OK, tell me how you know you should have broke them off? Maybe you simply played them well. I recall in Germany in the late 60's we fished the base Rod and Gun Club lakes for some really big planted trout. Got to where I found some crystal sewing thread at the base exchange. On our fish scale it broke at 1# but sometime simply setting the hook broke it. It was a challenge getting in a lot of the fish but it was a hoot!