CRig Breaking in Timber

Got into some good fish suspended in timber in about 15 FOW. Timber was thick. CRig slow through timber/Brush tops would trigger bite but I kept breaking leader. 50# braid mainline to 15lb floro.Break-offs. 50% braid main to 20# Floro. Break-offs. 50# main to 20#Big game mono. Break-offs. Shortened leader to dang near 1ft to keep fish from wrapping me before I felt bite. Same. Set drag as loose as I dared not to load up too heavy. Broke off about 8 fish in 2 days. Caught a bunch too. Checked for frays often. After last break-off went to 50# main to 20# braid leader... no bites. Suggestions?

sounds to me like there may be something else down there besides wood that is causing the break-offs.

Very cool pattern you found there

The most abrasion resisting 20lb line I’ve tried is pline CXX copoly. I wouldn’t use it as a mainline (memory) so the first thing I’d try would be braid mainline to pline cxx leader

If you’re still having issues, instead of running a true crig, I’d use bobber stoppers above and below the weight (instead of a swivel below a freely moving weight). This will negatively impact your lure presentation, but you will fish more efficiently through the tree tops (less hang ups)

Slow rolling a spinner bait, slow swimming a swim bait, swim jig, or trig through the tree tops are other thing I’d try if still having issues with a bobber stopped crig

Lake Naconiche... not sure Lake is old enough to have too much debris. Unless all the fish were 7#+ breaking me. Did have some good load ups on most of break-offs. The bites I’m talking about were definitely fish. Not the ole line sliding down a horizontal limb fooler.

Maybe try a power drop shot on a baitcaster with 15 pound test or higher line with a 1/4oz elongated drop shot weight. I would use an Owner rigging hook and tx.pose the bait and drag it through the timber. The size of the hook will depend on what bait you decide to throw. I use a 1/0 for finesse worms, a 2/0 for trick worms and the 1/4oz weight on both set ups. I use a 2/0 owner J hook for drop shotting a Zoom super fluke with 15# test fluorocarbon line. All three rigs work well on Fork.

Naconiche is a very good lake with tons of timber in it.

Nature of the beast. Been there done that at Amistad. I had the best luck with 17lb Seaguar Invis X leader. Just be thankful for what fish you catch out of those jungles.

Sounds like some kind of metal or concrete. Same thing happened to me this summer until I figured out it was concrete and rebar. Good fish, just have to be prepared to loos some heart-breakers.

Switch to a light Texas rig. Also, I wouldn't use braid as a main. It takes away any stretch and that little leader is all that gives. Plus braid isn't very abrasion resistant

Braid held up fine... like someone said before. Nature of the beast I guess

Swim a Jig through it on 50 lb braid.. problem solved.

That’s helpful

20lb. fluorocarbon shouldn't break that easily.

Where is the break occurring? Can it be the particular knot you're using?

I tried a bunch of different lines for leaders before I settled on Red Label.

Everytime I tries using braid as main line it broke the leader... i use 12lb fluoro for main line and 15-20 fluoro as leader line (depends on cover fishing on pound line) never again will I use braid for anything except frogs and flipping heavy grass mats/pads...

It broke off at different sections of the leader. Line burn not an issue because I am really careful about that and have never had that issue before. After going over everything again in my head and reading the previous posts I’m pretty sure the fish were taking the bait very softly and I did not feel them at first. When I felt them they were pulling and not sucking it in. What most likely happened was they were softly taking it and swimming back into the jungle and I only felt them when they had already pulled all the slack out and had tight line pressure on me over or around limbs. I did land more once I shortened the leader(partner reminded me of that a couple of days later). If I had to do it over again I should have gone 20# mono to 20% mono on my set-up. Lesson learned and I will be a fisherman for it when money is on the line(no pun intended)
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As for swimming a jig through the jungle to solve the problem...Tried it pretty hard.... they didn’t want that pattern thus my CRig issue. Thanks for all the info and advice.