Power Pro Spectra Question

[Billy V]

I have been testing a few knots at my workbench and have experienced line breakage on my Power Pro #65 lb. WTF.....

This is what I did:

-I tied a 2 ft. section of #30 lb. (Used Ande Mono) to a metal ring on my vise using a San Diego Jam Knot.

-Then I tie a 38 turn Albright Knot to make the connection between the 2 ft. piece of #65 Spectra to the Mono.

-Then I tie a double Palomar Knot with the #65 Spectra end to another metal ring and make a steady pull to failure.

The Power Pro Spectra fails near the middle of its length every time.
WTF...... Has anybody ever tested their line like this before ?

The line is a few months old, but has only been fished 3 times. Its not rotted.
All the knots held just fine.

[grey zone]

The Albright Knot is great for joining lines where the is a large difference in diameters, for example 30lb mono to 100lb mono. When joining lines of similar diameters, for example 30lb mono to 65lb spectra I would recommend the uni knot to uni knot connection. The overall knot size is much smaller and very strong. I have never had a failure with this connection. I tie it by first making 10 turns of the spectra around the mono then tighten followed by 3-4 turns of the mono around the spectra. It takes a little practice but this makes a very small knot that will pass through guides unnoticed. A helpful tip when tying this knot is not to tighten the uni knots completely, close but not all the way tight, until both knots are brought together. This will minimize friction on the lines. When tying spectra to a ring, swivel or hook use a regular Palomar knot, it will not slip a double palomar is not necessary. Always consider friction on your line when tying any knot. Friction causes abrasion and heat, both spectra and mono melt. Good luck!

[gary sullivan]

I stopped using power pro years ago when I had line breakage not attributable to pilot error. There has been several threads about this product on both local boards discussing it's merits. Here is a good link to one from 2007.
http://forum.kayak4fish.com/viewtopi...ght=powere+pro

[Holy Mackerel]

I had #65 PP bust upon load up a couple of times, if it nicks in any manner, it significantly reduces the strength. I am now using #80 PP on my bait reels, and been happy, no lost fish, well due to PP breaking.

[Billy V]

For what its worth here is a pic of (2) of the knots I tested to failure.
You can see both lines broke is almost the same spot. The line was clean with no nicks or abrasions.

I tried this 6 times with the same results.
-The Used Ande Mono #30 lb. out performed the #65 Power Pro every time.

After the test I was able to loosen up and back off the San Diego Jam knot and remove it from the vise handle. I took the whole piece to Squidco for Joey to see what happened.

They tied the Power Pro from my reel on a spring scale and it held to its rating without breaking. They offered to replace the line if I wanted, but at this time I decide to hold off.

Notice the break just to the right of the albright knots.

[grey zone]

30lb mono joined by 38 turns of 65lb Power Pro in a Albright knot and the spectra breaks six times in a consistant location by the knot, something is not right. I use 50lb Power Pro and combine it with either 30,40 or 50lb Maxima and the mono almost always loses when tested. Not meaning to criticize, I would seriously consider your knot tying technique as the problem since the Power Pro tested out.

[esdees]

Can you tell how much pressure you're putting on the line before it snaps? It's hard to tell from the picture, but that mono looks heavier than 30. It might help to have someone watch over your shoulder.

[Billy V]

Originally Posted by grey zone

30lb mono joined by 38 turns of 65lb Power Pro in a Albright knot and the spectra breaks six times in a consistant location by the knot, something is not right. I use 50lb Power Pro and combine it with either 30,40 or 50lb Maxima and the mono almost always loses when tested. Not meaning to criticize, I would seriously consider your knot tying technique as the problem since the Power Pro tested out.

No offense taken.
The knots never failed in any of the 6 times I tied the mono to the spectra. They didn't even deform, I was able to untie the san diego jam knot in the mono with a small pic. I was also able to untie the double palomar knot on the spectra end.

It didn't break by the knot.
It was always the spectra that failed somewhere near the middle of its length.

There must be some weak spots in the spectra to cause it to break first.
-------------------------------
The mono was bulk Ande #30 that has been fished a dozen times.
In the pic the top palomar knot has been untied from the metal ring, so the line appears longer.