On many FATC trips, when I ask our FATC guys how they are doing I usually hear, “Caught five fish but lost around ten” or something like that. Yes, we don’t catch every fish we hook – who does. But it made me think about how we can improve our hookup and catch rate. After teaching over 400 men fly fishing, I have seen all kinds of “mistakes” when we are fishing, and a lot of fish lost. So, I decided to sit down and write out a few tips on hooking, playing and bringing fish to the net successfully.

Hopefully these few tips will improve your catch rate (in the net).
To make this easier reading I will put the tips in bullet points. Please feel free to comment on each or any of the tips. Or add some that you feel help you net more fish. I will add this to our FATC forum where you may make comments and suggestions!

1. Now realize that sometimes we just don’t get a good hook set. The fish barely gets hooked or is hooked in very soft tissue that with a little bit of force the hook disengages from the fish. We can’t help that, or can we?
2. Keep your rod tip down during fishing. “FATC students” how many times during your graduation trip have I “tapped” your rod in the down position? Keeping your rod tip down allows you to pick up all your line that is on the water during whatever technique you are using. Especially when you have a big mend in your line. Rod tip down allows you to pick up a lot of line quickly and still be able to set the hook.
3. Setting the hook too fast or too slow – timing is critical. We feel a “tug” and BOOM the rod goes flying to the upright position. Or the indicator moves slightly, and we don’t set at all. Depending on the style of fishing we are doing the hook sets are different. Let’s discuss a few “hook set” styles.
   a. Dry fly fishing – there are two ideas of when to set the hook during dry fly fishing. Basically, if the fish hits the dry fly quickly then set the hook. If the fish sips the dry fly, a slower set is needed. Allow the fish to turn down in the water or essentially close its mouth before setting the hook.
   b. Stripping flies – Whether for trout, bass, bonefish or tarpon, if stripping flies you must do a “strip set” not a trout set (rod tip up). A strip set is essentially continuing to strip the fly during the hook set. You continue the “strip” until the fish is on and turns away from you. Many bigger fish, during a strip set, will take the fly in, and continue towards you. You think you have them on and then they open their mouth, and they were never hooked. When hooked the fish will turn and you will know that it is hooked. Don’t give up on the strip set. Keep stripping the fly until the fish turns away.
   c. Nymphing – What I see the most during nymph fishing is that new fly fishers don’t set the hook when there is ANY indication of a fish taking your fly. If using an indicator, any movement (slowing down, twitch, stop) set the hook quickly but not forcefully (no bass set). Set quickly until you feel the fish on the line. Set the hook upward with a downstream direction of pull. This is the same for ESN. Any non-normal movement of the sighter, set the hook. As we say, hook sets are free. Better to set the hook and discover there is no fish than to lose fish after fish that took your fly, and you never realized it.
   d. Swinging small flies – I love swinging tiny flies when the fish are feeding just below the surface in the film layer. I’ve perfected my technique after many years of reading and watching videos. The problem with this style of fishing is that when we get a “hit” we immediately set the hook. Pulling the fly out of the fish’s mouth since it is directly downstream during the take. I had this same problem for years. Catching maybe 30% of the fish I hooked. I watched a video from Gary Borger which was on swinging small flies. Gary says in the video if you are having problems with hooking the fish then let go of your fly line. What? He says letting go of your line on the take allows the fish to turn his head away, going back down to its holding position. And the fly line running back through the guides gives enough pressure or pull to set the hook. Now, I don’t let go of my line, but I do, on the hit, allow my rod arm to extend forward before I slowly raise my rod tip to set the hook. This gives the fish time to turn away and easily sets the hook.
   e. One last hook set technique – If your fish takes your fly downstream of you then use a hook set by setting towards the downstream shoreline. This will prevent you from pulling the hook out of the fish’s mouth when the fish is directly downstream.
