# Breakaway Cannon



## booboo (Jan 2, 2007)

Bought one of these with my new rig, and I've got to say, I like it! I'm not entirely sure that I'm using it right as the instructions with are kinda' vague, but it felt good using it. Any suggestions on attaching and using this setup?


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## surffshr (Dec 8, 2003)

*cannon*



booboo said:


> Bought one of these with my new rig, and I've got to say, I like it! I'm not entirely sure that I'm using it right as the instructions with are kinda' vague, but it felt good using it. Any suggestions on attaching and using this setup?


I really liked mine for 4 oz and up.
Follow directions to get it placed under bil corectly.


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

I'm planning on getting one as well. I have heard people using black electrical tape to secure the thing onto their rod. Kinda ghetto, but seems to work.


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

*bought one*

And used it for a week and ordered another one for the Mrs new combo ....... I used black elect tape too ... you need for it to be over the spool ... and make sure it clears the bail .... I put a dab of Gorilla glue on it too .... Much easier onthe fingers and better control ....


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

Electrical zip ties work better


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

barty b said:


> Electrical zip ties work better


Anybody got any pics so I knowz what ya'll are talkin' about? I have a general idea but have never seen one. I have only seen the breakaway rigs not what is used by the reel.

thanks


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

Try this link:

http://www.summerlands.co.uk/breakaway/DSCF2293.jpg

or this one

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/Pod/00/21/48/p002148ii02.jpg

Your supposed to hold onto it, and when you wanna release, let go of the trigger.


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

*breakaway*

they have a pic of one at HO


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## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

Chose not to use it....I'm much more in tune with the rod, release and timing with my finger protected with a leather thong (at most tackle shops checkout counters).....


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## booboo (Jan 2, 2007)

*fastening*

the cannon to my rod was the main issue that I was not satisfied with. The black electrical tape seemed to be a poor method of attaching at best. I've used the leather finger guards at times but primarily used duct tape on my index finger for protection. 

I feel that I have better control of the line with the cannon now than with my finger. I have always felt a little bit of rip when releasing the lind using a finger guard. I've got to use one of my older rods to try with the cannon to be sure, but I believe that I'll be buying a few more for all of my rods.


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## cygnus-x1 (Oct 12, 2005)

dsurf said:


> Chose not to use it....I'm much more in tune with the rod, release and timing with my finger protected with a leather thong (at most tackle shops checkout counters).....


I don't think I could get the hang of it either. i was actually hoping that it might have a thing to hold back the bail so it would not slam shut on a hard cast. I am tired of using my pinky finger to _ensure_ that the bail does not close on me when I put a lot of arse into a cast.


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

*= more distance*

It comes off the release smoother .... = more distance .... the black tape works fine for me .... timing should be the same ... instead of releasing off your finger it releases off the pin .... you don't have to look for your leather thingie or tape your finger ...... put it over the pin and hold up on the trigger and away it goes ....


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## Flipper (May 6, 2006)

I've been using the canon for a couple years. Couldn't get along without one now. Attached mine with electrical tape.


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

dsurf said:


> Chose not to use it....I'm much more in tune with the rod, release and timing with my finger protected with a leather thong (at most tackle shops checkout counters).....


yup had them for a long time sitting in the tackle box ..
leather glove works a lot better for me , especially when the only time the 1509 usually comes out it is because i really want to put some ass behing a cast


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## sandcruiser (Jan 15, 2007)

*who's got the best prices?*

I watched Boo Boo slingin' his lead effortlessly and I think he maybe had less than a dozen casts with it that first day and he was gettin real good distance and accuracy.

So where's the best place to secure a few?
I ho I ho it's off to work I go.:beer:


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

*Randy*

randy might have one .... I got my first one from BPS and the second one from E-Bay


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## SINNER (Jun 17, 2006)

Make sure you attatch it above the reel. Too far forward and it doesn't work right. Zip ties work for me. On some rods you can loosely zip tie them on so you can rotate it out of the way if you don't need it for awhile. On some rods with the hypalon foam grips you can jam the back end under the foam and zip tie the front. Wrap the line around the release barrel the same way it wraps around the spool. If you wrap once you need to tighten drag before you throw. Wrap two or three times and you can leave your drag loose. My wife won't fish without one now. Improved her cast by 50% because she wasn't worried about the line cutting her. Really helps with 8nb8.


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

*Wrapping*

never thought of wrapping it a couple times ... the first time I put one on I had it too far forward and didn't work ....... It's got to be over the spool .... Does it work on Braid too ?


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## lunartic (Jul 16, 2006)

I use a Cannon on all my heavy spinners. They are very well made.

One thing that argues for the Cannon over the finger, which does allow you a smoother, less harsh release, is that wrapping line twice around the barrel, as has been mentioned, means that you don't have to lock the drag down as much. This means there is a lot less strain on the reel especially on the spindle. . .


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## SINNER (Jun 17, 2006)

It does work on braid, but you need the extra wraps. With heavier weights you may still need to tighten drag. Better than losing the tip of your finger though.


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## terpfan (May 30, 2002)

dsurf said:


> Chose not to use it....I'm much more in tune with the rod, release and timing with my finger protected with a leather thong (at most tackle shops checkout counters).....


i agree with dsurf. also second biggest disaster happened with with the cannon. losing my index fingernail and daiwa surf basia qd45. (although it was my fault not to open the bail before the cast) furthermore, i never notice any increase in distance. ( i use gloves)


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

> This means there is a lot less strain on the reel especially on the spindle. . .


care to go into a little more detail on this statement ??


