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Reel fishing tips

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5
Vote

Landing a Big fish

If you hook a powerful, explosive musky, striper, or pike don’t bring it near the boat unless you’re prepared to land it. A still-green fish can do a lot of damage and cause you numerous problems if brought to boatside too quickly.

One thing greenhorns do a lot is to reel the fish in too close to the rod tip. Never have a fish any closer than the full length of the rod away. Reeling a big one within a few feet of the rod tip is just inviting trouble. It reduces line stretch, rod flex, and reaction time, giving the fish a better chance to make a last-ditch escape.

If your fish is going under the boat, don't fight 'em, either let them take some line or better yet steer them away by not pulling up out of the water, but to the side and turn their head. They cant swim down if you turn them, but watch out if your using anchors. I've lost plenty of fish on the anchor rope trying to be too gentle.

Watch my latest videos of people breaking rods trying to bring a fish out of water from directly below them rather then pulling from the side into them.

Topics: Landing fish,
7
Vote

Casting Shore Lines

Getbit wrote a tip about casting parallel to shore a while back and it's worked for me in the past but last night it was a little slow for me. Most fished that were getting hooked were actually being caught by casting just outside of or on top the weed line and pulling from the shore to open water; most of which were casts ahead of the boat. I'm thinking that the fish could hear the action or splash above 'em and could then see the lure come out from "hiding" from out of cover of the weeds and would have less time to process whether to strike or not vs seeing the lure coming from downstream and just come past 'em. I was using a floating rapalla and could cast directly on the weeds and just lift it off of and through the weeds but then it would dive down 6 feet or so when i started reeling. It seems I may have to test this out a little more to see what might be more consistent for different lures. Any body have a similar/different experience?

Topics: Casting, Techniques
9
Vote

Bobber Fishin

I keep it simple with just a bober and worm about the length of my rod(5-7 feet) below the surface within 20 feet of the rocks and just jig it a little if they are nibbling but wont take the bait. They seem to strike 90% of the time i try this. Keep your line as tight as you can without dragging the bobber, and rather than set the hook by lifting up, try reeling as much slack as you can then rip the line through the water by keeping the rod tip down and pull to one side or the other to keep the most tension on the line especially if your fishing deeper.

Topics: Bobbers
11
Vote

How to Win the Fight

When fighting a big fish from a boat resist the urge to constantly ‘chase’ the fish. Use the boat to gain line initially when the fish is making long runs but when it slows down try to keep the boat just close enough to maintain a 45 degree angle on the line. This puts maximum pressure on the fish which means you stand a better chance of catching your fish of a lifetime.

Topics: fish, line, reeling
12
Vote

The Follow-Up

When reeling in, after a cast for a Northern Pike or Muskellunge, make a figure eight with your lure every time. When the fish is following the lure, it makes the lure look more realistic, like the lure is actually struggling to get away from being eaten by the musky or pike. You can do more then one figure eight in the water with your lure, but do it smooth and quiet so the fish does not get scared away.

Topics: Musky, and, Pike
12
Vote

Drag tension - Washers

Ever notice that the drag on your reel doesn’t seem as smooth as it used to? Chances are that your drag washers are worn and need to be replaced. Many reel manufacturers will replace drag washers for a small fee or you can do it yourself with a kit from smoothdrags.com. Don’t lose that fish of a lifetime due to a sticky drag!

Topics: drag tension, washers, reels
12
Vote

Avoiding line twist on spinning reels

Two tips here for avoiding line twist on a spinning reel:

1. After a cast, never force the bail closed by reeling in. Always manually close the bail with your hand, otherwise you'll introduce line twist every time.
2. Never reel in with slack line. Pull your rod tip up or put your finger against the line to create some resistance, otherwise you'll be trapping loops and slack line onto the reel, causing line twist and birdsnests waiting to happen.

Topics: line twist, spinning reel
12
Vote

Use a loop knot for live bait

The next time you use livebait, try a loop knot. They allow your bait to swim freely adding more action to your bait. Big fish didn't get big by being dumb, try a loop knot and fool that monster you've been looking for.

Topics: knots, line, bait
13
Vote

Equipment

Match your equipment to the task at hand. There is nothing more uncomfortable than fishing with an outfit where the rod and reel are mismatched. When purchasing a rod and reel ask your local tackle shop owner.

Topics: fishing equipment, rod, reel
6
Vote

AnglerCo-Angler Ettiquette

OK, this is a tip borne more from frustration than anything. I may not cover every scenario or situation, but it's a good start for things to think about.

If you're fishing as a team, then just by the nature of it you'll be maximizing your cooperation. This is a tip more for the Boater/Non-Boater tournaments where you're still competing against each other.

