Not all lines are equal…………….

Last year the SACGB noted an increasing interest in British Measured and Released Line Class Records.  With so many vacant records we expect many of them to be filled this year.

From a secretary perspective, the angler catching and releasing the shark is only half of the challenge.  Claims often fail due to insufficient photographic/video evidence which the SACGB have highlighted and discussed in news items and in the angling press recently.

The second area of potential claim failure is the line test.  When you submit your British Measured and Released Claim it must be accompanied by 28 metres of line plus 1 metre of trace and the hook used in the catch. This is different if double line is used (see details on SACGB website)

This line is then tested to check its breaking strain which involves a simple pull test on three pieces of your line using a calibrated test rig. To pass, the line must fail at, or underneath its stated breaking strain.

For example, if the line has been purchased as 50lbs breaking strain, a test result of 50, 49, 50 would be a pass, whereas a test result of 49, 48, 51 would be a fail.

Line quality merits an article of its own but put simply, standard lines have a tendency to break above their stated breaking strain. Higher quality line is available, which has a significantly higher chance of breaking at, or underneath the stated breaking strain and therefore passing the test. So, if you are chasing a particular line class record category we recommend that you use one of the higher quality lines to avoid disappointment.

In the example above where the line failed the 50lbs test, your shark would automatically be entered for the next higher line class, ie 80lbs if it is available