I think the shallowest water I've hooked, fought & landed fish in has been 2 - 3'. I've lost several over the past in skinnier water.
This weekend I was able to turn the fish from heading out through the surf to deep water but then they made the long runs in the skinny stuff - 2' to under a foot. So I tried my usual of placing the rod horizontal and putting the graphite to 'em but it didn't work.
Then I thought of your philosophy on a fish that's into the backing and I turned that #10 Horizon into a inverted U which stopped the run & turned the fish.
Would you receommend this technique or something else?
...the old man, the YAK, the sea, and the fish!...
From a distance, I'll bet you looked a little like Spencer Tracy!
He tried the "U" technique until his equipment started to go south!
We'll have to do a little research on this matter later in the week...
'Put a few "deep eels" in front of a few hungry "consumers" and compile some numbers for a share holder report...MYLU awaits!
Cough, cough again. Just bringing to the top for the Ninja Flyfisherman's benifit.
My .02 - I've been trying to nudge myself up the learning curve, fighting fish pretty aggressively. Rods pretty much horizontal and to the side at an angle where I'm fighting from the butt. I've caught a number of fish this year that would have had me in backing last year. I've yet to see backing this year. I did break off a couple of nice fish on succesive days and have moved from 13 to 16 to 20LB Floro on the tippet. No breakoffs yet with the 20 lb stuff.
Yes I tend to put the rod into a deeply bent curve to the side of the fish opposite of where he's going when the fish gets way out there into the backing.
Here are the phases:
1) strip, strip - BANG! Ziiiiiiiinnnnnngggggg.... where the line is twanging and jumping it's way from the basket thru my fingers behind a rooster tail run for deep water. Rod is still pointing upward and forward toward the fish in a typical fish fighting position except a good fish bends the rod down near the butt section. This is important to provide for step #2...
2) On the reel - screaaming drag, thunk-thunk-thunk there goes the allbright knot thru the guides. The easy passage of the backing knot through the guides is important and if there's a problem turn the blank upside down to give some space to the open side of the snake guides
3) fish is out there in the gulf stream... then I go to the deeply bent "U" method, pump and crank on the side opposite the way the fish is running. For instance the fish is angling off to the left, set the big bungee "U" on the right and make my way over toward the fish while cranking, pumping and keeping as tight as possible. Walk to cut down the angle as much as possible, angles will help the fish get off. Vice versa if running right, etc.
4) line recovered - then I go back to a more typical rod position, although it's important to keep the rod positioned in a way that minimizes sags and bows in the line as you fight it.
My father used to say that one of you has to be kicking the other's butt at all times. When the fish pulls hard,don't pull - if not, then pull the fish hard.
Another factor people often ignore is the hook itself. I had a string of huge bass lost and started experimenting. Two things came out of the experiments - the big bungee long line rod technique mentioned above, and the reduced wire diameter of hooks (I use 100% barbless) and their profiles.
I found that heavy wire hooks fished barbless are much easier to spit than X strong thin wire hooks. That's why I am a huge fan of the 811s for fishing over sand. Not only do they penetrate faster, but they are easier to cast and harder to spit. If you fish around rocks or hit the bank with your backcast, you should probably use a different hook.
Your results may vary, but using these two techniques I don't drop nearly as many large fish as I used to before adopting them.
JURO, it may sound BUMB, but I have ALWAYS turned fish by putting the rod TIP in the water, an the extra pressure seems to help, do it all the time w/STEELHEAD.
"GOOD LUCK GOOD FISHIN"
Rod tip to the water while fighting off to the side I assume? Just wondering if having all the line in the water would cause a larger 'bow' as the fish runs?
BOB, seems to put more presure on the line, an on the fish, like I said works great up state on steelhead, maby will have to get you up there for a weekend this FALL. an let you feel the STING
of a steelie, or the THUMP of a KING SALMON.:smokin:
"GOOD LUCK GOOD FISHIN"
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