking, and not the KNOT, you will have a straight piece of line where it broke. It will look as if you cut the line with snips.
KNOT:
Generally, if it's your knot breaking, you sometimes can detect the slightest bit or curl on the tip of the broken line. The curl is what's left of the part of the knot that failed.
SO HERE'S THE SOLUTION. WEAK KNOTS ARE CAUSED BY HEAT:
The BIGGEST SIN mono line fishermen commit is when tightening the knot. One who just wraps up their knot and pulls it into tightness relatively quickly, (or what we would call 'normal speed') has just cursed themselves with a weak knot.
The fast slippage of the mono creates enough heat to melt the mono inside the knot, causing it to weld together into a 'blob' of mono that still 'looks like a knot'. Such a knot will break with probably half or less of the pound test of the line.
SO, LUBE IT and SLOWLY, TIGHTEN THE MONO KNOT:
If one merely uses saliva or water on the knot as a lubricant when pulling it tight and pulls the knot tight VERY SLOWLY, you're going to have a strong knot. You can even wet the line with your lips as you pull things together most of the way.
After tying a knot this way, if it continues to break easily when pulled hard in your hands, then your line should be replaced. If you encounter this while fishing, strip off about 10 feet of line and discard it, thus exposing better line that has been less affected by the elements.
I have demonstrated to many people that a properly tied knot in brand new SIX OR EIGHT POUND TEST monofilament can cause cuts in the skin of their hands before breaking.
And, after this, is demonstrated, I let them tie the same knot, pulling it together quickly, which of course melts it, and and then watch them pop the knot with relative ease.
Be sure you know how to tie a fishing knot too! The 'fisherman's knot' is probably the most common. There are many varieties of knots out there, and most all will work just fine if done right.
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