4. Fighting the fish – Once you have set the hook and the fish is on, now is the time to keep your cool and work to tire the fish and get him to the net.
   a. I was told by one of the top guides in the country, Landon Mayer, that a fish tires out when it shakes its head. Think about it. A fish swims all the time so if it’s swimming, it’s not tiring out. So, we must “move” the fish so as it doesn’t “swim” but struggles against our rod pressure. I like to pull towards the tail with my fly line which makes the fish struggle against the current by moving its head out of the current. Now the fish cannot use the current to its advantage but has to fight the current, tiring him out.
   b. Remember the fish is the strongest right at hook set. I usually tell my “students” give him his 10 seconds of fame. In otherwards, we can’t horse the fish right at hook set. You must keep the fly line taut but don’t pull too hard on the fly line. I feel the best is to hold your rod in a 45-degree angle which puts good pressure on the fish. In other words, don’t have your rod straight up and down. The pressure on the fish with your rod straight up is minimal so work to keep your rod at a minimum 45 degrees. Do this by either stripping the fly line in or reeling in the fly line to keep your rod at approximately 45 degrees. This will keep adequate pressure on the fish, keep your fly line always taut and tire the fish out.
   c. Ok, is it put the line on the reel or strip the line in to bring the fish to the net? I’ve said it many times — you fight the fish first! If it’s a big fish it may run and put you on the reel – so, then you reel and use the drag (don’t forget to set your drag before you start fishing). But if the fish turns and runs towards you reeling may not be enough to keep pressure on the fish. Strip, strip, strip! Never allow your fly line to go “limp” always keep pressure on the fly line – keep it taut whether that means strip your line or reel your line.
   d. I have seen many “students” lose fish by holding on to their fly line with a death grip (with their rod hand pointy finger) busting off the fish. What I do is react to my fly rod. Keeping my rod at a 45-degree angle I release line through my fingers, if not already on the reel, when the fish takes my rod tip down below 45 degrees. I let the fish run but keeping the fly line taut. Again, always keeping the fly line taut, when the rod tip goes up past a 45-degree angle then I need to reel or strip fly line in. Fighting the fish becomes a give and take fight until the fish tires out. Watch your fish continually. React to your fish’s movements.
   e. Oh no, the fish is going to jump!! When a fish jumps, I say he now has the advantage. They know this because they travel in schools (get it?). If we use flies with bead heads or weights a jumping fish can shake that hook loose because of the weight of the flies. We have fished for Tarpon on several of our trips and when they get hooked, they are immediately airborne – again they went to school. Sometimes we can tell if a fish is on its way up to jump by watching the fly line rise to the surface. If I see this, I will lower my rod tip even if I must put the rod tip in the water to try and prevent the jump. Lower your rod tip also puts a different angle on the hook set hopefully preventing the fish from throwing the hook during a jump.
5. The fish is tired and now we can work him towards the net. I fought this big fish, and I don’t want to lose him. Sometimes we fight the fish too long – to exhaustion. Let’s not do that but after a minute or two, if we do the above, the fish should be ready to net. Plus, if we fight the fish too long it can slowly work the hook loose.
   a. When it’s time to net the fish. Do not allow the fly line to go through the tip of your rod. The knot that connects the fly line to the leader could get “caught up” on the top guide. If the fish decides to make one more run, that knot could get caught on the top guide on the way out and you could break off the fish. I teach when netting a fish keep your fly line at least eight inches from going into the tip of the rod. You should be safe.
   b. Your leader is around ten feet long. Your rod is around nine feet. I see so many guys trying to net their fish by holding their rod hand “behind” them vice holding their rod hand straight up in the air. Think about it. Bringing in your fish by holding your rod hand high over your head brings your fish right in front of you to your net. I see too many struggle to net their fish because they aren’t getting the fish right in front of them.
   c. Have your net ready. Once I can get the fishes head up out of the water, I quickly slide the fish towards my net. If he heads back underwater, then I start over again. Always working to get its head up but also keeping the fly line taut or with pressure on the fish. Work to slide the fish into the net headfirst. Don’t stab at the fish you could hit your leader and bust your tippet. Be smooth.
   d. Once netting your fish keep it in the water. Never hold the fish out of water for longer than you can hold your breath. If you need a picture, then be ready before you take the fish out of the net and hold the fish. Make sure you wet your hands. Hold the fish in a way that the picture shows the “entire” fish. We don’t want a picture of your hand. If you need another picture because the first didn’t go well then put the fish back in the net, let it get a drink, and then try again.
   So, these are just a few tips to increase your “catch rate”. Do you have any other tips to share? Please feel free to add them to our FATC Forum. You will find this article in the fly fishing tips and techniques section.