8/31/13

Tips for effectively fighting and landing fish.

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Tips for Fighting and Landing Fish

We all fish for different reasons, but one thing remains c ertain for all of us when we hook a fish, we want to land it. Whether its a trophy steelhead y ouv e been determined to c atc h for y ears or an 8-inc h brook trout, there are c ertain princ iples to understand and fundamental skills to use when on the riv er. Here are some pointers I hav e pic ked up through the y ears by doing, observ ing and teac hing whic h will inc rease y our c hanc es of telling a fish story that doesnt start with, You should hav e seen the one that got away .

Under Pressure
We hav e all heard it keep a tight line on the fish. This holds true for almost ev ery c onc eiv able fishing situation maintain tension and keep the slac k out. Not doing so inc reases two potential pitfalls: 1. Pressure on the hook keeps it in the fish hopefully buried into the bend of the hook. With slac k in the line, the hook c an literally fall out of the entry point leav ing y ou with slac k line and disgusted look on y our fac e. 2. The longer the fish, the more distanc e they c an mov e their head. This bac k-and-forth ac tion c oupled with lighter line is similar to how y ou break thread or a line in y our hand y ou
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Tips for effectively fighting and landing fish.

start with slac k and then forc efully jerk it. Think about it do y ou pull ev enly and smoothly to intentionally break a line? Maintain tension to help prev ent the line from snapping.

Being Smooth
Maintain a tight line by reeling and pulling with the rod, but do it smoothly . Hav e y ou ev er seen a large bull c ow with a ring in its nose? Its purpose is to allow the handler to lead the bull around: smoothly draw it in a direc tion and it will follow, but if y anked or pulled hard it often v iolently mov es in the opposite direc tion. The same is true with fish. In fac t, y ou c an almost make a c ase for Newtons Third Law of Phy sic s: for ev ery ac tion there is an equal but opposite reac tion the harder y ou pull on a fish in one direc tion, it often wants to go in the other direc tion that muc h more. Reel smoothly and bring the fish to y ou or to a plac e downstream where y ou intend to land it.

Fish Judo
Hooked fish are often easy to steer and c ontrol bec ause y ou hav e them hooked in the leading part of its anatomy the mouth. As long as y ou keep that head mov ing in the right direc tion, y ou hav e a better c hanc e of dic tating and c ontrolling the fight and keeping emotions under c ontrol. But, not alway s. Often the fish tumbles, jumps or quic kly c hanges direc tions and gets his head going in the opposite direc tion y ou want. When this happens the fish is in c ontrol and often heads for c ov er/struc ture, whic h more often than not here in Mic higan means logs.
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Tips for effectively fighting and landing fish.

Rather than pulling straight bac k with rod in the opposite direc tion the fish is headed (whic h, with larger spec ies only infuriates them more remember Newtons Third Law?) use Fish Judo whic h, in essenc e, is using their energy to y our adv antage. With a low rod, lead them away from the ominous struc ture by pulling the fish to the side, fav oring its intended direc tion and steer it away .

How Much Is Enough?

There c an be a fine line between too muc h pressure and not enough. Often, it isnt enough. Truly . When anglers hold the rod tip straight up while fighting the fish, they often do so to keep the slac k out, but are putting v ery little pressure on the fish. Does it seem like y oure apply ing serious pressure or that the rod is maxed out? You might be surprised as I was when my ey es were opened during a tarpon fishing trip. Try this experiment/exerc ise: Get a friend (better if its a fellow angler) and pull 25 feet of line and leader through the rod. Hav e y our friend pull bac k on the rod with the tip up and maintain pressure while y ou hold the end of the leader. How muc h pressure do y ou feel? If this isnt sc ientific enough for y ou then get some ty pe of weight sc ale like a boga grip and tie the line to it. Repeat the experiment and read the sc ale and read the results. Change plac es with y our friend and repeat the sc ale readings will giv e y ou a better idea of how muc h pressure y ou are apply ing. Further, mov e the rod tip down c loser to horizontal and see how that affec ts the amount of pressure on the sc ale. Remember its the snap or jerk of the line that is more ac c ountable for breaking rather than smooth pressure whic h is why equipment too, play s a role in protec ting lines when apply ing pressure, i.e., a smooth drag and a rod tip that flexes and ac ts as a shoc k absorber.

