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Hook Length Strength?

S

Stuart Bradley

Senior Member
Hi folks...keen amateur here!!
I have been using a 10lb main line to 6lb hooklength with some success, but this season I have lost about 5 barbel already with breaks...what should I do ....this is a serious question as I am still quite a novice...do I up to about 8lb hooklength? (I fish The Wye)
Cheers
Stuart
 
Stuart,
I would say your hook length is far too small especiallly fishing the Wye those Wye Barbel are as tough as they come!

The Wye is full of rocks and boulders and they will cut through braid as well as mono!
So you need to beef it up a bit

I also use 10lb main line (Big Game) and a 12lb Florocarbon hook lenghth and I dont have any problems

Regards
Dave
 
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Stuart

I think you've kind of answered your own question here. If you've lost 5 fish to your hooklength breaking, you need to step it up! it's not strong/tough enough to deal with what you're encountering on the Wye, where you've got a lot of snags, and rocks to deal with that are very abrasive. There are very few circumstances in my barbel fishing where I would use a 6lb hooklength. If I'm using mono/flouro on the Wye I generally use 12lb bs.

Hope that helps
Cheers
Mark
 
David Potter said:
Stuart,
I would say your hook length is far too small especiallly fishing the Wye those Wye Barbel are as tough as they come!

The Wye is full of rocks and boulders and they will cut through braid as well as mono!
So you need to beef it up a bit

I also use 10lb main line (Big Game) and a 12lb Florocarbon hook lenghth and dont have any problems

Regards
Dave
Click to expand...

I went down much the same rout David. As it was my first serious foray into flourocabons I was torn a little as to whether to go up slightly on the hooklink as you did, but went with 10lb in the end. I must say that already my fears regarding the reputation this material has of being brittle have been laid to rest.

I have had several barbel up to 11.08, and carp to 10lb+...and some of the snags I have shifted or pulled out of without breakage has left me mightily impressed :D

If this stuff has the resistance to abrasion to match it's tensile strength then I will look no further

Cheers, Dave.
 
David Potter said:
Stuart,
I would say your hook length is far too small especiallly fishing the Wye those Wye Barbel are as tough as they come!

The Wye is full of rocks and boulders and they will cut through braid as well as mono!
So you need to beef it up a bit

I also use 10lb main line (Big Game) and a 12lb Florocarbon hook lenghth and dont have any problems

Regards
Dave
Click to expand...
Dave...why would you use a heavier hook length than line? I thought the idea was that in the case of a break, the fish would not be dragging loads of terminal tackle around?
 
Dave...why would you use a heavier hook length than line? I thought the idea was that in the case of a break, the fish would not be dragging loads of terminal tackle around?

Stuart. perhaps because the leader end takes more of a battering,from rocks/gravel,and myself and most others,use safe lead set-ups that drop the lead if the line breaks.
Worth noting,mono lines are safer on the Wye than braids,as the first time there i used Power-pro braid,and it was snapping like cotton on the rocks.
Changed to 12lb big game.....no probs

tight lines Howard
 
Stuart,
When i first started fishing the Wye I had only previously fished the Hampshire Avon & the river Kennet for Barbel - In comparison these rivers are very gentle compared to the Wye, I Remember how amazed I was when I first fished the Wye as my terminal tackle was getting damaged purely Just by fishing - Braid hook lengths coming back chopped off by the rocks and boulders and mono hook lengths constantly suffering burs and nicks etc !

Ok maybe I could get away with 10lbs florocarbon and I do have 10 & 12lbs spools in my bag but its 12lbs that i normally use as its just got the extra strength you need to cope with the abrasions from the rocks

Probably tempting fate here now but i have not lost a fish due to being snapped up on the Wye with this setup !

Regards

Dave
 
Stuart,

I understand and congratulate you on your concerns relating to main line/hook length breaking strains but it doesn't always follow that the main line will go before the hook length if it is a lesser BS, especially when using flourocarbon hooklengths. As a rule flouro is not as supple as mono and can also be of a lesser diameter against BS and for this reason the knot strength is not usually as good as mono.
For example, i invariably use 12lb Pro Gold main line and 15.4lb Seaguar flouro hooklength and on the testing i carried out the weakest point was always at the hook. This was using a no not which i always prefer but for anyone who is not certain, and for their own piece of mind, it is always better to carry out your own tests when your rig is set up and not rely on the BS and line diameters the manufacturers state.

