Do Fish "tire"

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

We have all heard the expression "That fish is putting up a fight". Some people have said that when a fish is fighting it is best to let them swim around for about 10 seconds or so to tire them out. Any truth in this? Joe

[roadwarrior]

No...The fish is either stripping drag or coming your way, there is no middle ground.

[slonezp]

10 seconds is not going to tire them out and give them 10 extra seconds to get away

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I agree. All the fish I can remember catching, whether fighting or not I have pulled in without wasting time. :-)

[Sam]

Yes.

Although they will fight 100% they will tire.

That is why some saltwater fishermen will follow their catch as it swims around in order to tire them out.

Bass can get tired. However, as stated above, they will fight 100% until they tucker out.

As Roadwarrior says, they will either strip line or head towards you. You have to "play" them to get them close to the boat so you can boat them. And bass will keep trying to escape even though they get tired. This is why you need fresh line without any knicks or cuts.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Does strip line mean swim away!

[WRB]

Every animal has a limit to it's endurance, no animal is the same as every other of it's kind. Bass are animals, and subject to need rest after swimming distances or fighting for it's survival when hooked. Some bass fight harder than others, some species of bass fight harder and longer than others, they tire out.

Bass anglers tend to use tackle designed to control the fish completely far heavier than necessary. Hook them and crank them straight into the boat with the thought that giving the bass inch is losing the battle!

It's more rewarding to using the lightest tackle under the conditions you fish, then using the heaviest tackle and enjoying the fight.

Yes they will tire out given the chance to fight long enough. The question becomes how long is too long or too tired out.? The answer is; as long as the bass is still swimming upright and hasn't rolled over belly, it's OK.

Tom

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

That makes sense. I researched some on "strip the line". Does that mean the fish will fight so hard that it actually pulls away like with the drag? Or does it mean that you manyally have to give it more line with the other hand?

[WRB]

That makes sense. I researched some on "strip the line". Does that mean the fish will fight so hard that it actually pulls away like with the drag? Or does it mean that you manyally have to give it more line with the other hand?

Strip line is a term for the reel drag slipping and letting line come off the reel spool.

Tom

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Tom the man!!!

[georgeyew]

Isn't there something about "playing" the fish too long and causing too much lactic acid to build up and killing the fish?

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I did hear they can tire out, but not them dying from lactic acid build up. Any others?

[WRB]

I don't know what the average fight time is with most bass anglers, it depends on the tackle used and type of bass. My guess would be for largemouth bass with the average angler using med/hvy tackle, 15 lb line catching 2 to 4 lb bass, the fight time about 20 to 30 seconds. If you used light spinning tackle with 6 to 8 lb line in more open water areas the fight may last a little longer; 45 to 60 seconds. The longest that I have fought any fresh water bass is less than 2 minutes, a very long time for bass to fight without rolling over.

If the bass rolls over and can't maintain it' upright swimming, the fight has lasted too long. The lactic acid issue isn't a problem when you release bass right away, it can be a problem for bass hept in livewells and tournament bass angler tend to put the bass in the boat as fast as possible.

Tom

[Traveler2586]

If you ever watch any of the underwater video ( like on Hook N Look ) I've noticed that a fish caught further from the boat descends back to depth when released slower than one caught closer to the boat. It appears the same between both LMB & SMB. That, to me, indicates the fish that had a longer opportunity to fight was too tired to swim quickly back to depth; they look as if they are sinking to depth with very little swim movement.

I do not rip a fish out of the water, but I do get them in the boat as quickly as possible to reduce as much stress as I can. I find it interesting a bass will go directly to the deepest water in the area rather than swimming off horizontally somewhere.

[WRB]

There is pros nd cons to getting bass in s quickly s possible. If the bass is lightly hooked, playing too much may give the bas an opportunity to tear out the hook or throw the lure when jumping. However it is a lot easier to land a fish thtat is a little tired and as hot or fresh around the boat. The closer to the boat a big hot bass is your odds of landing this fish go way down. The reason most bass anglers loose a fish of a life time is they crank it to the boat and when the big bass sees what is going on, it makes a hard turn runs and breaks off...bad things happen on a short string with a big hot bass.

My philosophy with bass is get a good set, control the fish so it doesn't get into trouble like finding something like a tree to wrap the line in, enjoy the minute or so it takes to tire the bass and land it under control. This isn't hard to do in day time, however at night you tend to fish closer to the boat, make shorter cast and bass tend to be hot fighters at night and you can't see where they want to go, so you end up with some hot bass on a short string, a good reason to use heavier line.

I don't worry about over stressing bass fighting them, it's improper handling in the boat and livewells that cause fatal stress issue.

Tom

[roadwarrior]

I think it was Bill Dance who said " I play with the fish once I have her in the boat".

[WRB]

You got to love Bill Dance, he is one of the sports icons......however he holds bass incorrectly by the lower jaw bent to the point where it may dislocates and keeping bass out of the water to play with it is like holding the anglers head under water...both are suffocating and very stressed.

Enjoy your time on the water and slow down when fighting your bass and enjoy the moment. Bill Dance usually takes few moments to land his bass, tries to get a jump out it for the camera! It doesn't have to be a race to get the bass in as fast as possible by winding the fish across the surface like a water skier and bouncing it into the boat.

Tom

[SirSnookalot]

All fish tire, but some tire much quicker than others. Enjoy your regional favorites.

[james 14]

I had an interesting observation when beach fishing for snook this season. It seemed the lighter I had my drag the less the fish tried to fight and virtually eliminated any jumping from the fish which only served to either throw the lure or cause his teeth to saw further into my leader. I just followed them down the beach until they tired out.

I rarely have the chance to "play" a fish here in FL where the slightest wrong turn will bury the fish in some kind of cover so it was definitely a learning experience. I'm still figuring out how to apply it as I attempt to use lighter and lighter lines these days. Skipping jerkbaits under docks with 8lb test can be frightening.

[ebob2435]

They do Tire. I remember my first big bass. My brother had given me an old Cardinal 4 reel and a 7' rod that had been in the top of his garage for some time. It was spooled with 4lb test line. Being so old it would snap if you just made a quick set. I should have changed line on it but didn't,just grabbed it with my other equipment one day as I went fishing. To make a long story short, I tied a small spinner bait on it. cast it out and wham ,the fight was on. All I could do was let her run,back and forth till she laid over on her side. I had to wade out in the pond to get her. Afraid the rotten line would break just trying to pull her across the top of the water.s She was 7lbs 1 oz.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Man that's a good story though! Great catch on a big fish too!

[dumfish]

Only superman does'nt get tired.