Put the fish on the Reel?!?!?!

Great question Glenn and I get asked this question a lot.  The article is a very good one with some great tips so here are some short bullet points to think about and remember when bringing in your fish.

1.  Keep your line tight when bringing in a fish – many guys lose fish right here. Rod at a 45 degree angle is good – don’t let the rod tip go straight up.  When the rod tip is straight up you have the least amount of lb pressure applied to the fish. So the fish won’t tire out as quickly which means a longer fight and ups the odds of losing the fish.  No head shakes from the fish then he won’t tire as fast.

2. If it’s a smaller fish then there is no reason to get the line on your reel except to practice it.  But, that day you get the big fish is not the day to practice getting your line on the reel.  Too many guys putz more with trying to get their line on the reel instead of fighting the fish.  Fight the fish first!!!  Use your trigger finger to lock the line tight against your grip during the fight and IF your rod is at a good 45 degree position with pressure on the fish THEN reel line fast to get it on the reel.  If the fish runs towards you STOP reeling and start stripping to get the rod back at 45 degrees. If the fish runs away from you then you will have to release some of the line through your trigger finger until the fish stops it’s run. NEVER stop fighting the fish to put line on the reel.

3. Once your fly line is on the reel now you can use the drag from the reel that you paid more money for. Buying a quality reel, with quality drag will be your friend the day the Big Boy hits your fly.

4. So in a nutshell, fight the fish first, practice getting your line on the reel (but small fish may not be necessary – but practice), pressure on the fish at all times – 45 degree rod angle will do this.

5. Before you buy a new shiny reel talk to me – I can give you some suggestions with some good deals.

Tight Lines

P.S. Why are you listening to Sid????

Glenn, excellent discussion. I always try to get the fish on the reel as quickly as possible. My reason for this is…I’m more comfortable fighting the fish on the reel then trying to strip line in with a fish on.  It is easier for me on the reel then trying to coordinate my excess line from getting tangled on something while bringing in the fish.

This brings us to your next question, on how much drag to use when you have a fish on the reel. I usually keep my drag set  where it is easily for me to pull line off the reel without much resistance. Then at this point with a fish on the reel. I use my finger to play drag. If it is a big fish where I can’t control with my finger. I can quickly use my other hand to tighten the drag. This barely happens for me, but thinking I have a game plan when/if ever the big one get’s on.?

I look forward to reading others opinions.

Tightlines!

P.S. I always listen to Sid. He knows his stuff!

MoMo

Wrong technique for setting drag!!! I’ll explain later as I’m on my way to Northern Wisconsin right now!!

stay tuned or someone else can take a stab at it.

Sorry, been gone. But I’m back now in civilization.  Reference the question above:

Always have your drag set before you start fishing. Don’t fish with no drag and tighten it up when you get a fish on – this is a great way to lose a big fish.  You would be amazed on how much drag you can have even set with 5x or 6x tippet.  I’ll set my drag by pulling it out and making sure I have a “smooth” but firm drag (with some good resistance). If you try to add your drag while fighting you could be asking for disaster.  To get the drag correct you can use weights or a lb metering device – and who has one of those?  Remember 5x – 6x has a breaking strength of around 2-4 lbs depending on the brand. Many reels in the $150 – $250 price range will give you a max drag of say 6 lbs at full strength.

So set your drag so it takes a little bit of strong pull to get your line out – keep a smooth retrieve, head shakes tire the fish not his running, 45 degree bend in your rod so it acts as your shock absorber, once line on the reel don’t touch your reel only to reel in your fish, keep one hand holding the grip and DON’T use the other hand to touch or hold the rod (asking for a broken rod).  Watch the Landon Mayer video – Mastering the Short Game.

Catching big trout is such a drag!  I mean like Kenny says, put your fish on the reel and let the drag work it’s magic. I learned my lesson years ago when I hooked a big trout on a 22-sizes midge. When he ran downstream I palmed the reel. Big mistake!  Broke off of course. I always check my drag setting before each day’s fishing. Usually my preferred setting is halfway. Experience will dictate where to set the drag on your reel.

Although the number of 20 ” fish I have caught could be counted on one hand ( minus a finger or two) I have tried to adhere to a guides advice.  Keep yr rod low to the water and work to turn the fish so they have to fight the current and rod at the same time.

Low rod discourages the fish from jumping. Jumping encourages head shakes which can break u off.  If the fish jumps , dip ur rod and “bow to the fish” to release some pressure during the jump.

If u have a lot of line out, getting the line reeled up can be a challenge.  Feeding the line back on the reel while not making a mess/birds nest is the challenge.

I too will pre set my drag before casting.  In a boat or raft, try wearing a pair of socks. It will help to keep ur line fowling to a minimum. Shoes n bare feet are a sure fire way to tangle ur line.

Bob