From time to time I think my line is breaking at the fly. I think it might be the knot intself cutting the line. It has happened with different knots. Has anyone experienced this and know of a way to prevent it?
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From time to time I think my line is breaking at the fly. I think it might be the knot intself cutting the line. It has happened with different knots. Has anyone experienced this and know of a way to prevent it?
Could you be more exact please. No one I know ties the line directly to the fly. :)
I mean that my tippet appears to break at the knot that attaches it to the eye of the fly hook.
I believe that there are two reasons this happens1. Friction (heat) when the knot is tied and 2. The line gets a nick in it when you tie the knot.
Friction causes heat buldup which in turn weakens the leader. By moistening the knot before tightening this is partially eliminated. Also by tying a knot with a high leader strength retention this can be lessened. There has been several threads recently on this subject.
Also you can, and I have, nicked the leader when tying the knot. This is done by not making sure that the knot is not touching that part of the eye of the hook that is slightly open. That end can be sharp.
Hopefully some others can add some thoughts to your question.
Tim
I would have to agree that the knot is probably the problem. Make sure that the entire knot is moistened before you cinch it down. It makes a world of difference.....especially on light tippets.
Brian
Do any of you think it could also be due to pulling on the tag end too much or too little before pulling on the line to finish tightening the knot. I typically attach my fly with either an improved clinch or a sliding surgeons knot?
Knots break when they slip
They slip because they're not seated correctly
They need to be lubricated and then drawn tight.
Try tightening both the standing line and the tag at the same time.
... then again... you may just have bad tippet
Slough Foot
I think Dudley may have stated your problem.
Was this always happening to the same tippet material? Or possibly different tippets but purchased at the same time?
Your tippet may be old, either already old in the store when you bought it or you bought it over a year ago and it has seen the light of day too much. If your tippet it mono then the UV light really ages it fast. I replace my mono tippet every year.
If your tippet is fluorocarbon then the UV light does not damage it, however many of the normal knots used for mono will cut into fluorocarbon.
Messing with that tippet just isn?t worth the risk of possibly loosing the Big One that you may hook up on this year. Buy some new rolls of tippet and see if they also break. If so, then it is the knot or as suggested possibly a damaged tippet when you are tying it.
Larry :D ---sagefisher---
I don't mean to head us off on a tangent but out of curiosity what knot are you using?
I check the knot every time I take goop off the fly. Give it a short tug, sometimes it will part. It may be from banging off the rocks in swift water. If you get temporarily snagged in rocky ground and it comes free quickly the knot can get damaged. Pays to check it now and then.
You might have to change the type of knot you are using. I use an improved cinch knot. The improved cinch will not come undone the regular cinch might.