1. Remember, it's the boater's boat. Offer some gas money. Respect their property. Hooks in seats, 3 big tackle bags, and 10 rods that overwhelm their space isn't appreciated. Bring a small bag for your trash - a wrinkled up grocery bag is fine. Their boat isn't your garbage can. Ask if something is OK - "can I put this here?", can I use this?", etc. goes a long way.

2. Show up with a PFD and culling system. The boater may not have spares for you to use. Most boaters probably have those items for a co-angler to use, but don't assume they do, and don't get upset or throw a fit when they don't.

3. Bring your own lunch, snacks, and drinks, but be reasonable. Built-in coolers aren't huge, but boaters do leave room for the co-angler. Bringing a 32-quart Igloo probably isn't a real good idea, either. Remember, space is sometimes at a premium, so use it wisely.

4. Boaters do what they can to position the boat to everyone's advantage. Sometimes, it doesn't always work. Sometimes, the co-angler doesn't always get the best spots first. Talk reasonably about it. Most boaters will do what they can to make sure it's as fair as it can be. When the boater decides to move spots, give the co-angler fair warning. Co-anglers need to be ready to move when the boater is.

5. Boaters, you have the front of the boat to fish from. Don't cast back from the midline of the boat. Co-anglers, don't fire casts up over the shoulder of the boater. Keep your area as your area.

6. When an angler (boater or co-angler) is going after a fish, fishing a particular spot, bed, etc. let them have it. It's their fish. If they hit get a hit and miss, it's still their fish to go after. Don't wait for them to reel their line in and fire a cast at the fish

7. Don't destroy each other's things. Rods, reels, baits, equipment, etc. gets expensive when it needs to be replaced.

8. Be respectful - that goes for everyone. If the co-angler doesn't like the boat he's drawn or been assigned to, keep your opinions to yourself. Certainly don't put down the other angler's equipment, style, baits, etc.

9. Remember, you're there to fish competitively against each other. Small talk is OK, especially if you're new draw partners. But that doesn't mean start talking from launch time until you weigh-in. Comeraderie is great, especially after the tournament ends, but sometimes extreme concentration is needed when you're trying to boat a limit.

These are just the basics, but they're a good foundation and they go a long way. The basic rules should be this - don't be the boater that everyone dreads going out with, and don't be the co-angler that boaters say they'll never fish with again.

Topics: boater, nonboater, coangler
5
Vote

Replacing line while saving money

For some anglers, changing your line once a year is plenty. Others change their line a couple times a year, or monthly, depending on how often they get out to go fishing. For local and club-level tournaments, depending on need, changing your line can happen after the tournaments. I've even heard of anglers changing their line after each tournament day. Changing your line gets expensive, and you need to make sure to keep it economical so you can use the best line possible. An easy way to do this is to strip off about 2/3 of your spool, leaving the old line as a backing, then tie the lines together and then spool on new line. Another way to save some money - strip off 2/3 of the line off your spool, then fill the spool using line from another reel. The line deeper into the spool is probably still in really good shape, and you get double the life out of a spool.

Topics: Line, replacing line, economical
21
Vote

Landing a Kokanee

The tactics for catching a kokanee are very different from other fish, people lose a lot of fish because they are trying to horse them in. Kokanee have very soft mouths and they will throw the hook if you are not careful. Before you start fishing set your reel drag on the lighter side so that the fish can take some line as he runs and jumps because if the drag is too tight you will lose a lot of fish. You also need to stay tight on them don’t give them a lot of excess line, if you do they always seem to find a way to come up missing. Let the downriggers set the hook and if you stay tight on the fish with a smooth drag you won’t have any problems.

Topics: Kokanee
20
Vote

Low Impact Sturgeon Fishing Tips

Use non-offset circle hooks. Non-offset circle hooks offer three big advantages over traditional J-hooks:
• Fish are seldom hooked deeply with non-offset circle hooks because their unique shape rarely lets the hook embed until it catches
on the corner of the fish’s mouth.
• Once solidly hooked, fish rarely become unhooked.
• Circle hooks are less likely to snag on rocky river bottoms.
Because circle hooks are very different than J-hooks, anglers should use some different techniques for them to work properly: First, “hang” the
bait on the hook and leave the point exposed (A circle hook needs to be free to pivot for it to function properly). Second, when a fish
starts to bite, let it mouth the bait a few seconds longer than you would with a J-hook. Lastly, do not set the hook. Instead, simply start reeling
until you come tight on the fish. The hook will catch on the corner of the mouth as you smoothly tighten the line.
When using a regular J-hook, it is important to stay attentive to the rod and hook the fish quickly before it has a chance to swallow
the bait.
Use barbless hooks (it’s the law!). Pinch or file the barb down to ease removal of the hook and minimize the damage to a sturgeon’s fleshy mouth.
Use a sinker slider (a law beginning in 2011) Tie your sinker to a dropper line on a sliding device,
using at least ten pound test lighter line than your main line. This will minimize the chances of leaving a baited
hook snagged to the bottom if you break off.

