SAY "GOODBYE" TO YOUR WEAKEST LINK !
© 2001

"Ever wondered what's really The Weakest Link in YOUR tackle?" asks Nick Caine. "Never given it a moment's thought until something breaks and that Biggie gets away?!"

Well, here are some Top Tips to help you to prevent those dreaded Weak Links from letting those Biggies escape ! We've all told and heard the same old stories, haven't we? "The fish got off", "My line broke", "the hook opened out", "It was flipping huge" and so on, and so I'm going to highlight some key potential points of tackle failure and offer some of my Top Tips on how to help prevent these potential breakages and get rid of those Weak Links.

KNOTS are the most obvious candidates for a Weak Link, but I'm going to deal with them later ....... first-off there is your rod, and your rod rings.

RODS 'n' RINGS
How many lure anglers think of their rod as being a possible cause of line breakage, lure or fish loss? Not that many, but if any of your rod rings, especially the tip ring, are chipped or damaged, they could cause your line to break. Check your rod rings regularly and replace any that are chipped or damaged.

Also, if you're using braided lines, make sure that the action of your rod is not too stiff because braids have very little stretch .. and under certain conditions, something's got to give .... and unless your rod's got some "give" in it or your reel drag's set on the soft side, you could be in for a serious breakage !

Top Tip: Check your rod rings regularly to make sure that they're not your Weakest Link. And if you're using braid, make sure that your drag's not set too tightly.

REELS
Believe it or not, everyday fixed spool reels (less often multipliers) can be your Weakest Link! They can be yet another source and cause of line breakage .... yes, if the lip of your spool has got worn, grooved, notched, banged or damaged, that can in turn damage your line. It makes sense to check it regularly and to smooth it with wet 'n' dry if necessary, followed by a nice polish with Pledge or silicone line lube.

Similarly, bail arms and rollers can wear, get grooved or damaged and this is bad news as far as your line is concerned. It's always sensible to get a set of spare line roller and bail arm spring and to check the ones that are in-use at regular intervals, and replace them if necessary. And if you're using one of those excellent near-zero-stretch braided lines, make sure that your drag is set on the loose side to avoid any unnecessary shock-load on your rod or line, or, more importantly, the fish !

Top Tip: Check your spool rim and bail arm roller for any wear or damage that might cause line breakage.

LINES & KNOTS
Is your line fresh and free from nicks and abrasion damage? What is its true wet-knot strength? Are you using the best knot? How much stretch and abrasion resistance do you need and does your particular brand of line meet these important needs? Unfortunately, troubling though they might sound at first, these are all critical questions that need to be answered if you're to be sure of safely netting that Personal Best.

These days the choice is between monofils, braids or fusion lines, and they all have their own particular characteristics, PROs and CONs etc. Braids have high strength coupled to low stretch and low diameter, great for distance casting and keeping in direct contact with your rigs or lures. The downside is that, B.S. for B.S., braids have lower resistance to abrasion than monos mainly due of course to their much smaller diameter. My own favourite mono is Daiwa Sensor because it's got good abrasion resistance, good all round performance and what's more it's amazingly cheap. That said, I do like braids for lure fishing mainly because of their low diameter and low stretch.

Low stretch can also be a downside in that, unless you set your reel drag slightly slacker than you would with a mono of the same B.S., there's an increased risk of snap-off, breakage or simply imposing undue, unnecessary and avoidable shock loads on your tackle.

And how often do you check the business end of your line and discard any length that looks even the slightest bit dodgy? It pays to do this not only before and after every trip but also while you're fishing especially if you've had a tussle with a snag or two and more hopefully some nice fat pike.

Top Tip: Make sure that neither your lines or your knots are the Weakest Links. Always use a line with plenty of B.S. -- braids have very low diameter for their B.S. Use the recommended knots and always wet them while tying and before pulling them tight. Also check the knot strength after tying.

Frequently check the leading 2 or 3 metres of your line for damage or fraying because lure fishing gives your line a much harder time than many other styles of fishing, giving it a much greater chance of being your Weakest Link !

TRACE WIRE
Always use a good trace wire, and whether you preferz to twist or crimp the end loops, test the loops to make sure they can withstand the stresses and strains of constant casting of your lures. There are many different brands of wire available and once again it's all a matter or personal preference. Traditional wires such a Drennan 7-Strand won't let you down by being your Weakest Link, provided that you use more than adequate B.S. and your loops, twists and/or crimps are properly made and tested. Then there are the coated wires, and the other soft, easily twistable ones: it's up to you which one you choose.

Top Tip: Whichever trace wire you go for, don't let it become a Weak Link by compromising on strength or safety (the fish's!) by trying to unkink kinks or uncoil pigtails too often. It's much better to play safe and to use a fresh trace and if you're using a good standard trace wire, it won't cost you much to make sure that it's not your Weakest Link.

