Are we destroying our Gear Sets by pulling out snag?

[Houndfish]

I use either a small length of dowel with tape wrapped around the middle for grip or this thing:


It really does seem to protect thinner lines very well when I have to break a lure off.

[BigG]

Excellent idea

[mark poulson]

The only things I worry about when pulling a lure out of a snag are burying the braid into the spool or breaking the rod. I typically wear gloves when I fish, so I wrap the braid around my palm a couple of times and pull, with the rod pointed straight at the snag, to get the lure to strip up a tule and out.
If I can't get it out that way, and it's too hard to reach with the rod tip, I wrap the braid around a boat cleat, and use the TM to either pull it free or break it off.

[Texas_bullet]

I will try the "bow and arrow technique" next time. What I do if bank fishing is wrap the line around the reel frame several times, turn my back on the lure and walk off slowly. Something will give, almost always the lure will pop free.

[Drew03cmc]

Sometimes I have discovered it is easier to break off than to risk damage to a $200 reel.

[DirtyD64]

Pulling too hard with a lot of fluorocarbon out (10-20 yards) can really weaken it, especially on lighter lines. When I first started fishing I used 7lb FC Sniper on a few spinning reels and used to pull till it snapped on snags. I started finding the line weaker and weaker then realized I was damaging even the healthy looking parts of the line, particularly what was left out during freeing up or breaking off a snag. I have never had gears go bad, but ruined plenty of fresh 20 yard sections of fluorocarbon, cut 2-3 of those off and you might as well change the spool.

[mark poulson]

Pulling too hard with a lot of fluorocarbon out (10-20 yards) can really weaken it, especially on lighter lines. When I first started fishing I used 7lb FC Sniper on a few spinning reels and used to pull till it snapped on snags. I started finding the line weaker and weaker then realized I was damaging even the healthy looking parts of the line, particularly what was left out during freeing up or breaking off a snag. I have never had gears go bad, but ruined plenty of fresh 20 yard sections of fluorocarbon, cut 2-3 of those off and you might as well change the spool.

That is a really good point. It does depend on the line you're using.
I typically fish heavier braid, 50-80lb, with a short 20lb fluoro leader at times, so I can winch on a stuck lure without worrying about ruining my line. I would never do that with lighter line, especially lighter fluorocarbon.

[DirtyD64]

Pulling too hard with a lot of fluorocarbon out (10-20 yards) can really weaken it, especially on lighter lines. When I first started fishing I used 7lb FC Sniper on a few spinning reels and used to pull till it snapped on snags. I started finding the line weaker and weaker then realized I was damaging even the healthy looking parts of the line, particularly what was left out during freeing up or breaking off a snag. I have never had gears go bad, but ruined plenty of fresh 20 yard sections of fluorocarbon, cut 2-3 of those off and you might as well change the spool.

That is a really good point. It does depend on the line you're using.
I typically fish heavier braid, 50-80lb, with a short 20lb fluoro leader at times, so I can winch on a stuck lure without worrying about ruining my line. I would never do that with lighter line, especially lighter fluorocarbon.

Mistake I made more than a few times. When I bank fish and happen to be using fluorocarbon, I get as absolute close as possible to snap it, a dowel can help prevent damage to the rest of the line. Sometimes if I can get really close I just cut it off to save the structure of the rest of the line. I have been lucky though and am very careful with gear, not sure if anyone would believe it, but I have NEVER been broken by a fish during a fight, neither has my wife. Broke on a couple of hooksets in heavy cover, but I am pretty sure it was the elusive stump-bass. When I fish with my father, who does the cheap gear/line/etc. he normally breaks off about one every few trips, and sadly it could leave a bait in a fish's mouth. He does the old school mono line and drag break neck tight style of fishing.

[poisonokie]

Pulling too hard with a lot of fluorocarbon out (10-20 yards) can really weaken it, especially on lighter lines. When I first started fishing I used 7lb FC Sniper on a few spinning reels and used to pull till it snapped on snags. I started finding the line weaker and weaker then realized I was damaging even the healthy looking parts of the line, particularly what was left out during freeing up or breaking off a snag. I have never had gears go bad, but ruined plenty of fresh 20 yard sections of fluorocarbon, cut 2-3 of those off and you might as well change the spool.