The Kiss of Death

The time, in my opinion, when a fish is most likely to spit the hook and send the hook bac k to y ou is when its down stream, fac ing y ou, and shaking its head v iolently . I hate it. And it happens often. When this oc c urs, we as anglers often hav e the rod tip pointed up and the forc e of the water brings the fish to the surfac e, thrashing. As soon as y ou see this happen or better y et starting to happen, mov e y our rod down to a horizontal position and to the side furthest away from the fish, c reating the maximum angle between y our rod tip and the fish. By doing so y ou gain additional c ontinual pressure on the hook through the headshaking as the c urrent assists by putting a downstream bend in the line. Also, this lowered, sideway s pressure enc ourages the fish to get its head down in the water c olumn where y ou c an tire the fish out instead of holding on and hoping.

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Tips for effectively fighting and landing fish.

Let him go, let him go!

Some day s when guiding I seem to say this more than others. When a fish is making a run and is in c harge, let him go. By holding y our reel handle or grabbing the line, only bad things happen and its usually a fish lost bec ause of line breaking or flies pulling out. When a fish runs, trust y our drag setting (y ou did adjust it at the start of the day didnt y ou?) and let him go while inc orporating some of the pointers mentioned abov e.

Reel Fast
If y ou dont get the opportunity to fish muc h and are a little slow at reeling in prac tic e at home. Put y our reel on the bottom sec tion of y our rod and
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Tips for effectively fighting and landing fish.

just prac tic e air-reeling. Make y our reeling faster and smother by keeping y our elbow and forearm at a 90-degree angle to the fac e of the reel and using a c irc ular wrist motion to wind if not, y our reeling will be jerky and definitely not as fast.

Water Survey
This often happens subc onsc iously , but not alway s. While fishing, y ou are reading water to make the best presentation of y our ability to the water most likely to be holding fish. Through this proc ess take stoc k of struc ture, depth, ov erhanging trees and water depth. By doing so, when y ou hook a fish in that partic ular loc ation, y ou know where y ou need to keep that fish from going and where a good loc ation is to land a fish, while remaining safe (and dry ).

Giving Them the Wood

Sometimes a fish gets the upper hand on y ou that is they are going to break y ou off on some ty pe of struc ture or go around the riv er bend, etc . , and there simply isnt muc h y ou c an do exc ept, Giv e em the wood. This lastditc h effort to get the fish to hand is done by apply ing the maximum power of the rod through the butt sec tion and try ing to slow down, turn, or stop the fish something to disrupt the pending c ourse of ev ents and keep the fish on the line. By doing this y ou are taking y our equipment to the maximum testing the strength of rods, tippets and knots but if y ou dont y ou will lose the fish. Think of this as an all or nothing mov e meaning, the fish is going to win/get away unless y ou stop them so, giv e em the wood.

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Tips for effectively fighting and landing fish.

The Capture
Some like to use nets, others like to grab fish with their hand or landing glov e. Regardless, y ou need to get the fish c lose to y ou first and sec ond, the grab or sweep of the net needs to be done swiftly and at the right time. When the fish is c lose, hav e y our rod down low and lift its head up smoothly but stay c ommitted with lifting until the fish is in the net. If fishing with a friend or guide, this is the time they sweep the net under the fish head first, with c onfidenc e, not hesitation. If using a landing hand on larger spec ies like steelhead or salmon, exec ute a Heron Grab whic h is done by plunging y our hand downward onto the fishs wrist (the skinny part of the tail) and hold on firmly . Be sure to c ommunic ate during the proc ess or the c ommunic ation after the failed attempt will be c olorful and often will test any friendship. If y ou are by fishing by y ourself, get the fish c lose and hav e y our rod on the opposite side of where y ou intend to land it. If fishing for smaller fish like a trout, gently grab the fish around its middle or slide the net under it. Nev er bring a fish up onto the shore or muddy bank as sand, silt and other debris will get into their gill plates, often killing the fish within a few day s.

Keep in mind we are out fishing for fun, whereas the fish onc e hooked are fighting for surv iv al. Ev en though y ou might follow all of these suggestions and tips as well as some of y our own, sometimes it isnt enough and the fish wins. Rather than be pissed-off tip y our hat in apprec iation of that fish and get ready for the next c hanc e at landing what c ould be ev en bigger and better; use the tips for fighting and landing fish abov e to help make that happen.

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