SWIVELS, LINKS & SPLIT RINGS
Cheap, inferior swivels can cause breakages so to prevent them being your Weakest Link, make sure that their B.S. matches the requirements of your particular styles of lure fishing.

The same goes for links and split rings. Always use high-tensile stainless steel snap lock links and split rings. As far as links are concerned, if you prefer them to be black then paint them with some enamel paint or felt-tip pen, don't compromise on strength for the sake of colour. Use the type that won't snap open under load or when they're dragged through a snag; you don't want them to be your Weakest Link.

LURES
And now we come to the big crunch as far as lure fishing's concerned, the lures themselves. To make sure that your lure's not YOUR Weakest Link, especially with plugs, it pays to check the strength of the trace-link eye, through-wiring or linkage between the two halves of jointed plugs, and the hook hangers.

Sad to say but there are some lures out there that are potential Weak Links ! Some have got very weak screw-in hook hangers and others are not properly wired-through. I've already mentioned split rings which are yet another potential Weak Link to check on your lures. Hooks are critical too but more of them in a minute.

Equally there are some very good lures out there too .... but how to you tell the difference between the goodies and the baddies, the Weak Links? Well, of course, once you've bought your lures it's usually too late! OK, you can then carry-out all the checks that I've mentioned and replace and weak or dodgy components.

Buying your lures from reputable suppliers makes the best sense, especially those who actually go lure fishing themselves because they're much more likely to know what they're talking about. Some lures are cheap and it shows in their inferior design and construction. Others seem rather over-priced! But in between these two extremes there are many very good lures that come from reliable manufacturers and which, despite mass-production and the swing from wood to plastic, have stood the test of time.

But even the best lures can sometimes have a potentially weak link and so it makes sense to check them all before fishing with them. For example, some lures are superb in every respect except perhaps for their hooks ...

HOOKS
With top-drawer specimen pike, zander, bass, perch and chub on your list, it's a false economy to use inferior hooks. It also pays to check and replace if necessary the original split rings and hooks. Many lures come with over-sized, weak or blunt treble hooks. Often they have large barbs too. Replace any unsuitable hooks with forged, chemically-sharpened ones, barbless or whisker-barbed, of one or two sizes smaller or, in the case of smaller lures, with double or perhaps even a single hook instead.

I strongly recommend replacing any original hooks fitted to some lures that seem to weak, too blunt or too large. OK, so you have to make sure that changing the hooks doesn't adversely affect the lure's action but mostly this is no problem.

Your choice of hook size should match the lure and should be of sufficient size to ensure that they aren't shielded by the lure's body — this can mean using sizes 6, 4 and even 2 but make sure you use micro, whisker or crushed barbed types. Of course with mega-lures and jerkbaits, size and hopefully strength isn't a problem but they're still worth checking-out to make sure that they've got no Weak Links.

Top Tip: Some anglers prefer the ultra-sharp chemically-sharpened replacement hooks such as Ashima and Gamakatsu and to replace them as soon as they get badly damaged or blunt, preferring not to try to re-sharpen them very often. Other anglers go for cheaper hooks which are often made from slightly heavier gauge wire and perhaps slightly softer too, and who prefer to straighten and re-sharpen their hooks when they become bent or blunt. It's your choice but it can be a false economy because some hooks can be the Weakest Link in your tackle.

YOU !
Are YOU the Weakest Link? Maybe your tackle is in tip-top condition, everything's hunky dory, and those mega-pike are ready and waiting ....... but if you then stomp off along the bank dressed as though you're going to the Notting Hill Carnival and making more noise than a JCB, then guess what, likely as not, YOU will the your own Weakest Link and worst enemy.

Whatever the conditions and whether the water's cloudy or clear, even if they can't see you, those big old wily predators will easily be able to "hear" or "feel" you coming along the bank and even more easily if you're in a boat because sound travels better underwater than in the air.

And how many times have you heard sad tales of big pike that followed a lure right to the margins and then veered off! Ever wondered why? Yep, we all have! But you have to ask yourself if it's YOU who's the cause of the problem — are YOU the Weakest Link, in fact?

Maybe you're too brightly dressed or silhouetted against the skyline, or not very well hidden: it could be any one of these factors, or some others of course. Maybe you were a tad noisy when you approached the swim, alerting the fish and putting them on their guard?

It's just a matter of loading the dice as much in your favour as possible as far as fooling these big predators goes. They're not stupid, that's why they're so successful and have survived fo so many Millennia.

Yep, it's true .. so make sure that you're not the Weakest Link by wearing some camou gear and being quiet and stealthy while you're lure fishing ... it'll be so much more fun and you'll most likely catch a net-full more fish.

THE WEAKEST LINKS ..... GOOD-BYE !
Well, there you have it ! If you follow these Top Tips, I'm sure that you'll be able to say "Good-bye" to most of those potential Weakest Links in your tackle and enjoy some good lure-fishing !

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