Posted by Jim E (24.116.99.140) on March 04, 2004 at 17:40:37:
On the reel
“Had to put him on the reel” is often one the “bragging” points to emphasize a fish’s size. But, as always, the true size is sometimes not represented very accurately. (That’s a pretty diplomatic way to put it, isn’t it ?) Admittedly, a fish big enough and strong enough to put himself “on the reel” is something that I long for most every trip and usually remember the fish caught in the past that have done so. A fish that strikes, gets hooked and then heads for the next county, causing my reel to scream as he takes out line is an experience…well… that’s it !! It is an “experience”.
Too far and in between are situations like that, at least for me, but there are times that the best way to fight a medium to large sized fish is with the reel. I won’t go into what reel is best or if its really necessary to have a disc drag or a large arbor or…whatever. For some, those can be subjective subjects. I do, however, believe it is important to have a reel with an exposed palming rim. I always err on setting my reel’s drag to the “less” side, relying on the palming rim to apply more drag with my hand as/when/if needed, but enough about that.
Now to the subject at hand, “Putting fish on the reel”. This process is so very critical that it will end in one of two ways. Done properly, you can bring to hand your catch of a lifetime in a timely manner or done improperly, losing your catch of a lifetime possibly even before you realize that it was that “one” fish. The first, most important thing to remember during this whole process is to ALWAYS keep pressure on the fish. The second most important thing to remember is NEVER put “too much” pressure on the fish.
When trying to reel up the extra fly line, it is so easy to get focused on doing that only and loose concentration on what’s going on at the other end of the line, frequently resulting in a lost fish. Don’t get so involved in dealing with the reel, it may even prove to be unnecessary. Several times in the past I have had a larger fish on and upon first realizing the fish’s size, I begin to try and wind up whatever loose line there is but, in the course of doing such, continually having to strip in line by hand to keep pressure on the fish, eventually landing it without the use of the reel at all. At other times, the fish will come towards you, again causing you to strip in line because the fish is not fighting much at all, but when it gets within some 15-20 feet of you or so, that is when it starts the fight. Just “dogging” around in the general area makes for a good time to reel up the slack. (Brown trout are notorious for this.) In this case, I like to get the fish on the reel for two reasons. First, I don’t want to worry about all of my extra line floating around and the fish getting tangled up in it. Secondly, “dogging” fish tend make hard, but very short runs, then do the head shake. I prefer to tighten down the drag some, using the reel more for the fight as sometimes it takes awhile before it’s over.
Other fish, especially larger rainbows, tend to make several long runs, sometimes jumping out of the water as they go. Being focused on what the fish is doing and where it is going are a lot easier for me if I’m letting the reel keep track of the line and not both of my hands. To land such an active fish requires an attuned fisherman and one wrong move is all you will get. Try this LINK for more on fighting fish.
One of the bigger browns that I have landed really put me and my 3 wt. rod and reel through the paces. On the second of her three long runs, she just about spooled me. I was beginning to see the black color of the inner spool and she was still peeling off backing. I couldn’t chase her without having to swim since the water was too deep. My only option was to palm down on the reel hard and hope the 6x tippet and knot would hold enough to stop her. Luckily, it worked and she turned, heading straight for me almost as fast as she had headed away. I survived the third and last run all to have her just sit a few feet away and dog me. A friend had stopped to watch as he was on his way back upstream, first thinking that I was hung up. He headed over to where I was and after a few more “long” minutes, we landed her. We quickly measured her, took a couple pics and I then revived her for a little bit, releasing her to fight again. Almost too much of a fish for a three weight, but definitely couldn’t have done without the reel.
You might see and have already experienced the frustrations of the some times critical process of transferring the fight to the reel. So I would suggest doing some practicing on smaller fish to kind of get the hang of it all, preparing you for the “time/s” that you will really need it. AND when someone asks you “how you did”, you can always say… “I had to put one the reel” !!
Thanks for reading and comments are welcomed.
Jim Enns <*;)))))))))><