Hooklink

[mrcif]

I did ask a similar question recently about braid/mono and got a good response, but nobody answered this part;

Most specialist hooklink materials I see are all of a fairly high breaking strain. Is it of upmost importance to have a hooklink that is of a lighter breaking strain than your mainline, or does it not matter as the knots are likely to give first?, I notice a lot of people seem to use the same strain of mono for both, and I was wondering if you could say, use a 10lb mono mainline, and 15lb braided hoolink material.

 

Thanks.

[theloner]

the trouble with that is obviusly that if the fish snags you and you break off your entire rig will be lost and presumably attached to a fish until it can rid itself of it. though lots of people do use 10lb line and 15lb combi braid hooklinks. in my opinion thats not good fish welfare

[Guest Anonymous]

If there's 1 rule I stick to it's to ALWAYS use a weaker hooklink than the mainline.

 

I just couldn't fish it the other way, IMO, that's just not on.

[johnplumb]

Please excuse my ignorance on this one what is achieved by using lower breaking strain hook link material than your main line strength

[bobstains]

Please excuse my ignorance on this one what is achieved by using lower breaking strain hook link material than your main line strength

 

in theory your hooklink should be the first to break as it is a lower BS than your mainline. This results in the fish trailing round a matter of inches of line rather than alot more, saving the fish a lot of distress.

[samcfc]

i use 25lb braid with 15lb mainline should i scale down to 15lb hooklink?

[666carpcatcher]

I tend to fish with 12lb b/s hooklinks, but if im fishing over gravel, i'll step it upto 15lb, and 20lb is im fishing over mussels (you get the jist) I use 15lb b/s Fluoro mainline...

 

With your hooklink laying on the deck, constantly being picked up or moved by smaller fish, or bigger fish moving in the swim, it is more likely to get abit batterd, this is the main reason for useing a stronger hooklink

[samcfc]

generally im fishing over gravel but sometimes silt,weed or snags

thanks for help

[666carpcatcher]

Well snags need a good hooklink, that will take pressure of you trying to steer the fish away from the snags, or in worse case scenario being able to take the pressure of being pulled into and out of the snags,

 

Depending on the thickness of weed would decide what strengh hooklink to use, at the end of the day mate, there is no right or wrong answer, it all come's down to common sense!!

[samcfc]

thanks for your help

[johnplumb]

Please excuse my ignorance on this one what is achieved by using lower breaking strain hook link material than your main line strength

 

in theory your hooklink should be the first to break as it is a lower BS than your mainline. This results in the fish trailing round a matter of inches of line rather than alot more, saving the fish a lot of distress.

I have to say i can't think of a situation where i want anything to break

nor why it would.

[tomeluk]

[quote="johnplumb"

I have to say i can't think of a situation where i want anything to break

nor why it would.

 

With all due respect.

It depends on how you proritise fishing for carp.

If you do not care that a fish kites on you and subsequently is hooked up on snags and you have to break off leaving that fish still unable to free itself and subsequently dying. Then ask yourself why you are doing what you do and empowering the lobby who believe that fishing is cruel and should be banned.

We have a duty of care to the fish. That duty of care means that we should do things as safely and responsibly as possible in the best interests of the fish.

It is not just a matter of catching for catchings sake with no regard or thought to the rigs or line we use.

I always use totally free running rigs with the hook length of a lesser breaking strain to my main line.

I can thus go to sleep at night thinking of my catch and release successes and not wake up sweating with the nightmare of leaving a fish to die in a snag or towing leads and long lengths of line around a pond or lake for God knows how long.

But then: I think, care and wish to retain and hopefully improve on what we currently have.

 

Think about it!

[johnplumb]

Running rigs are one thing but i still don't get how lighter strenth hook

links can help should your main line get snagged , there is no way any

carp is going to break a 12/15 braid or 15lb main line

[tomeluk]

Running rigs are one thing but i still don't get how lighter strenth hook

links can help should your main line get snagged , there is no way any

carp is going to break a 12/15 braid or 15lb main line

 

As I said. Think about it.

 

If a carp runs me around a snag all it will be left with, at worst. is one hook, barbless, in its mouth and one short length of 10 lb max line and one split link and swivel.

Your rig and line leaves what?

 

You say a carp will never break a 12 lb to 15lb braid. So why use it if it is over specified for its usage?

[Guest Anonymous]

Running rigs are one thing but i still don't get how lighter strenth hook

links can help should your main line get snagged , there is no way any

carp is going to break a 12/15 braid or 15lb main line

 

I get where you're coming from but if your mainline were to get snagged, it would pull through the snag to the hooklink swivel. If you then had to pull for a break, chances are, the hooklink would break first because it's a short link with a knot at both ends which must weaken it further. A 10lb hooklink, depending on the knot would break anywhere between 5 & 9lb which in my mind gives the fish a fighting chance of not being teathered.

 

One thing's for sure, a hooklink of greater strength than the mainline isn't going to give first

 

 

Let's all be honest, we don't know 100% if the fish ever frees it's self but it comes down to making the best of a bad situation & doing what you can. We all know how easily a fish can shake the hook, barbed or not.

 

I've been through this type of conversation before on here which got rather heated. If we all cared so much for the fish we wouldn't even try to put a hook through their lip but it's a sport we all love & the best we can do is to try to make it safer for the fish, afterall, we want to catch them, photograph them & return them safely after treating them but we don't want to harm them.

 

All I'm saying is, I use a weaker hooklink to give the fish a chance.

[Malc 1950]

Apart from fish care, which is paramount, other anglers have to be considered. If your mainline breaks it could leave a whole lot of line in the lake which would undoubtedly impede other anglers.

[tomeluk]

I get where you're coming from but if your mainline were to get snagged, it would pull through the snag to the hooklink swivel. If you then had to pull for a break, chances are, the hooklink would break first because it's a short link with a knot at both ends which must weaken it further. A 10lb hooklink, depending on the knot would break anywhere between 5 & 9lb which in my mind gives the fish a fighting chance of not being teathered.

 

One thing's for sure, a hooklink of greater strength than the mainline isn't going to give first

 

 

Let's all be honest, we don't know 100% if the fish ever frees it's self but it comes down to making the best of a bad situation & doing what you can. We all know how easily a fish can shake the hook, barbed or not.

 

I've been through this type of conversation before on here which got rather heated. If we all cared so much for the fish we wouldn't even try to put a hook through their lip but it's a sport we all love & the best we can do is to try to make it safer for the fish, afterall, we want to catch them, photograph them & return them safely after treating them but we don't want to harm them.

 

All I'm saying is, I use a weaker hooklink to give the fish a chance.

 

100% in agreement. We cannot be sure about what happens down there in the water all we can do is try to think of the welfare of the fish as often as possible within the scenario that we get our leisure from. Failure to do so not only strengthens the case of those who wish to ban what we do but is also not in the best interests of the fish.