Grabbing line when landing fish - Myth?

[WRB]

3 choices landing a bass, net it, rod lift or lip it.

Grabbing the line to control the fish by hand line the bass lip it eliminates net and bouncing into the boat.

Tom

 

[schplurg]

Most of the fish I've lost at shore, which isn't many, was when I grabbed the line. I try to pull it up in one smooth motion. Usually the fish I've dropped were over the shore already. I have most of them on video. Just my experience so far.

[Bankbeater]

I grab the line if I can't lip the bass, but you still have to be careful.  The last thing I want is a bass hanging on the end of line shaking its head with a mouthful of treble hooks. 

[cheezyridr]

when i was 13, a buddy invited me and another guy to their cabin for the weekend.  he told of this pond nearby that he had been wanting to try out, so we did. 

well, we had the best fishing day a kid could ask for.  we caught LOTS  of nice fish, to my memory the smallest of them was about 2 lbs.  at one point, i hooked a monster.  the fight was epic.  taking line, gaining it back.  my berkley rod bent over in a mean arc, mitchell 300 singing away, the flourescent yellow 12# stren was tighter than a banjo string.

after what seemed like an eternity, i got the fish close to the bank.  one of the kids jumped in the water.  he went to grab my line, and i screamed NOOOOOO!!!! in what felt like slow motion instant replay. i yelled LET GO OF THE LINE!!! but instead, he lifted the fish out of the water with about 18" of line below his fist. the fish shook once, the line popped, and it swam away with my black spinnerbait.  things between me and that boy changed forever that day.

 

 

this wasn't even one of my fish. i posed for this picture so we could send it into mepps in attempt to get into their magazine.

[TnRiver46]

A bent rod absorbs a lot of the pressure/weight that would be placed on the line. When you grab the line by hand to pick up the fish, now all the weight is on the line. I’ve seen the line snap when lifting a fish by grabbing the line many times, and I’ve snapped it myself a few times, mostly with big crappies using 4 lb line

[N Florida Mike]

When I was a teen, a friend and me were fishing the lake I now live on. He hooked a bass and fought it near the boat without saying much. When he pulled it out from under the boat in the clear water, I could see it was a huge bass. To this day it is still in my memory in the top 5 biggest bass I ever laid eyes on.

He told me to grab the line when it was still 4-5 feet down. Right when I did, the fish dove down under the boat. The line broke in my hands. The last thing I remember seeing was the fishes red gills flaring right as the line broke.

I bet I havent landed 5 fish since that day by grabbing the line, and those I knew were small. I use mono , usually 12 or less , so I know there’s a higher chance of it breaking than 30 pound braided, for example.

Moral of the story for me : I lip all big fish and cant remember losing one at the boat that way.

I usually lift smaller fish, or lift them from underneath their side.

But whatever works for you is fine...

 

[Captain Phil]

There are more ways to lose fish than you can write about.  I have seen most of them.  Every fishing situation is different.  Every angler is different.  When you're fun fishing and the fish on the end of your line isn't that special, you can be cavalier about what landing method you use.  I try never to touch the sides of my bass.  I release them with as little trauma and handling as possible. I don't like to use a net as it disturbs the sides of the fish.

 

When I was a kid, I bass fished from the bank with a Mitchell 300 and 4-6 pound mono line.  This was necessary to throw the light plastic worms we used as far as possible.  I lost a lot of big fish because the drag wasn't set right or I tried to pull the line.  After some time, I learned to anticipate what the fish was going to do.  Even now, when I hook a big fish I am always ready to give line if it surges near the end of it's fight.   I have successfully fought and landed salt water game fish in excess of 100 pounds on 8 pound mono using this method.

 

Tournament fishing is a completely different kettle of fish (no pun intended).  The idea is to get the fish in the boat whatever that takes.  I cringe when I watch TV anglers dip their hands in the water to grab a bass with a bunch of treble hooks hanging out of it's mouth.  I have been hooked myself to such fish and it's no fun.  When I fished tournaments, I used tackle big enough to get the job done.  With 20 pound test, I could swing most bass right in the boat.  Have I lost a few fish that way?  You bet, once it cost me a big pay check.  That's fishing.

 

Many fish have been lost by bad netters who stab at the fish.  The right method to net a big fish is to hold the net still and let the angler guide the fish into it.  In the beginning, it's probably better not to touch the line.  When you gain some experience, you will learn what works for you.

[gim]

I generally don't grab the line.  If I'm using a BC and the fish is small enough, I simply hoist them in.  If I'm using a spinning setup, then I need to either net it or lip it boat side.  If its a bigger fish, I net it.  I have a tangle free net so even treble hooks come out with ease.  I think the most important aspect is that you remove the hooks and release the fish in a timely manner, assuming you don't intend to keep it.

[Skunkmaster-k]

At lake Maloya I lost a BIG trout for my wife that way. That is the fish we never speak of. Same story a lot of you are telling , but I was the line grabber. A couple of people were standing there watching and one of them says “hey I know what you can buy him for Christmas ...... a net “ 

[JustJames]

I grab the line all the time, especially for those 12” crappie. Yes I lost fish many times over but most of them smaller less than 2.5lb  so it is not so big deal. I mostly fish from dock or rocky step by using finesse setup, flipping fish is not an option. Before I grab the line I’ll make sure the bass tired enough, make sure to grab below leader knot, and another hand is ready to grab/control the fish. 

If big fish and I have to step down in water to be able to lip it, so be it. I’m always ready with water shoe and ready to get down in water anytime.
 

[Smokinal]

I can't get Denny Brauer's voice out of my head

[TOXIC]

I have seen waaay too many crank baits stuck in hands to ever grab the line.  Even with releasing the pressure on the rod there is that amount of time between when you grab the line and lift the fish out of the water.  Mr Murphy is always with me and his law states it’s at that point in time the crank bait will come loose and rocket into my hand.  My preferred way is to either lip them or cradle them under the belly because I very rarely have one thrash when belly landing them.  As for lipping, as long as you have a good grip there is no counter action between the bait and my hand, they are both moving in the same direction when the fish thrashes.  My quest for a 7 pound smallmouth was within reach on Lake St Clair but my buddy who was helping me land her thought I had braid and wrapped the line once around his hand when in fact it was 8pound mono.  Snap.....gone.  I am a finesse fisherman so no swinging fish and definitely no hoisting by the line.  

[WRB]

When I grab the line it’s to help control the bass to get a lip grip on on it. Remember a fish in water is nearly weightless, out of water it’s full weight plus thrashing around in the air, that is when your line breaks.

Nets save hands with treble hooked fish.

Big Game off shore fishing we always have a “wire man” who grabs the line to control fish we plan to release. When a big marlin or tuna that weighs more then we do you either gaff it or hand line to get the fish close enough to grab the bill with welding gloves or hook with long needle nose pliers or tag the fish.

Grabbing the line when a fish is pulling drag is a no no!

Tom

*wire man is a term used for grabbing the leader, once the leader is grabbed it’s considered a catch.

Tom