Save Your Fingers

These days, bottom fishermen find themselves going to greater and greater depths to find good concentrations of fish. When you snag bottom in 200 feet or more, breaking free can be a dicey proposition. An angler often yanks with his rod, wraps line around his arm and pulls or, worse, grabs the line with bare hands.
With monofilament lines, breaking off was merely a chore, but with the new super-braids it can be downright dangerous. Rods can be broken and hand and fingers cut unmercifully by the thin, razor-sharp line.
A simple solution to this dilemma: Carry an 8-inch piece of broomstick along on your bottom trips. When you hang up, simply take five or six wraps around the broomstick and pull hard. Either you'll pull loose or the line will break - and you'll save your rod, hands and fingers.
Milt Rosko
Watchung, New Jersey