Breakaways,Fastlocks
 

This was buried in a korker thread.It is some good info I have been saying for some time now..
Clips that don't have a positive locking mechanism can cuse you some heartache.Are they worth the trouble..

Originally Posted by Zeno http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...s/viewpost.gif


[[I am a little hesitant of naming product, many people seem to like it, maybe its just me?
Plus, taking shots is not my style
I had one clip straighten completely by a 5 lb blue ,lost two beach master juniors and big fish prey. They all somehow slipped off the thing over the course of two nights.
I haven't lost a single plug all year ,and 3 in 24 hours.....

END QUOTE]

It's a inherent problem with the design.The fastlock is more likely to have that happen in my estimation than the Breakaway clips..
IMO easier on means easier off...If you would have payed attention to the NIB you would know this..I only use the breakaway clips for jigs.When jigging only..The large ones...IT CAN CERTAINLY HAPPEN WITH JIGS ALSO..When plugging I use the # 35 coast lock.That I round out the bottoms with a pair of round nose pliers.Like the ones Mike At CC Tackle sells..
It is the only way...
:smash:

Geeez Nib .. I been using the large and small breakaways since day 1 and no problems ,, plugs ,, jiggs .. The pic they have on the pac is confusing .. Some have been known to tie them on upside down ..(no names Numby).. The only problem I see is on small plugs ,,handcarves,, that use finer wire less than 1/16" in building them . slide off and on too easy I think ,, but even at that I've never had a problem . must be 4-5 yrs. now .. 1 st time I do I'm all done , but been loving them ..

I have to admit I like using em, they are easy..
The fact of the matter is if they slide on they can slide off..
I just hope for your sake Eddie it does not happen to you.
I prefer to eliminate any possibilities..You never know when the big one will hit..

I have had my hook straighten and the breakaway was fine.

I love breakaway clips. My only suspicion is that maybe picky fish may shy away from it. Probably not though with all the other stuff like trebels dangling. I haven't had any fail but haven't caught any monsters with them either.

Interesting NIB. I needed some #34 Coastlock snaps and went to a well stocked local shop - they didn't have any. I asked if they were on order and the young kid at the counter asked me "Why would you use them? He tried to sell me some of the new snaps and Crosslocks. I told him to forget it and I would mail order them. Looks like the next generation of casters has no idea that Coastlocks have been the snap of choice for many, many years. I'm all for personal preference but quality stands the test of time.

DZ

I ran out of my personal stash of several year old 34's this spring and bought a fresh gross of them and since spring I've had 3 complete failures with the #34 Coastlocks after years of almost flawless service. Came back as pretzels just from the hook set. In my opinion the current batch might not be the same quality as the old stuff and I had friends who also had unexplained failures so it's not just me at this point.

I've converted to Breakaways for the time being and have been very happy. No failures over several months. No pop offs either but as Tagger said, one slide off of a plug and I'll just start using a loop knot even though I really prefer a snap.

Be careful with the new ones DZ, I'm not sure what to make of them at this point....

I've got them on the shelves but I personally don't recommend them anymore.

Pete - Thanks for the heads up. Are they Rosco/Sampo Coastlocks that are failing?

DZ

Yeah, genuine Rosco/Sampo. I have busted a couple over the years which I attribute more to being lazy and opening and closing one too many times without changing but the fact I broke several over a few months after starting on a new box of them is what has made me suspicious. Then a few others had issues too. Parting with a Hab's Pencil was the last straw for me and I jumped ship from the Rosco's to Breakaway.

They look and feel in every possible way like older ones so it could just be bad luck or a random bad batch that we received , but I really don't know.

Iuse the 35 coast locks.they are alittle easier to use when the temp.drops easier to squeeze when your hands are cold.never lost a fish do to opening or pulling out.

I love the links for jigs, never had any trouble with jigs using them.plugs on the other hand, lost 2 plugs in a row so I like the Crow snaps I make like the coastlocks

The breakaways are a blessing in disguise. I was going through so much leader because I was always tying direct because I didn't trust duolock snaps. Now I just snap on a new plug with ease.

breakaways can be used with hands that have artheritus. I cannot operate a coastlock at all!:tm:

I feel that if you are giving the breakaways a hard workout through frequent changing of various size lures, especially with thickly looped stuff (jigs), they do tend to weaken and get sloppy. I dump them at the first sign.

Anyone one have pics of the breakaways ?

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/6...nks2lm3.th.jpghttp://img528.imageshack.us/images/thpix.gif

I believe the fast link is 80# and the spin is 50#. I have yet to experience a problem with them. Good luck.

Thanks Kierran. Have to look for them.

I have used Breakaway fastlinks for several years with no problems at all. This year I started using a similar product from a company called Backlash. Slight modification makes it easier to use AND it comes in a XL (150 lb.) size. Even better than the Breakaway IMHO.

Here is a link. Scroll toward the bottom to see the clips.

http://www.backlashsportfishingusa.com/tackle.htm

I just have a barrell swivel on my running line and put breakaways on each and everything that goes in the bag. Takes a while getting used to swapping over plugs/jigs but I think it extends the life of each clip. Also easier to attach clips to those plugs that are a problem at my leisure and not under pressure of having to try change in a hurry. Can't honestly say I've caught anything even comes close to testing the breakaways but no problems yet.

It's interesting some of you guys have concerns regarding wear on the Breakwaways. It's one of the things that is appealing about them to me. It just seems like there would be less fatigue of the metal since it bends so little compared to most clips.

Has anyone had a failure yet they felt was due to over using a Breakaway? I definitely feel them loosen up with enough use but never to a point where I was concerned. Maybe I just lost them prior to reaching a point with that much wear...

What do you guys recomend for the canal 60 or 80lb? I would think 60 would be sufficient and the smaller size be less visible.

I would go with the 80# clips for all my striper fishing. The 60's were designed for bait guys to clips the barrel swivels fom their rigs on. They (60) work well with small lures but for larger metal lips, poppers and bucktails go with the 80#. they are smaller than a 54 duolock.

I've never had a problem with the f-11 breakaway snap and feel they are the best. Pete and DZ- I had a similar problem with berkley crosslock snaps. The old ones were great but the new ones are not as good. That's the reason I started using the Breakaway two seasons ago. The breakawys are tough to get though. They have been back ordered for a long time which stinks at this time of the year. As a result, I have been using old breakaways for a while a ndhad a 40 the other night that tried to straighten it out but couldn"t.

Pete, never had one fail. I have had them get sloppy enough so when I put on a thickly looped jig, the clip bends around the back before I can get ot connected. When that happens, I'm more worried about the next time I may put on a thinly looped plug like a Yozuri, and having it slip off during a fight. So I just change leader and toss the clip when I get home. Probably over-thinking this, but it's a clip. I love the things and keep many on-hand.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete_G View Post
...Has anyone had a failure yet they felt was due to over using a Breakaway? I definitely feel them loosen up with enough use but never to a point where I was concerned...

I lost 2 pencils to fish on the hookset from what I think was a worn clip from using it on canal jigs with thick hooks. after 2 in a row I cut the clip off and tied direct.