Fluorocarbon Droppers

[conwyrod]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Decided to fish some streamy pool necks on the Welsh Dee this evening. Rivers are approaching drought levels, but I hadn't been out for about 3 weeks, since the Aberdeenshire Dee in fact.

Set up a 12' leader using Seaguar fluorocarbon, with 1 dropper. Size 12 Blue Charm on the dropper and silver stoat on the point.

Conditions seemed pretty hopeless, only one salmon off the club waters so far this season. At 9:30, thoughts turned to home. Then a miracle, a fish took the fly, half way down the island pool, a fast streamy run.

My first fish on my 13' Loop blue line rod, and it had a lovely bend in it as a lively 7lb fish made some strong runs. After a few minutes, I walked the fish 20 yards upriver to beach it. As I pulled the fish towards the bank, the leaader went ping.

The fish had taken the blue charm on the dropper, and the dropper had snapped in half - there was about 2" of dropper left. Now I've had droppers snap at the line and hook knots, but never at their midpoint!

All i can guess is that as I was playing the fish the dropper was rubbing against its teeth or something hard in its mouth.

Any thoughts?

Anyway, its back to the Maxima for me, for droppers anyway.

[sealicer]

Never use anything but brown maxima now, have tried many alternatives in the last 20 years but nothing has compared, tried green maxima this year & got broke by a fish about 7lb!!!! never again. Personally i shall never use anything but brown maxima again, i have used it for 27 years now, spinning & fly fishing, it has never let me down, don't know why i try others!!!!

[severnfisher]

Snap!

John,

A similar thing happened to me yesterday afternoon. But operator error in my case

www.seatroutforum.com/showthread.php?t=76&page=9

[conwyrod]

Some coincidence Tom, and it's not Friday 13th until next week!

[speyghillie]

Hi John,

I fish a 4 fly cast of 24' when trout fishing on the lochs and may times have landed 2 or even 3 2lb+ fish at once. There are also occasions when the leader breaks but normally when the 2 fish have decided to head off on different directions or your boatman hooks a dropper in the net...

My point is that fluorocarbon, especially riverge and seaguar have excellent knot strength hence the fact that you didn't break at the knot. I agree with you that there maust have been some sort of abrasion to the line but you'd probably have found evidence by a curly tail or further wear.

I've caught more then my fair share of sea-trout, especially on the Deveron in the late 70s/early 80s and a dropper is certainly beneficial and I'd have to say that as hight as 40% would have been caught on the dropper. For those interested - Greenwell Glory & Grey Monkey during daylight hours and Butcher & Dunkeld in the dark.