Reply To: Put the fish on the Reel?!?!?!

Great question Glenn and I get asked this question a lot.  The article is a very good one with some great tips so here are some short bullet points to think about and remember when bringing in your fish.

1.  Keep your line tight when bringing in a fish – many guys lose fish right here. Rod at a 45 degree angle is good – don’t let the rod tip go straight up.  When the rod tip is straight up you have the least amount of lb pressure applied to the fish. So the fish won’t tire out as quickly which means a longer fight and ups the odds of losing the fish.  No head shakes from the fish then he won’t tire as fast.

2. If it’s a smaller fish then there is no reason to get the line on your reel except to practice it.  But, that day you get the big fish is not the day to practice getting your line on the reel.  Too many guys putz more with trying to get their line on the reel instead of fighting the fish.  Fight the fish first!!!  Use your trigger finger to lock the line tight against your grip during the fight and IF your rod is at a good 45 degree position with pressure on the fish THEN reel line fast to get it on the reel.  If the fish runs towards you STOP reeling and start stripping to get the rod back at 45 degrees. If the fish runs away from you then you will have to release some of the line through your trigger finger until the fish stops it’s run. NEVER stop fighting the fish to put line on the reel.

3. Once your fly line is on the reel now you can use the drag from the reel that you paid more money for. Buying a quality reel, with quality drag will be your friend the day the Big Boy hits your fly.

4. So in a nutshell, fight the fish first, practice getting your line on the reel (but small fish may not be necessary – but practice), pressure on the fish at all times – 45 degree rod angle will do this.

5. Before you buy a new shiny reel talk to me – I can give you some suggestions with some good deals.

Tight Lines

P.S. Why are you listening to Sid????