Rod tip low - nice work, George. Photo: Cameron Miller
At Alaska West and BC West we see a lot of big fish fought by our guests – we’re talking steelhead and king salmon here. Sometimes our anglers do a great job fighting the big ones. Other times…not so much.
Fight hard, fight smart, and get it over fast!
Top 5 Mistakes Made Fighting Big Fish
- Rod bent at the tip. The tip of your rod doesn’t have a lot of power. If your rod angle is high (i.e. you’re acting like you’re in a bass boat), you’re bending the tip of your rod. The power in your rod is in the butt section. Keep your rod lower and pull back, not up, on the handle – that will bend the butt of your rod and apply much more pressure to the fish.
- Slow stroll downriver. Lots of times big fish get way below you on the river. We get that. But if you’re strolling downriver and casually reeling up slack as you go, you’re probably losing more ground than you’re gaining. Some expert anglers like to ‘stand their ground’ and literally not move, keeping maximum pressure on the fish. Others want to pull more sideways on the fish so they move quickly downriver to get a better angle. That’s fine, but if you’re going to make a move downriver, do it quickly and reel aggressively as you go – otherwise you’re guaranteed to lose ground.
- Pulling like a pansy. Big fish are strong. If you’re not pulling hard, they’re resting, and you’re just increasing the length of the fight, allowing more time for something to go wrong. You need to be working hard when you’re fighting a big fish – you should be breathing hard and your arms should get tired! The gear we use for big fish is strong – you probably can’t break 15 pound Maxima with your bare hands – so pull hard and get it done.
- Sudden movements. Often during a fight with a big fish you need to change your rod angle to pull from the other side. Do it smoothly! Particularly with two-handed rods, this movement is really pulling the fly from side to side, and you don’t want slack or sudden jerks in the process. That’s a recipe for working the fly loose.
- Rod tip too high. We like the ‘down and dirty’ method with big fish – in most situations right up to the end of the fight, your rod tip should be in the water. Yes, sometimes you need to raise your rod to avoid an obstacle – that’s fine. But otherwise, keep your rod low for maximum fish fighting mojo.
Seen some other mistakes made fighting big fish? Leave us a comment and let the world know.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I like this one. One point, item #5 is frequently a mantra with some guides, “hold your rod tip high!”. You guys have the experience, so clarify in more detail your rationale.
My addeds are little ones. I would tell the client to prepare ahead of time, believe that the next cast will produce that monster they’ve waited for all of their lives. There’s the confidence factor first. You’ve got to believe. Second, as a guide I would emphasize over and over “check your tackle”. Hooks sharp, no nicks in the leader, and good knots. Finally, one thing that I always do on the river is I look around me. If I have a biggie hit, I want to know where to go, what to do. No fumbling around.
Great comments Mark – checking your tackle and having a look around when you hook up are both super important.
The height of the rod tip is definitely a topic where different people have different approaches. We had big anadromous fish in moving water in mind with this post; most of the time they’re going to be downriver from you, and in that case we feel like side pressure is pretty important in tiring out the fish. Having the rod tip low and to one side or the other, with a solid bend in the butt section, is how we feel you’re going to apply the most side pressure.
I mainly fish Atlantic salmon in Quebec province. Sometimes big ones will pull behind a submerge bolder and curl their bodies in the current to rest . It seems as if they had their nose flat against the rock and if you pulled you would have to dislodge the rock before the fish. I was taught by an Indian guide to tap abruptly the but of the the rod. Seems to send a vibrating wave along the line that sends the salmon running for an other river marathon. I have used this method a lot of times and can testify of it’s efficiency in these particular situations. Il have the occasion of trying it (hopefully) on the N.Y. Salmon river this autumn. Might work on steelheads also.
Great idea Jean – definitely will give that a try!
i always fight fish with my side ways, its where the power is. if using a floating line(like said above) i stick my rod in the water, let the fish fight my line. like i tell the fly rookies put the wood to them
joshua
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