Unlike a lot of anglers, I realize that the line on your fishing reel doesn't last forever. But, like most anglers, I seem to replace that line only when something happens that tells me I waited too long. This last week I fished two sheepshead trips, and on both of them I was made painfully aware of the condition of my line.
On a Monday solo trip, and again Wednesday with a friend, I broke off more fish either during the fight or right at the boat than I have in years. I tried to deny my gut feelings that I had bad line by blaming it on the fluorocarbon leader. I have a couple of spools that of late have stayed in the boat on my console between trips. Exposed to sun, heat, and now cold weather, I suspected it had become brittle.
I was after sheepshead on both trips, and my spinning equipment had eight pound line, the same eight pound line I spooled about a year ago. The bait was the standard fiddler crabs I always use for sheepshead. One crab on a 1/0 Aberdeen wire hook jig head works very well on these hard mouthed bait stealers. The wire hooks penetrate more easily than larger hooks, and if I happen to hang up on a rock, the hook will usually bend out before the line breaks. "Usually", I found out, did not include these two trips.
Both trips found me at the St Johns River entrance working the jetties with the trolling motor, and flipping the baited jigs up to the rocks. I caught some small mangrove snapper, an unusual catch for this time of year, given the dropping water temperatures. I also caught some ring tailed porgies, a relative of the sheepshead, and of course, quite a few actual 'heads.
The problem I ran into was the number of break-offs I had during both days. Both my partner and I lost some very nice 'heads because of broken lines. I lost quite a few right at the boat as I reached for the leader to lift them aboard (yes, I should have used a net!).
It wasn't until I got home and was putting my tackle away that I thought about checking the line. What made me do that was the realization that I went through over fifty jig heads in those two trips! On most trips, I go through a few of them, but never anything near this amount!
I began testing the strength of the mine on my reels, and to my amazement, I found I could very easily break the line on three of the four reels with which I had been fishing! I would estimate the eight pound test was really more like four pound test!
I sat down and tried to remember exactly when I had put line on these three reels. As near as I could figure, it was over a year ago - and that means over 36 fishing trips! No wonder, I thought to myself! I was embarrassed, even though there was no one around! I'm supposed to know just a little bit about fishing, and one of the basics had managed to escape me!
I remember from my tournament bass fishing days how after a day of fishing we would change line literally EVERY night in the motel room. But, the line was usually free, supplied by a sponsor or tackle rep, and there was nothing else to do. I can say, I can't remember ever losing a fish to a broken line. How soon we forget the basics!
Needless to say, I have new line on those three reels now. I also have some new spools of leader. I'll be back at it this week, looking for some monster 'heads. This is the time of year up and down the East Coast to catch a ten-pounder. On good eight-pound line, it is quite a thrill!
