hi all
any advice please on playing fish? all texts talk about hooking but very little info on playing to bring to the net. in the scheme of things i'm ok with fish of up to 2.75lb - so far... but t'other week i hooked into something big - small stillwater an cld hardly hold the 9ft 5/6 rod. stripped in quick an at my feet the fish dived, leaving the fly with me an fish laughing all the way home. the thing was while stripping line and struggling i was wondering whether i shld let the fish run - question to you all is "how to decide?" is it just a learning curve or something scientific?
maggie
thanks maggie

I play mine off the reel most of the time. If you have a decent quality drag set to the right tension then you should have very few problems indeed.
Also, I've yet to lose touch with any fish kiting toward me for a significant amount of time when playing on the reel because you can get the line in very quickly & smoothly reeling in. Much more smooth than yanking 2 yards of line every second by hand! Just remember to neaten-up the line on the reel after you've landed or released the fish.

Personally i vary rarely play a fish off the reel !

The only time I do use the reel is when a fish takes me down to the backing. (so about 3 or 4 times a year i'd guess)

As the backing is thinner than the fly line it is prone to tangles and getting stuck around everything on the boat or bank....I try and get the backing on the reel and then play the fish by hand as normal.

I find that by hand you; can keep in contact with the fish better when it runs either towards you or away from you, Also you feel more of the fight and can adapt accordingly....i think i keep everything smooth...probably more so than when using a reel that can shake the rod tip...

It's the same as everything else...you need experience ; just remember to keep you rod up so it will absorb the sudden lunges of the fish, let it run when it wants too (even if it's yards from the net) and keep a tight line at all times

Still it's down to the individual....all i know is that i loose very few fish once hooked

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As Rob said, whichever method you use, keeping the rod tip as high up as possible is very important.

Another handy tip is what I often do when bank fishing & the trout races directly toward me is walk backwards quite briskly whilst reeling/pulling in line.
You can keep in touch easily this way. Just make sure you are aware of your surroundings!

I tend to agree with Steve's method.

Another tip; if you have a reasonable quality exposed rim reel and a quite loosely set drag, you can adopt the ancient "Mr Crabtree" technique of batting the rim of the reel to effect a very fast line recovery when you need to - much faster than reeling. Combined with Steve's walking backwards tip when needed. Make sure you don't trip over your bag or net thereby looking a total plonker when doing this

It can be useful to get the line back on the reel immediately you hook a fish if at all possible. There's often a tiny pause you can use before the fish seems to work out what's happened and all hell breaks loose.

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JH based near Southampton

I'm another one who votes for playing off the reel. I don't think you need a particularly wonderful drag for any British freshwater fish either, just something that will stop an over run. Any additional breaking can be added by palming the rim of the reel. There are times when a fish runs at you too fast to keep up with by reeling and then I do pull the line in yards at a time, if I can't run backwards

The point about keeping the rod as high as possible is a good one BUT don't forget that side strain (laying the rod over to one side or the other) is a very good way of turning a fish away from danger, or indeed just stopping it. In rivers side strain will bring a big fish in more quickly than an overhead pull from a high rod.


Andy

Agreed ! Keeping a big fish turning by frequently changing the direction of side strain is a popular and successful playning technique on small stillwaters. You just have to trust your hook hold. It seems to tire the fish out quicker than long, single-direction runs do.

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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

Hi

Learn to play them off the reel..........."before" you loose a cracker because you dont know how

You can't play all fish off the reel, if they are hooked close to shore and stay close, but when they have a little run learn to play them remember you can walk back.................

I've played a few fish in the 4lb-9lb range that have come in pretty easy only to go completely "nuts" and take off on a blistering full tilt run !!

If you are standing on your line, or its caught on a twig , you have just lost a cracking fish Dont take the chance...........because it "will" happen to you at some point

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Englander

"Barbless since 2008"

Vision GT Four catapult 9' 6#
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Vision 3 Zone 9' 5#
Vision Cult 9' 3#
Shakespeare Trion 9' 5/6#
Cortland Endurance 9' 6#
Shakespeare Expedition float tube
Vosseler DC3 reel
Okuma Helios 8/9 reel
Greys G series 3/4 reel
Snowbee Geo 3/4 reel

When the fish pulls let it have line but keeping it all tight at the same time with the rod tip high,when it swims towards you or stops pulling, gain line on it,i play fish both off the reel and by hand but tend to play them more off the reel if possible

The bigger fish need to be on the reel. I've lost several of the larger fish I've ever had on because of a loop under foot, or a loop that magically finds a home on my reel handle or rod butt. One of the most difficult habits to overcome for me, was a rod set, (many years of dry fly fishing), instead of strip sets and a lower angle rod pull direction. The strip set is the fastest most direct hook up. I can tell almost right away, whether it's a biggy or a littl'un. Then I know if he should run a bit, or come in now! Be ready for big moves at the net, they often save some energy for this.

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