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I started fishing with braided line this spring and generally like it, however, I have had several breakoffs on the few good(well they felt like good fish) I have hooked this year. Fishing the CT I am using 30# braid with 12# Cajun Red under the cork. I have had several good stikes, set the hook to what feels like a heavy fish, only to have the line break.

My suspicion is that with the braid and no stretch, you really have to be careful to retie if there is any abraision at all on the mono leader. What do you guys think, or am I just running in to a lot of blues or sharks?

Nuts

I think its your leader. Go heavier with the leader material (20lb-30lb) and lose the Cajun Red use another brand of mono like Big Game or Ande (just not Cajun).

You didnt say what was breaking. Was it the braid above the CT, or the leader below.

I agree with Atticus about ditching the red line. Go with 20-30 lb flourocarbon instead.

What they said. Also, like you said, braid doesn't stretch. You don't have to set the hook quite as hard.

It could be the knot you are tying to the swivel on the CT. I had a lot of knot slippage when I first started using braid on bigger fish. I then started tying a modified uni knot in which after the first uni was tied, I will loop the end of the line through the eye of the hook again and retie. Only takes a quick second, and it definitely works. If you are still getting breakoffs then you might want to ease up on your drag.

Cajun Red I have tried light line as a leader and anything with teeth will use it for sewing thread.

The Cajun Red was breaking down near the jig head.

In the past I have not used leader material below the CT, just regular line and retied it whenever it got rouhged up.

I think I will just use a little heavier flurocarbon line below the CT.

Nuts

dogonenuts wrote: I think I will just use a little heavier flurocarbon line below the CT.

Nuts

20 lb. flourocarbon leader. Be careful of the Bassmaster style hookset when using braid. Because there is very little stretch, it is easier to break a leader. I generally break a leader or 2 before I remind myself to ease up on the hookset.

If it's breaking at the jig head, are you sure it's not knot slippage? If it's curled where it broke, you've got a slip. Use a palamor for any line, if you can, and keep it out of the hook eye gap. For Flurocarbon use the uni and don't scrimp on the twists, fewer for heavy leader. A traditional clinch knot will slip on braid and fluro but still digs in good on mono. Oh, and don't forget to wet your knot before you cinch it down. in this case, a little spit is the the best glue in the world.
I like the double uni TT. If you have a long tag end that would work. Why waste line?

birddog wrote: Be careful of the Bassmaster style hookset when using braid. Because there is very little stretch, it is easier to break a leader.

I just use a circle hook for braid. All you have to do is start reeling when you feel a bite. Haven't lost very many fish since I went to circle
Hope it helps

I ain't found a gold spoon with a circle hook.

I either use the Uni or Palomar knots, the Uni more now that my arms have started getting too short.

I don't get the feeling that Cajun Red stuff is all that great.

Nuts