Hi

I was fishing this morning and hooked a massive rainbow - it took all my fly line and about 30 yards backing - I just couldn't get it's head up. I was fishing a white fritz on a 6lb leader.

I have hooked fairly big carp before but on heavier carp tackle and I have never seen anything like this. I am new to fly fishing and was wondering if anyone has any advice for the future i.e. playing big fish - Being new to fly fishing maybe I was a bit tentative and could have put more trust in the tackle?? It shot past another fly fisher who said, 'it was like a f*cking submarine'

Cheers

when u say it took all...do u mean the 6lb leader held and the backing snapped ?

It won't be your last Beardy, you will lose more biggins than you will catch, its generally not the tackle or the angler, just a bad hook up. I'd say there isn't enough pages on here to read all the big fish stories!

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Confusious Say: "Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up"!

Stylie- no I mean it took all the line, after about 10 mins the leader broke.
Cheers

Unlucky M8

Trust your tackle, with that you'll gain more confidence when playing bigger fish...

I'm sure you'll be into fish as big or bigger with more time and patience.

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We've all lost mahoosive fish, it's just part of the sport. If the hook came out then there's nothing really you could have done as long as you kept to the basics (keep in contact with the fish etc).

Just one of the days.

A one pounder could break 6lb line...as you are coming from a different fishing background into Fly fishing it might take a while to learn what the tackle can and cant do..every year over the winter i forget what its like to play a trout out on a 6wt and the first few corrib browns I hook are played very tentitively but by the end of the season I'm bullying them in
It all boils down to experience..

i know how u feel mate!! , i lost what I'm sure was a massive brown while fishing Harelaw while on the Pollock shore at the far end in a small bay,, and my leader was 8lb with 6lb droppers of which it was the middle dropper in which it had hooked up on ,which was a Bibio in-case you are interested ,,and what made me think it was a big brown was the definite buttery yellow flash i got when i had the fish at about 10-15 yards when it steamed of at high speed and got its nose down .
i had only fished Harelaw a few times and did not realize it had some big rocks in it and while playing the fish he made a sudden dive and a turn to the right in which i reacted to by adding side strain on him/her ,but just as i though i was about to turn him and get a chance to see him again,, he made one last surge ,,and the ghastly desperate lack of tension on the line was evident as i desperately tried to gain line in the hope i had misjudged the run of the fish while all the time praying he/she was still hooked .

i am sure i will get another shot at a big fish on Harelaw or some other fishery as I'm sure you will too ,so keep your head up and try to use it as a learning curb as i can assure you it will all come flashing back the next time you get a big fish on and the mistakes you made will be so clear like the have never been until the very moment , and this i believe is when we learn our real forward steps in our angling ,so good luck and keep fishing ,,i only wish i was as brave to be out in that bitter cold fishing .

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dont you just love nature