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

DERFM said:


> care to go into a little more detail on this statement ??


With 3 wraps of heavy mono shocker around the cannon the wraps lock to the cannon itself and there is virtually no pressure on the reel spool during the cast. Braid is thin enough that you will likely still need to adjust the drag (tighten) before the cast. 

IMO the cannon is worth the initial effort to learn to use correctly- all my spinning heavers have one. - tho will add have gone conventional almost entirely for heaver set ups.


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

Surf Cat said:


> With 3 wraps of heavy mono shocker around the cannon the wraps lock to the cannon itself and there is virtually no pressure on the reel spool during the cast.


holding the line with anything . finger or cannon ; takes all the pressure on the reel spool. if it didn't the line would be slipping during the cast.





> - tho will add have gone conventional almost entirely for heaver set ups.


yup same here , but when i don't want to worry about birdsnests from putting tooo much into a cast ;or i need to cast 10 + ozs
i grab a 1509 spinning


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

DERFM said:


> holding the line with anything . finger or cannon ; takes all the pressure on the reel spool. if it didn't the line would be slipping during the cast.
> 
> 
> When you hold the line with the finger there is still pressure on the reel- locking the line around the breakaway cannon means there is no pressure from the cannon to the reel.
> ...


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

ok , but ...if there isn't 'any' tension on the line from the cannon to the reel spool ; you will get a "pop" when you cast . increasing the chances of damaging the shaft ..
for me i get a smoother cast without the cannon


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

DERFM said:


> ok , but ...if there isn't 'any' tension on the line from the cannon to the reel spool ; you will get a "pop" when you cast . increasing the chances of damaging the shaft ..
> for me i get a smoother cast without the cannon


I agree you have to be careful when making the 3 loops around the cannon to keep the line tight between the reel and cannon- if no tension a lot of time the shock leader wraps on the spool can come uncoiled- literally falling off the reel. The difference is that as the rod is loaded the pressure on the shock line only extend to the point of the cannon wraps, not the spool itself.
THis means you don't have to go back and forth tightening and lossening the drag. It is when people using the finger and forgetting to tighten the drag that the drag slip to the pressure as the rod is loaded that pressure is transferred to the spool. At this time a loose drag can slip and we experience a nasty finger cut (possibly)

It sounds like a headache, but like anything else practice will make it easy to use the cannon.

The cannon doesn't put pressure on the finger- and some folks naturally let go of the line when the pressure builds up to more than they can handle with a finger. This causes either

1 premature release of the line

2 a tendency to back off from a full power cast- results in decreasing distance

With the cannon taking all the pressure you can put as much arse into the cast as you can control.

No spinner casting champ by any means- if your finger gets the job done- use the finger.

For others it may be well worth a look at the cannon.

I would hope that Sgt Slough or Mark Edwards would chime in here. Like I said others spend a lot more time with spinning gear than I do. Whether there is any "distance" benefit to a cannon I cannot tell you. It is however, without a doubt, safer for your fingers.


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## sandcruiser (Jan 15, 2007)

*Comfort and distance*

I just want to save my finger from the abuse it's received over the years. I eventually get tired of duct taping my finger or using the little slide on leather protectors that sometimes get slung off! 
I'd take comfort over distance on a four day fishing trip. 
Distance is hurt markedly by a line cut on the main slinger finger. Boo Boo let me cast his rig and I can tell you it will save your finger. I'm not sure of what distance one can achieve, but like Surf Cat said, you really start holding back when you can't put a lot into it because of a bad trigger finger.


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

1) i'm not saying it won't save your finger ..
2) imho it will hurt your distance 
3)this statement


> This means there is a lot less strain on the reel especially on the spindle.


 is the one i still don't understand .
because in my experience , the cannon creates a 'slack' in the line when you cast it hard with a couple of wraps ;causing more stress on the spindle of a spool . just my experience ..
4) mark edwards uses a leather glove , at least he did the last time i saw him cast


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

DERFM said:


> 1) i'm not saying it won't save your finger ..
> 2) imho it will hurt your distance
> 3)this statement is the one i still don't understand .
> because in my experience , the cannon creates a 'slack' in the line when you cast it hard with a couple of wraps ;causing more stress on the spindle of a spool . just my experience ..
> 4) mark edwards uses a leather glove , at least he did the last time i saw him cast



I think I understand where you are coming from. You are saying ( I think) that having slack betwwen the cannon and the reel only causes the shock to be stretched from the weight to the cannon as the rod is loaded, and upon release this causes a bit of rubber band affect to the line. Still not sure why or how this puts pressure on the reel, but I'll take your word for it. 

Of course you could not wrap the lines around the cannon but just use it per the instructions, this would keep tension to the spool and require tightening the drag before the cast, just as with the finger, but still protecting the finger from damage. I know for some if you have been using the finger exclusively the cannon doesn't give you that same feel for timing - just takes getting use to. You could be right about the distance.


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## DERFM (Jun 19, 2004)

yup , thats what i'm trying to say , sorry some days there is a short between the brain and the fingers ...:redface:


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