Kind regards
Steve
 
Thanks everyone for your helpful posts....I will definately be upgrading my hooklength next time out...my only concern was leaving a whiskers with a weight or feeder attached!
Cheers
Stuart
 
stuart your tackle aint balanced..10lb to 6lb hook length...10lb to 8lb is a better option..but it all depends where you fish..:)
 
i never fish with anything under 10lb good strong line.you cannot leave the feeder on the fish if you use a running rig.when on the feed i have never found them to be line shy.no point in hooking them if you cannot land them on weak line.
albert
 
I tend to use 10lb and 8lb hooklengths and will use 12lb and 10lb mono mainlines. I'll be experimenting with braid mainlines of a higher breaking strain in the very near future but I'll stick with fluoro hooklengths. Just taken delivery of a much lower diameter fluoro than I'm used to but it's still rated a 10lb. Considering the price of it:eek:, I hope it's good.
 
10 lb mono hook length . The stretch of the severn I fish is full of rocks KEEP away from Flouro waste of time if full of rocks etc !
 
Chris Jones said:
I tend to use 10lb and 8lb hooklengths and will use 12lb and 10lb mono mainlines. I'll be experimenting with braid mainlines of a higher breaking strain in the very near future but I'll stick with fluoro hooklengths. Just taken delivery of a much lower diameter fluoro than I'm used to but it's still rated a 10lb. Considering the price of it:eek:, I hope it's good.
Click to expand...

Chris, beware, lower diameter, lower resistance to abrasion, it may be within 15% of BS, but it won,t like rocks, grand max or similar I assume?
Peter
 
Fluorocarbon

I would highly recommend Riverge fluorocarbon,very tough and flexible.
Usually use 12lb,available from Leslies of Luton.
 
Stuart Bradley said:
Thanks everyone for your helpful posts....I will definately be upgrading my hooklength next time out...my only concern was leaving a whiskers with a weight or feeder attached!
Cheers
Stuart
Click to expand...

Hi Stuart

As long as you use a feeder or lead weight on a running rig - so it moves up and down the main line - you won't leave it attached to a barbel - if it snaps on the mainline the lead will end up on the bottom of the river as the barbel will pull the line from the lead - if it snaps on the hook length you'll get the lead/feeder back....

Here's one from google... one of Dave Burr's actually

thumbnail.php


Good Luck and I've seriously learnt from this forum - don't be afraid to ask - a lot of guys with good knowledge that they are prepared to share!
 
Cheers guys...I always use a running feeder/ledger, so I take your point...as a matter of interest, how long do you reckon it would take a fish to shed a hook ?
 
I think it depends on the hook and the pattern, Stuart, and obviously a barbless will come out quicker, but even barbed i reckon pretty quickly, - how many barbel do you hear of being lost, compared to how many you find with hooks in their mouths, so i think it might even be days rather than weeks.

In fact i can't recall finding a big hook in a barbels mouth, but i have found 18's and 16's, but not many of those either, and normaly when a match has recently been held.

Ian.
 
Stuart as Craig says your tackle isn't balanced.
Personally I would be 10 or 12lb main line with 10lb hook length. I use Trilene XL for hook lengths and Daiwa Sensor for main line. I don't rate flouro carbon that highly as I don't find it abrasive enough. You could try a coated braid as hook length. But each to their own.
Hooks are to each persons own preference, I like Owner hooks but always use barbless as our fishery is barbless only.
Remember like the Trent and Severn where I fish you are fishing a very powerful river with boulders and rocks strewn all over the river bed, you need tackle that can hit and then hold on a tight clutch you won't do that with 6lb hook length.

Paul
 
I have noticed that some anglers use a higher breaking strain hooklink than their main line. I can see why they would do this when fishing in rocky swims. But surely the diameter is more relevant than breaking strain where abrasion is an issue? So i would go for a thicker diameter than my main line but the same BS or less preferably, so if the hook did catch on a snag there would be more of a chance of getting my feeder or lead back. Also i would fish a snag safe lead clip, so if the feeder/lead became stuck between rocks it would release.
Regarding fluorocarbon line for hooklinks, i don't see an advantage of lower diameters for myself. The reason been that when it lays on the bottom it's almost invisible anyway, and i use a seperate fine braid hair,so the bait can move naturally when taken. Thicker diameter is an advantage imo to improve abrasion resistance.
 
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