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Advice on hooklength breaking strain for ledgering and float

S

Stephen Bell

Active Member
Wondering what others use for the above, mono and fluoro please?

Daytime, low clear water.

Reason I ask is I've been barbel fishing for a few years but starting to see many telling me they've caught on lower strengths than me i.e. 4lb on float. Lowest I'd use when ledgering or feeder fishing is 7lb. I usually expect fish from 5lb up to early doubles.
 
Regards line strength of the hook link that can depend on what is above it, i.e. the leader, main line and rod rating. If what you are using isn't getting broken on low doubles then it is strong enough and I wouldn't go below 6lb in the scenario that you describe.

Mono, flouro' and braid all have their devotees and uses. In clear water mono would be my last choice. Any sandy coloured, ideally flecked, braid would be better, or a flouro' line. Braid hook links are usually thicker than flouro' but flouro' can't be as invisible as they would have you believe so it is down to personal choice. But I wouldn't go below 6lb when ledgering if you can expect barbel double that weight.
 
Cheers, I'm just questioning my tactics after a couple of blanks during the day in bright conditions and low clear water.

I've used braid, fluoro and mono but prefer the latter two.
 
Stephen, you probably didn't catch in clear, bright conditions, because the barbel were not in the area you were fishing. I don't think line type or strength would have made much difference. Try to find a slightly deeper area or better still one with trees overhanging the water and try to get your bait in those locations.
We all have blanks it's what keeps us going back 😁.
 
Mike Thompson said:
Stephen, you probably didn't catch in clear, bright conditions, because the barbel were not in the area you were fishing. I don't think line type or strength would have made much difference. Try to find a slightly deeper area or better still one with trees overhanging the water and try to get your bait in those locations.
We all have blanks it's what keeps us going back 😁.
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4 miles fished, not one indication from any of the deeper swims.
 
I agree entirely with mike. If they ain’t biting it’s more likely the conditions or location.

Personally I wouldn’t dream of going down to anywhere near the line breaking strains your talking of if specifically for barbel. Float I go 8lb straight through or 10lb main 8lb hook length and ledgering with a more powerful rod it’s 15lb main and 15lb coated braid.

I’ve never felt that I really need to start refining down on the strength of my gear to hook barbel.

Baits are another matter and much smaller, frequently fed baits can do the business when it’s tough so stepping down on hook and bait size could very well help out.
 
Thanks Richard, interesting about not using a weaker hooklength. I've never considered it a safe rig if I couldn't predict with a degree of certainty where the line would break.
 
Stephen Bell said:
Thanks Richard, interesting about not using a weaker hooklength. I've never considered it a safe rig if I couldn't predict with a degree of certainty where the line would break.
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If I’m broken off on the 8lb straight through rig through tension alone it’s the knott at the hook that goes first.
On the ledgered rig the the joint between the main line and the hook link unless the hook itself is snagged then I get the lot back with a straightened out hook.
I’m fishing not to get snapped up. I’ve not had an actual fish break me on such tackle because I’m geared up to stop em getting into snags.
 
OK, just seems a weaker hooklength adds an extra margin of safety. Would it not be safer to use 8lb hooklength and a stronger main line instead of the straight through approach? If not, what are the advantages of a straight through approach please?
 
Clive Kenyon said:
Regards line strength of the hook link that can depend on what is above it, i.e. the leader, main line and rod rating. If what you are using isn't getting broken on low doubles then it is strong enough and I wouldn't go below 6lb in the scenario that you describe.

Mono, flouro' and braid all have their devotees and uses. In clear water mono would be my last choice. Any sandy coloured, ideally flecked, braid would be better, or a flouro' line. Braid hook links are usually thicker than flouro' but flouro' can't be as invisible as they would have you believe so it is down to personal choice. But I wouldn't go below 6lb when ledgering if you can expect barbel double that weight.
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Presume you are talking about coated braid being thicker.

Most braids like Powerpro are considerably lower diameter than flouro.
And likewise, so is mono thinner generally than flouro
 
Stephen Bell said:
OK, just seems a weaker hooklength adds an extra margin of safety. Would it not be safer to use 8lb hooklength and a stronger main line instead of the straight through approach? If not, what are the advantages of a straight through approach please?
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There is significantly more stretch in say 40-60 ft of mainline than a 3ft hooklength, so the hooklength should go first, i think 🤣
 
Mark Pevy said:
There is significantly more stretch in say 40-60 ft of mainline than a 3ft hooklength, so the hooklength should go first, i think 🤣
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??? ....but when the mainline and hooklength are connected to each other the 'system' becomes one single line.
BTW ... having done loads of tests on breaking strains of braids I've found that more often than not they do not break at the knot (e.g. figure 8 loop)
 
Stephen Bell said:
Exactly why a hooklength should be used?
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I’ll happily go 8lb straight through on a float rig the advantages of 8 straight through over 10-8 are fairly equal amounts of strength under tension but with a slightly lower diameter line to freely pass through the guides.
Like I said the week link on a straight through mono set up is knott at the hook.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I’ll happily go 8lb straight through on a float rig the advantages of 8 straight through over 10-8 are fairly equal amounts of strength under tension but with a slightly lower diameter line to freely pass through the guides.
Like I said the week link on a straight through mono set up is knott at the hook.
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Practical experience of what works is worth more than theorising on what you think should happen.
 
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