Breaking Fish Free of the Kelp/Braid Choices
 

Went out of LJ with a buddy on Saturday. Had the chance to tangle with what I am pretty sure was another nice YT. Just like my first fish from a month ago, the fish went right into the kelp and I spent around 30 minutes, I'd think, trying to break the fish free, and I simply couldn't, and then my leader broke. (better the line than my rod, tho!)

Both fish hit the rig I have spooled with Izor spectra. I really love this line. It's unbelievably smooth and supple. Casts like a dream, and I don't think I've had a single wind knot with this line. If I had dedicated tuna reels, I don't think I'd have any issues putting this line on all of those reels!

However....... the trade off is that it's clearly not as rough and abrasive as Power Pro.

Are you guys really sawing through the kelp with Power Pro? How long do you usually tangle with a good fish that's stuck in the kelp before the line cuts through the grass and pops your fish free?

Gotta correct this issue pronto and find a way to bring my next :yt: into the boat!!!

Yes power pro braid will saw through kelp.

I have had 4 huge yellowtails get tangled in the kelp. I have brought 3 to the boat after sawing through the kelp.

After the line is stuck in the kelp for a while, I will wrap the braid around a pair of pliers and get it nice and tight and then use an up and down sawing motion to saw the kelp, it works.

The last fish I freed from the kelp took 30 minutes and the fish came up almost dead, PB at 33 pounds, easy gaff.

what were you doing in order to get the fish out of the kelp?

Izorline will work but you have to allow the fish to take line in order to "saw" through the kelp.

Yeah, both times, after getting tangled up, the fish would rip drag, I'd bring it back to the kelp, it'd rip 2 or 3 feet of drag, and I'd bring it back... and this must've happened again, over again at least 20-30 times easy. I would've thought that'd be enough to cut through the kelp. The first fish I had on which felt like an absolute monster compared to this one finally broke through after probably 25+ minutes, but really, like I said, Izor feels so smooth, I'm thinking that putting up with all of the wind knots and tangles that I invariably get with PP would be worth it just to get a much better cutting effect.

Even though I'm sponsored by Izorline, I believe the PowerPro is a better choice for fishing the heavy kelp. I love my Izorline, I think its the best stuff made when all things are considered.

Most all of my yt and my only wsb have run into the kelp. Bull kelp is the worst! I have always used pp but don't like that I have to keep an eye on it cause it does frey over time from winding and sawing through kelp. If what you use wont cut through the kelp get something different!