That is a really good point. It does depend on the line you're using.
I typically fish heavier braid, 50-80lb, with a short 20lb fluoro leader at times, so I can winch on a stuck lure without worrying about ruining my line. I would never do that with lighter line, especially lighter fluorocarbon.

One thing you can do if you can't get close is break it off and then go home and flip the line around.

[mark poulson]

Pulling too hard with a lot of fluorocarbon out (10-20 yards) can really weaken it, especially on lighter lines. When I first started fishing I used 7lb FC Sniper on a few spinning reels and used to pull till it snapped on snags. I started finding the line weaker and weaker then realized I was damaging even the healthy looking parts of the line, particularly what was left out during freeing up or breaking off a snag. I have never had gears go bad, but ruined plenty of fresh 20 yard sections of fluorocarbon, cut 2-3 of those off and you might as well change the spool.

That is a really good point. It does depend on the line you're using.
I typically fish heavier braid, 50-80lb, with a short 20lb fluoro leader at times, so I can winch on a stuck lure without worrying about ruining my line. I would never do that with lighter line, especially lighter fluorocarbon.

One thing you can do if you can't get close is break it off and then go home and flip the line around.

That is a smart idea.
I don't fish straight fluoro any more, but I used to, and I'd stretch it on purpose every few trips, to get rid of line memory, and to find any bad spots.
I'd tie it off to my truck's lumber rack and let out two casts worth of line, put my thumb down hard on the spool, and then stretch the line until it felt like it wouldn't stretch any more. I'd hold it for a ten count, and then reel it back onto the spool, running it through my fingers as I did it, feeling for bad spots. That way, if there was a weaken spot, I'd find it at home, instead of with a fish on the end of my line.
Back then I used the original BPS fluoro, and it was much more forgiving and less expensive than the Sniper I started out with. If I felt a kink in the BPS, I could hold that section between my hands, and it would usually just straighten out, while Sniper would break.

[ShimanoFan]

I've been trying to follow this one...

In all my years of fishing I never ruined any gears pulling a snag loose, but I do it in a way that does not cause damage to my baitcast reels and rods.

A spinning reel is different because of design. Too heavy of line on a reel can bend the main shaft if yanked or pulled on too much. Gotta treat these differently.

Over 45 plus years of fishing and never had any trouble like I read in this thread. Then again, I don't use reels with aluminum gears... might be part of it.

[mark poulson]

I've been trying to follow this one...

In all my years of fishing I never ruined any gears pulling a snag loose, but I do it in a way that does not cause damage to my baitcast reels and rods.

A spinning reel is different because of design. Too heavy of line on a reel can bend the main shaft if yanked or pulled on too much. Gotta treat these differently.

Over 45 plus years of fishing and never had any trouble like I read in this thread. Then again, I don't use reels with aluminum gears... might be part of it.

I think aluminum gears is a big part of it. I've had big catfish and carp make a baitcaster's aluminum gears feel rough after a long fight, where I had to really winch on them to get them to the boat.
I switched 8 of my Smoke Burners to brass main gears, and no more worries.

[ShimanoFan]

I think aluminum gears is a big part of it. I've had big catfish and carp make a baitcaster's aluminum gears feel rough after a long fight, where I had to really winch on them to get them to the boat.
I switched 8 of my Smoke Burners to brass main gears, and no more worries.

Aluminum is soft... like butter as far as metals go. Does not take much to bend it. And with micro gears becoming more popular, it was bound to happen...

Built in obsolescence.

[hokiehi]

I think aluminum gears is a big part of it. I've had big catfish and carp make a baitcaster's aluminum gears feel rough after a long fight, where I had to really winch on them to get them to the boat.
I switched 8 of my Smoke Burners to brass main gears, and no more worries.

Aluminum is soft... like butter as far as metals go. Does not take much to bend it. And with micro gears becoming more popular, it was bound to happen...

Built in obsolescence.

I might be mistaken but isn’t brass considered to be softer than aluminum? If so then why do we only ever hear about aluminum gears going bad but brass gears lasting forever?

[ShimanoFan]

I might be mistaken but isn’t brass considered to be softer than aluminum? If so then why do we only ever hear about aluminum gears going bad but brass gears lasting forever?

Well, my brass gears hold up for decades if not abused. I have no idea if aluminum will as I don't have reels with aluminum gears. Dont want any either! But on the hardness scale aluminum rates 2 to 2.9 while brass rates 3 to 4.

https://www.tedpella.com/company_html/hardness.htm