"Robert L Bass" wrote in message SNIP

Pardon me if this has already been discussed. I'm getting ready for a
trip to Rio Unini in the Amazon. We're going after Peacock Bass. I'm
planning to use 65 lb braid (Power Pro). If I tie braid right to the lure
am I more likely to break the line or rod than with a leader? I hear they
fight like Tyson. :^)

Also, I've been trying various knots to tie the leader (12 lb mono) to the
braid with varying degrees of success. If you have any suggestions about
the best knot to withstand Peacock abuse I'd like to hear it.

Thanks in advance.

Hello Robert,

While I don't have a lot of experience with peacock bass, having only fished
for them in Miami, I do have a fair amount of experience with 65 pound
PowerPro and with muskies, a large, hard hitting fish.

If you tie the line directly to the lure, you will stand the best chance to
land fish. I'm not a fan of using leaders, rarely finding fish to be leader
shy. However, whether you break the rod or the line is going to depend on
the rod you're using. I use 50 and 65 pound test on rods I've built using
St. Croix blanks. Their flipping stick and light muskie rods have held up
to the higher poundage lines pretty well. The best way to avoid rod
breakage is to set the drag so that there is a slight amount of slippage on
the hook set, then use your thumb on the spool to apply more pressure on the
fish if needed. I did blow up one rod using PowerPro, but I had the drag
cranked down as tight as possible and pulled a five pound bass out of the
water on a hook set.

I've done some experimenting and found the Uni-Uni knot to offer the best
strength for a connecting knot, but it works best when the leader line
diameter is the same as the PowerPro.

--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com