Testing line

[PixieAU]

Hi all

I've got some line which i can't recall it's breaking strain. What's a good method for testing? In particular which knots are recommended. I have incremental weights which i can add to breaking point.

[Noelm]

If testing line, you don't use any knots, it is just wrapped around a fixed end, and stretched until it breaks by a moving gizmo with a dial gauge attached, it could be done kind of OK by wrapping one end around a smooth object, and doing the same on a spring scale, by adapting something that won't cut the line, then just pulling while reading the weight. A better method would be to measure the exact diameter with a micrometer!

[airlock]

a very basic method is a spring scale like a suitcase scale and tie one end to the line and hang some weight off the other, its not what one would call an exact measurement but it puts you in the ball park. Or head out with your mates and when you loose the fish use the old "well this is only around 9lb line so i did well to get it that far" i mean it's not actually lying...

[Dignity]

If testing line, you don't use any knots, it is just wrapped around a fixed end, and stretched until it breaks by a moving gizmo with a dial gauge attached, it could be done kind of OK by wrapping one end around a smooth object, and doing the same on a spring scale, by adapting something that won't cut the line, then just pulling while reading the weight. A better method would be to measure the exact diameter with a micrometer!

A micrometer might give you the diameter but this has little reference to breaking strain. I've bought lines of same breaking strain but varies in thickness so much you dont need a micrometer to see it. Also unless they are tournament lines they often break well past the advertised breaking strain, this is more apparent in braid, I once bought a spool of 30lb well known braid which I returned as it ended up being thicker than some 65lb line I had. On querying the supplier they said it was closer to 49lb as they had complaints that their line was breaking too much as most of their competitors supplied a higher breaking strain than advertised, go figure, sounds like VW at play.

Most fish scales will have a top weight mark so just attach one end to your clothes hoist or fence and pull the other end till it breaks and then just read where the little marker ended up. I'm using the old manual scales, digital ones probably have a setting for reading the maximum. Of course repeat several times and average it out.

[Dignity]

Also forgot, the above method is for mono only and can be out by 40% or more depending on how you do it. Also if you want a comparison of different lines try Paulus Justfishing website.