Steelhead on the air = fish OFF!!!

[Team CF]

You can fight some fish by not letting them jump. Many times I find the harder tension I have on them the more they want to jump. You can feel a fish surge towards the surface try moving your rod and pulling from the exact opposite direction you were pulling in. This seems to throw them off or give them enough ground to dig back down again. Granted steelhead and salmon are strong and can do basically whatever they want for the first few minutes of a fight. I lose more fish on the bottom digging their face into the substrate then I do out of the air but that number is still fairly low. (knock on wood I dont start losing a ton of jumping fish)

 

[waco]

Well I don't know what to think, it just does not make sense to me; it's not that I don't believe it, I just don't understand how keeping tension in your line when you are fighting a fish can make you lose a fish. It's a hook in the end of your line not a straight piece of wire, and if you keep tension in it should help to stay. Right?

 

[nwkiller]

the way i see it, its sort of a game of angles....for instane lets say a fish is hooked on the left side of the mouth with one barb in it....if the fish thrashes its head enough at the right angle.....fish off

 

[Mad dog]

Well I don't know what to think, it just does not make sense to me; it's not that I don't believe it, I just don't understand how keeping tension in your line when you are fighting a fish can make you lose a fish. It's a hook in the end of your line not a straight piece of wire, and if you keep tension in it should help to stay. Right?

It's been a cold spell, water temps are low so fish metabolism is minimal, lethargic fish tend to be light biters and not hook well, probably gonna lose a bunch if the jump a lot regardless of what you do!

What size hooks are you using? I fish 4's and 6's a lot in low water conditions and land a ton of fish that are just barely hooked! Sharp hooks....loose drag, most guys apply too much pressure at the wrong time and pull the hook! Rod position is everything in controlling steelhead, lots of guys lose them at the bank when they start that head thrashing shake when they are seconds from being landed....that's just as bad as a jumping fish as far as losing them!

 

[billfisher]

Well, I have to say to me seeing that silver bullit come out of the water is what its all about. I love it if I lose them or not.

 

[waco]

I pray

It works, it works, I prayed while fighting my fish and didn't get away, praying works so good that the fish didn't even jump! thanks HH