FS Digest

From the fishing I’ve been watching it seems like in quite a few of them, fish are being caught on line lower then their weight? Perhaps not the main line but the one that holds the jig on? Am I talking bollocks are is this a thing? How is it done without breaking something!

--
by ThegreatestPj

FS Digest

The short answer is the use of a mechanical drag system. The slightly longer answer is that most line will actually break above its stated pound test and with experience you can judge when your line is nearing its breaking point and play the fish accordingly.

--
by H3BREWH4MMER

FS Digest

The line strength is the amount of force you can exert on a fish. If a fish is in the water, its weight is supported. If you tried to lift a 20lb fish out of the water with 10lb line, you'd likely break the line. What you would need to do is exert 10lbs of force on the fish whilst it runs, to tire it out and the guide it to your net, gaff or whatever other means of landing it that you have. The lighter the line, the less visible or detectable it is by the fish, but this needs to be balanced by a rod with sufficient cushioning, and proper use of the clutch on the reel (or backwinding). It's quite possible to land double figure carp on 4lb line, in the same way you can land a 200lb shark on 80lb line.

Higher line strength can also mean better abrasion resistance, less tangles, or the ability to cast heavier weights safely (if you mess up a cast with a 4oz weight on 10lb line, that lead is going to become a pretty dangerous projectile, which is why shockleaders/casting leaders are used).

--
by CleanBurning

FS Digest

My guess is that the factory line strength rating is tested out of water. Where a 7lb fish may snap 6lb line once it's out of water, the weight and tension is affected differently while in water because of buoyancy. Like how it's easier to lift something heavy submerged than on land.

Notice how when people land these large fish with light gear, they dont lift the fish from the water by the line or rod. They Always use a net to support the fish as to not put stress on the line or injure the fish.

--
by NerdyWoodsman1100

FS Digest

Combination of the line, rod, drag system, and angler skill. You can catch a 50 pound fish on 8 pound line if you know what you’re doing. There’s a whole system of stretch/slack/play from the fish to the human. The fish itself basically weighs nothing in the water; it is neturally bouyant until you bring it up into the air, so the “weight” you’re actually fighting is its swimming power. Start with the leader line. These can be a foot long or 20 feet long and depending on material, stretchy or not. A flouro leader is less stretchy than a mono leader. A 10 pound test leader is more stretchy than a 50 pound leader. Then the main line; braid has almost no stretch, flouro some, mono a lot. Mono can stretch up to 15% before it breaks. Then the rod; a slow/light glass rod can almost bend over on itself to provide “boing” while a fast/heavy carbon rod is more like a broomstick. Longer rod also means more play. Then the drag system in the reel (biggest mechanical component); drag shoukd be set below the capacity of the line system to the fish. So if you have 20 pound main line and a 15 pound leader, set the drag to about 10 pounds. The fish can take drag and not snap anything. Then angler skill (biggest actual part of the whole thing); knowing when to give, let the fish take drag, keep tension on, don’t let it jump up and head shake, keeping it out of structure, how long to fight it (stress it), etc. is an art. Other big part of all this is your knots, all the way from the lure, leader, mainline, the whole aystem is only as strong as the weakest knot (and you always lose strength through a knot).

So now you’ve landed the fish, pick it up, and that’s the point out of the water where it “weighs” something (get the net, gaff, hold it.....)

So frog fishing for bass in heavy brush/stumps? I want 65 pound braid, heavy rod, drag locked down with no play for a 5 pound fish. Open clear water with crank baits for the same fish? 8 pound flouro, slow glass rod, light drag.

--
by montanabob68

FS Digest

The vast majority of line can withstand more than the listed weight before breaking.

Here's an example of breaking points of supposedly "30 lb test" line:

https://www.sportfishingmag.com/gallery/gear/2014/11/line-test/

Like others said, you also aren't usually suspending a fish in the air supported only by the line. In the water, the actual amount of pull felt on the line is usually less than the weight of the fish.

--
by jei64

Charlie H Loc: Greer, Arizona

One of the world's most impressive angling achievements occurred on August 10, 1995, when Leo Cloostermans set the men's 4-pound-test line-class world record for Atlantic blue marlin with this 573-pound fish.Aug 21, 2017

Jeffchow88 Loc: San Francisco

I caught a 12 lb rainbow on 2 lb test. It took a while, and with a good drag setting I got it in.
I’ve also had fish break me off on 2 lb test because I panicked and tightened my drag instead of letting it run.
It’s a combination of skill, experience and keeping a cool head when a fishing starts running.
Tight lines.

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

Best example I am aware of is the record (on a fly, not certain if there is a specific category)Chinook salmon, a whopping..... 71+lbs on a 7.5lb leader, while steelhead fishing on the Rogue River, about 30 miles from my house. Apparently the fight was epic, like nearly 2 hours, or something. Caused quite the stir, here in the valley, because the guy clipped off his leader, leaving the fly in place....took it to his buddy's little market, weighed it, told him to put in the walk-in, "I got an elk hunt going for the next few days, I'll be back".....and disappeared for like a week. Rumor begat rumor and the Mail Tribune outdoor reporter was going nuts. The angler/Hunter finally returned, had the fish certified, etc. I forget which magazine(s) wrote articles, I should look that up.
So yeah.... for sure... you can land a fish far larger than your line's test weight. As pointed out above.... the most crucial & critical factor ?.... the angler.

TexDanm Loc: East Texas

I have caught a lot of fish in excess of the line weight. If you have plenty of line on the reel and are in fairly open water you can play them with the drag until they are basically exausted and then lead them to the net. I used to do this with red drum when they were running small I would go to 6 pound line and have a great time.