Hi,

Whilst fishing on Sunday I lost three good fish, all of them due to lack of tension on the line. Hey ho that's fishing.

My question is do you prefer to play your fish by hand or by using your reel and drag?

If you prefer playing your fish using your reel, what's your technique for playing the fish whilst you are loading the line back on to your reel?

Fazzer

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If you're too busy to fish then you're too busy.

When playing fish either by hand or on the reel I always get well bent into it.When getting line back onto the reel I trap the line with my hand against the handle,and bat the reel to get the line onboard.all the time staying well bent into the fish.If the fish moved towards me I would stop winding in to get more tension on the fish before continuing.
I see fish lost all the time because anglers seem afraid to get well stuck in,and pussyfoot about with rods hardly bent and taking far too long.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Completely agree with all Jim's comments and advice.

If you are going to lose a fish you may as well lose it early in the fight, and keeping the tension on quite hard may help you land some fish you wouldn't otherwise - you will find the hook falls out in the net quite often.

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"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Im wi Jim on this as well,horse them in,if you lose it you lose it,just catch another one

__________________
Silversedge
LETS TACKLE CANCER SUPPORTER
"MON THE HILL CLIMBERS!!"

Not sure if this is exactly a skilled fishing technique but in addition to keep the the rod bent tightly as Jim suggested - I have also found that running backwards away from the water letting the line out also works as an alternative to frantic reeling!!!!

Obviously watch out for trees, fences, cows etc.

I also agree with Jim's advice just bearing in mind the strength of the tippet that you are using and ensuring that you concentrate more on what the fish is doing and keeping a tight line to it than getting line back on the reel. There are times when you have to hand-line as winding will just not keep pace with the fish unless you have a geared reel.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

yes to all of the above. On the hook set I'll trap the line against the grip and hold on tight. Most of the time I'm fishing ~30' away or so and have a 10' soft rod. Most fish aren't going to take out more than that amount of line in the first few second of a fight so it is set the hook and hold on tight until the line is on the reel.

It is too easy to play by hand and then the line gets tangled around your waders, a stick, or who knows what else just before the fish makes a run. About the only time I don't reel in is if after the first few seconds I see that the fish is going to be played out completely (small fish) then I'll just hand strip in quickly and put them in the net.

Thanks
Rick

Thanks guys.

Looks as though the trick is to use your rod and be firm whatever you do.

I actually lost the last of the three (on my last cast ) when I had loaded the line on the reel and marginally loosened the drag......

Fazzer

__________________
If you're too busy to fish then you're too busy.

The drag on my reels are set to avoid overruns and no more,I do not adjust the drag with a fish on. if more resistence is required I palm the rim.

Jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Forgive my ignorance Jim but what is an overrun?

Fazzer

__________________
If you're too busy to fish then you're too busy.