Having a large fish break your line is almost a rite of passage in fishing. As much as it pains us, it’s that kind of experience that keeps us coming back for more and compels us to better understand our sport and how to prevent the frustrating experience from happening again. So why do fish keep breaking your line, anyway?
Your fishing line will break when a force is applied to the line that exceeds the line’s pound test capacity. This is usually caused by one of several reasons:
- Your drag is set too tight;
- The fish gained leverage;
- You were too overeager during the fight (this is a big problem for kids and newer anglers);
- There is a defect in your line or knot;
- You ran into a fish with sharp teeth, and weren’t using a leader.
Let’s explore this a little further and go into all the reasons fish might break you off so that you can figure out what to do about it.
Define the Problem
To prevent fish from breaking your line, you need to understand which one of these issues is causing the problem, as each has a specific correction. As mentioned above, most of the time when a fish breaks your line, it’s for one of the following reasons:
- You have your drag set too tight;
- You’re using too light of line for your abilities;
- The fish gained leverage;
- You were too overeager in the fight;
- There is a defect in your line;
- Your knot is poorly tied;
- The fish cut the line with their teeth.
Your Fishing Reel’s Drag Is Set Too Tight
Contrary to popular belief, the pound test of your fishing line is not the be all, end all. What I mean by that is that it is perfectly possible to successfully land fish that weigh significantly more than the pound test your fishing line is rated for. One reason for this is because of the reel’s drag system.
When a fish bites your lure, it tugs on the line and generally tries to swim away from resistance. Thus, a fish will typically try to swim away from you while you are trying to pull it closer towards your boat or shore. Because you and the fish are both pulling in opposite directions, force is applied to the fishing line.
How the Drag Works:
Let’s say you were tightly holding onto a stick that had some fishing line tied to it. Let’s say you only had 10′ of fishing line attached to the end of your stick. If a fish bit your lure and swam away, it would impart force onto the line. The moment you pulled the stick back at the same time to try and stop the fish, you too would be imparting force. If the sum of both of your actions exceeds the pound test rating of the line, it would snap and the fish would swim away with some new jewelry.
The drag system allows the fish to pull off some line without snapping it. It works by applying a certain tension to the spool in pounds. To strip line, the fish must exert more force than the drag’s tension setting.
Thus, if you were using 6 lb test line, and set your drag to 3 lbs, a fish would need to exceed 3 lbs of pressure to strip line from the reel. If they could only muster 2 lbs of force, they would not strip line (but it would not break, either).
Finally, if the fish exerted 10 lbs of pressure on the 6 lb test line, having your drag set at 3 lbs would mean that only 3 lbs of force was imparted on the line (and the fish), so it would not snap.
Accordingly, you should not set your drag setting higher than the pound test your fishing line is rated for.
How To Tell If Your Drag Is Set Right
An easy way to check this is just to pull some line with your hand. If it comes off too easily, your drag is set too loose. If you can’t feel any pressure, neither will the fish. This means you’ll never tire them out or make any gains. Tighten it until you find a good balance where line pulls off fairly easily but it still takes some effort. This will allow your drag to wear down larger fish effectively and eventually land them.
You’re Using Too Light of Line for Your Ability
Although a drag will help a skilled fisherman land a large fish, landing a monster is still a challenging experience. Much can (and will!) go wrong. Many experienced anglers purposefully use lighter line because it increases the challenge for them. If you’re new to this, you might want to avoid that. Just concentrate on getting the fish into the boat in the first place.
Use a line that is strong enough that you can get away with a mistake or two while you’re learning. You don’t know when the next fish is going to bite, and perhaps only one will strike all day. I would not recommend going below 6 lb test line while you are starting off. This is a good balance in that most freshwater fish you’re likely to encounter will be below this size, but the line is also strong enough to give you a fighting chance of landing the occasional larger fish.
You also might consider using braid as it is significantly stronger than other types of line of the same diameter. I’m not crazy about using it with kids as it can cut you badly if you’re not careful. Assuming you’re a grown adult, you should go for it, as it is a great product. I’m personally a fan of PowerPro as it is easy to use, doesn’t ruin my line guides, and has served me well for years.
The Fish Gained Leverage Which Allowed It to Break Your Line
Another common reason that a fish will break your line is that they gain some leverage. This is usually occurs when they wrap the line around a stick or other object that prevents the drag system from working. Once the line wraps around a stick, the stick is essentially the new spool. If the fish can impart more force than the line can withstand, it will break.
Fish can also gain leverage by swimming into your trolling motor, outboard, or even another fisherman’s line. Anything that gets between the drag and the hook is going to be a problem. Play your fish carefully and ask your fishing buddies to reel in their lines if a particularly big one hits.
Heavy weeds are another common way that fish can gain leverage. The second the fish senses that something is wrong, they’ll bolt for the thickest cover they can find. You want to do what you can to prevent this from happening (usually, by fishing with heavy enough line that you can turn them in before they can get to cover).
It’s certainly a balancing act as you don’t want to put too much pressure on the line yourself by trying to keep the fish away from heavy cover, so do what seems to make sense. Your best bet is to be aware of your surroundings and have a plan for how you’re going to play a fish if and when it strikes on your next cast. You don’t want to be caught daydreaming around laydowns.