Topics: Sturgeon, Low Impact
19
Vote

Fresh Line Backlash Blues on Spinning Reels

Just a little trick I picked up along the way.

To alleviate the problems of line twist on your spinning reel because of fresh line, simply take your spool off of the reel and run it under your hot water tap for 2 to 3 minutes.

This changes the memory from the manufacturer's spool size to your spool size. This allows longer, smoother casts with less twists and knots.

Topics: line, spinning reels
16
Vote

A little reel oil can make a world of difference

I recently oiled up my bait cast reel, and boy what a difference did it make. I had been having troubles with my cast, and was puzzled what the issue was. I decided to give my reel a little oil, and voila, it felt like new again. My casts immediately could go about 50% further, and no longer was I dealing with tangled bird nests.

Topics: Casting, reel oil, lubrication, reels
14
Vote

Change things up every now and then - go old school

OK, I'll admit it - I have a Tracker boat (the best Father's Day gift ever, thanks hunny! Wait, I have to pay for it for 7 years? WTF?), a few rod and reel combos that are technique-specific, and 4 trays of lures, and yeah, I like to go here, there and everywhere in search of bass, but sometimes going old school is a great time.

Grab a bottle of water, a bag of beef jerky, a rod, a tray of nightcrawlers and a rag and go hang out on the shore to pass the time. You may be surprised as to what bites, and if nothing else, the relaxation will probably be good for you!

Topics: Nightcrawler, old school, fishing
8
Vote

Rod, reel line selection

OK, back to basics. I know I posted a tip about making sense of rods & reels and making things less complicated. Absolutely an essential part of fishing. This year I've been doing some experimenting with my tackle, and I've gotten to this point:

7' MH baitcast with 12 lb. mono for bigger worms, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, lipless crankbaits, and topwaters

7' M baitcast with 12 lb. fluorocarbon for crankbaits, swimbaits, jigs, and tubes

6'6" M spinning with 8 lb. mono for worms, spoons, spinners, and all finesse tactics

I hope my homework helps you out, and as I test more ideas I'll post them to help get things going. Just remember, do what you find works well, and never stop experimenting and learning!

Topics: Rods, Reels, lines
8
Vote

Keep those rod reels covered

Sounds simple, and maybe I'm just making a big deal over nothing, but rods & reels are expensive - and can be a lasting investment if you take care of them. Reel oil, grease and cleaning aside, I keep my rods covered by Bass Pro Shops rod socks while in the boat and for winter storage, and I use Bass Pro Shops reel covers during the wintertime. For $7.98 I can keep each rod & reel protected and in good condition all year long.

Topics: Rod, reel, cover, protection
10
Vote

Keeping your rods reels simple

So, we've all seen the Bassmasters on ESPN, and everyone seems to have 50 rods & reels ready to go. I don't know about you, but I can't afford that. I have 6 rods & reels, 4 baitcast & 2 spinning. I know that wisdom says for crankbaits you should have a 6' medium action rod with a winch for a reel and flourocarbon line to get it down to depth, and for worms you should spool mono on a 7' medium-heavy rod and baitcast reel, yada, yada, yada.

All of my baitcast outfits are 7' medium-heavy rods with 6.3:1 reels spooled wiith 12 lb. mono. All of my spinning outfits are 6'6" medium rods with mid-sized reels and 8 lb. mono. I find that having all of my rods & reels be the same allows me to get a better feeling for each rod & reel, and gives me a lot of flexibility for different fishing styles. Also, it saves a lot of money when you don't have a different rod & reel for each type of bait.

Point is, do what you can afford to do. If you can afford to have 20 rods & reels, then let that work for you. If your budget allows you to have a couple set-ups, then make the most of it. Pick out some good quality equipment and get good at using it!

Topics: Rods, Reels, Combos
12
Vote

Direct tie or swivels

Do you tie directly to the lure or clip on a snap swivel? Depends. There are times when a snap swivel is a necessity - like fishing spoons with a spinning reel. Sometimes, tieing directly to the lure is needed, such as with jigs or topwaters when you you don't want the action affected by the extra weight of the snap swivel. However, when I fish crankbaits or a select few topwaters and jerkbaits, I use a size 1 Fast Snap. They don't really affect lure action, in fact they help improve lure action on some retreives, and they make changing out lure a "snap".

Topics: Snaps, Swivels, Lures