Frayed Lines
 

I have a general question about Flouro and Mono leaders:

Today I got hit twice under the 'cudas by something that ran with my live mac on
one line and sand dab on another (not at the same time).

Both lines were run deep.

It was a short fight with both hits, then the leader broke and was frayed at the break.
It didn't look like it popped at the hook. The leaders were 25lb P-line mono and were
freshly installed this morning.

The fact that it happened twice has me wondering. I don't think it was a sea lion,
though I could be wrong. It didn't have the trademark "all but head missing".

We could speculate all day on what hit them, but my question is about the leaders.
Should I use a heavier leader? What about no leader and straight spectra with a flexible rod tip?

Any other ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

I use three to four feet of 30# flouro leader because everything I've read says you'll get more strikes with a lighter or more difficult to see leader. But I caught that 50# YT with green spectra straight to a rapala and got another strong hit Tuesday with white spectra staright to a rapala before it shook off. I'm not convinced fish are smart enough to avoid a fish on a string. But, "I am not smarter than a fish!" I'll see all you pointless WCW folks early tomorrow for our last shot at May.

Frayed/sandpapered leader usually means shark. Their skin really does a number on the line. Either that or you got dragged over the rocks. Is your line heavy enough...it's all preference. Some like to use 15# for stuff, look at Dorado50 during the tourney, while others use rope. Fluoro is supposed to be more abrasion resistant than mono, but not all believe in it. For big game fish like yt and wsb most use somewhere between 15-40# line depending on terminal tackle, technique, and personal preference. Straight spectra gets bit at times, but I like the safety cushion of mono or flouro to absorb shock so I don't pull the hook. 25# line sounds fine to me, but experiment and find what is best for you, everyone has different preferences. If you ask different people you'll get different answers.

Thanks guys for the response. I understand the preference thing. I was just wondering
if I was going too light.

Experiment is what I do best. Catching fish is another story:D

Hey Wavster, 25lb line should be fine for local fishing, strength wise. As for abrassion resistance, flouro is tougher. But if it's sharks you're hooking you're on the loosing side unless you have wire or VERY heavy flouro. Sea lions don't have the kind of teeth that can abrade line. Sharks will roll in the line and their skin can abrade several yards of line some times. I don't fish for sharks so the faster they bite or rub off the better. If you want to fish for sharks use shark gear. If you get rubbed or bitten off just tell yourself it was a shark, you didn't waste valuable time messing with it, and then retie and go after the right kind. If you do get a suspected shark rub or bite off make sure to check you line for several yards or more above the end to make sure you're not fishing with damaged line. Mike

I like 30-40 flouro for a flyline and 50-60 for a deep or weighted bait, unless the vis is really good. Also, don't forget to inspect the leader frequently. Fluoro loses its invisibility if roughed up or frayed, in fact it lights up in the water in that case. Mono and fluoro will also break much easier if nicked. When in doubt, always retie.