You Were Too Overeager or Played the Fish Wrong
Many lines snap and many fish are lost at the last second because of an overeager angler. Remember that water is more buoyant than air. If you try and lift a large fish from the water into the boat, its full weight will test the line. Take care with how you land your fish. I’ve written articles to explain how to net a fish properly and how to land fish without a net to prevent your trophy from getting away.
It’s also possible to be too overeager while playing your fish. Take care and avoid trying to horse them in until they’re ready. Only rush things if you absolutely must keep them away from some sharp rocks or a gnarly laydown.
Let your rod help you land the fish. Always make sure that you maintain a bend in your rod. NEVER allow the line to point directly at the fish. The rod’s bend will absorb much of the shock of a running fish. If you point the line directly at the fish, you lose this benefit.
There is a Defect in Your Line or Gear
Check your line often, especially if you are fishing near rocks, wood, bridge pilings, or anything else that is likely to fray your line. The instant that the line has a cut or dent, it will no longer retain its pound test rating. Just consider what would happen to a rope if you unraveled part of it. The same concept applies.
Some lines don’t do well in the sun, or after having been submerged for a long time. Others age poorly and become brittle over time. You’ll find that most professional anglers are paranoid about their line and change it often. They are afraid that if they don’t put on fresh line, a fish will break it soon. While that isn’t a cost-effective option for most of us, you do want to do what you can to take care of your gear. Put it away when you’re done with it and don’t leave it outside exposed to the elements longer than necessary.
As you go through your day, it’s usually a good idea to strip off 6′ to 7′ of line and retie every so often. This ensures that the business end near the fish is fresh, and will help avoid situations where you just didn’t notice the line was frayed.
Finally, it should go without saying that anytime you notice your line was wrapped around or near a sharp part of the fish (be it a pike’s teeth, or even just a bluegill’s gill plate), you’ll want to closely inspect your line and see if it has any damage. When in doubt, change it out.
Defective Line Guides
It’s also worth pointing out that the issue might not be with your line, but the line guides. If you’ve made a habit of hooking your lure to the line guides to keep it in place, you may have cut or damaged them with the hooks. These cuts can have sharp edges that might be damaging your line as it passes through it.
If you don’t have the coin to send it in a rod for repairs, you can try to fix it. One way is to place an epoxy into the cut and then sand it down flush so it no longer is something that can catch the line and fray it. Another is to replace it outright. Here is a video that shows you how to replace your line guides.
Your Knot is Poorly Tied
Even the best fishing knots won’t retain their complete line strength (source). Regardless, if you err in tying one the chances are you’ve made it weaker than usual. A poorly tied knot will not withstand the same force as a well-tied one, will make your line more susceptible to breaking if the fish takes a sudden plunge.
The next time that you tie a knot that doesn’t come out very well, take a closer look at it. You’ll probably see that it is pinching against itself at a weird angle. This is not ideal. If you make a mistake and your knot doesn’t come out right, invest the extra few seconds to try again. This is one place where you don’t want to cut corners.
A well-tied knot is a thing of beauty that we all should aspire to. The last thing you want to worry about when a fish is on the line is if your knot will hold.
Some Fish Break Your Line With Their Teeth
The simplest explanation for why a fish broke your fishing line is that they had sharp teeth. Many freshwater fish such as northern pike, chain pickerel, muskellunge, bowfin, and walleye have the kind of smile any dentist would fear and if you encounter them without a leader, it could be a very short fight.
Even fish that we don’t normally think of as having “teeth” like bass can damage line to the point where they can break off. Most predatory fish that lack what one might consider “true” teeth at least have a very rough, sandpaper-like texture to their mouths to prevent their prey from getting away. The same teeth that cause “bass thumb” after a great day of fishing are equally capable of fraying line if given the chance. Check your line often to make sure it still looks good!
I wrote an article that discusses leaders in more detail. I discuss when and where you should use them and what type of leader you want depending on the situation. You can read it here as it will help you overcome these toothy lake monsters.
The bottom line is if you’re fishing in a lake that has apex predators with teeth, you’re going to need to either use a strong leader, use a technique that’s unlikely to allow them to reach the line with their teeth, or prepare to lose a few fish.
Let’s Hope Fish Never Break Your Line Again!
The sinking feeling of losing a fish is not fun, but you can’t let it demotivate you. You never know if that fish had a buddy right next to it, so go ahead and shake it off, retie, and cast again. If you just lost a giant, doing this is easier said than done. At least if you know that you did everything you could to prevent the fish from breaking off, it will help you move on.
Before you cast your line out, make sure that it is in good condition and your knot is tied well. You wouldn’t want your fishing line to break on your cast! If you think there are pike lurking nearby, consider a leader. Test your drag and make sure it’s where you want it. Expect that a fish will bite on each cast and have a plan for how you’re going to steer them away from heavy cover where they can break you off. When you get them close to the boat, make sure their weight is properly supported so you don’t lose them at the last second.
There’s a lot to go wrong and even more to forget in the heat of the moment. At least if you take care of the maintenance before the fish bites, you’ll have a fighting chance.
I hope this article helped you understand why fish keep breaking your line and gave you some pointers on how to prevent it. If you have any additional questions please leave a comment below or send me an email and I’ll do my best to help you.
As always, if you found this article helpful please share it so it can help others. You can also check out my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide
Thanks,
John Paxton
