Snagly, thanx for responding. Anybody making a life in Singapore ...(that's something). Been to the American lately? Anyway, I need to be more precise: I had hooked into a king salmon with a new Fenwick HMX 8 1/2' graphite rod rated at 10-20lbs. The line was 15lb. Big Game from Berkley. The reel was a Penn 525 mag (which casts that line nicely). I had tightened down the drag. I didn't want the fish to run too far. I'm too old to chase; I'm on the bank. The line broke at the blood knot on the leader, which was also 15lb. Big Game. I must have already damaged the rod and didn't know it, because it broke like a dry twig on the next snag--no pun intended. Jim