[djdoss]

I switched from mono to 50lb test Spectra this year and have been having trouble with it breaking. Lost my second fish yesterday due to this and have lost some tackle as well. My rods have roller tips and I was wondering if the line is getting pinched because it is so much thinner than the mono. These breaks are not at the terminal tackle so I know my knots are holding. Anyone else had problems with this line? Should I go back to 40lb mono or step up to 80 or 100 lb Spectra?

 

[Seahunter]

I have stripper guides and roller tips on all my trolling rods and I've never had an issue.
I run #65 and #80 Power Pro to minimize the possibility of problems.

Check your guides for wear or sharp edge. Braided lines don't take kindly to running over a sharp edge.

 

[ultangler]

Yep--you have bad guide(s) somewhere. If you have the same type rods and it's happening on multiple rigs, you can bet the guides are not up to handling the Spectra. I've had it etch grooves into guides after a single outting, which then caused break-offs until I figured out what was going on and changed rods or replaced guides. Verify this by pulling cotton balls across all of your guides, making sure the rollers roll all the way when you do so, and you should locate any grooves/edges when tiny strands of cotton get left behind. The other possibility is you're running the line through the base guides on the wrong side of the rollers, and the line's cathcing the sharp edge on the inside of the guide.

 

[27 sailfish]

Sometimes if you are trolling hard pulling lures like umbrellas and turn too sharp - the braid will ride up over the roller tip.It can be nicked if the roller housing is not smooth.This can also happen on the planer board rods if the rod holder forces the rod to be at a funny angle.

I use 50lb braid on my lighter trolling reels - Penn 320's - and have not had any trouble.

I like to order Magi Braid from OffShore Angler - Bass Pro Shop. This brand seems to hold up better for me.They sell 50 and 80 lb in 300 yd spools.

One other thing to watch for is if you run with the rods rigged.Sometimes a hook will nick the braid and if you do not see it - the braid will often break when a fish hits.I try to check the first 5-10 feet off the reel each fishing trip.This part of the line sees the most abuse.Now/then I find a bad nick or chafe on my braid.

 

[djdoss]

Thanks for the info -- I'm having this happen on multiple rods all with roller tips. On one type of rod tip it looks like the spectra can get between the roller and the pin and pinch the line. On the others I found a few sharp edges that when being pulled off the planers may put them at enough of an angle to rub the line. I think if I step up to 80 lb and smooth the edges of the tip a bit that may solve the problem. Thanks Again!