Fighting Fish- the 'Sport' in Sportfishing

[MassBass]

I feel this element of fishing, especially in bass fishing, is oversimplified and overlooked. There was a guy in The Classic that lost numerous winning caliber big bass- because of fish fighting errors. It was even egregious enough that Mr. Hite gave a lecture, albeit oversimplified. There is much more to this part of fishing than just 'you need to execute'. All your persistence in finding the location, the bait, the color, the pattern, etc. turns to dust if you make errors fighting and landing the fish- especially in a tournament. 

 

There will always be mechanics and mishaps that you need to work on. For example last week I had a decent fish hit a prop bait. I didn't rush the initial hook-set, the fish was on but swimming towards me. I kept firm resistance but with the fish swimming towards the boat the hooks didn't penetrate adequately and it was off in about three seconds. I knew immediately after; in that moment I should have lightly hammered a hookset while the fish was still holding the lure. 

 

Drag is crucial for fighting a fish. Drag setting is dynamic and I often adjust it in-fight and for each type of lure/hook. If that fish is going to run, it must be able to take line- or your line will snap, your hooks will pull and or bend, or, if you are really unprepared, your reel will be pulled off the rod seat! I have a bud who fishes big baits exclusively. His drag is always locked on big Daiwas. I have seen him lose some big bites because of hook pulls or bends during the fight. He goes back and thinks the hook points weren't perfect or something in the overall line/reel/rod rig was uncalibrated. That stuff is important, but imperfections can be compensated for by a properly adjusted drag that will give the fish line to run, and that may mean adjusting the drag in-fight.

 

There are many more elements to discuss. I think having big game experience as an angler helps you to come into bass fishing with a respect and preparedness for the battle, especially when you get a big bite.        

[papajoe222]

Tournament fishing spawned the practice of overpowering the bass and getting it to the boat as quickly as possible. That's understandable in situations like pitching and punching cover, but for many treble hook presentations, it becomes a gamble. Those of us that grew up using medium power spinning gear and 6lb. or 8lb. test mono learned how to play a fish. It's also the part of catching a fish that's is the most fun. When I hear of anglers bending hooks while fighting fish, I know it wasn't because the fish was so big that the hook bent and the fish was lost.

[DitchPanda]

My PB bass came on 6lb mono on a tiny crappie jig. I've caught carp over 30lbs on 6lb while throwing twisters for walleye. Learning proper fighting technique is important and from what I've seen its becoming a lost art.

[MN Fisher]

My PB Northern was caught years ago on my Mitchell 320, a medium power rod, and 8# Stren...took a while to get into the boat, but well worth it.

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, MassBass said:

I feel this element of fishing, especially in bass fishing, is oversimplified and overlooked. There was a guy in The Classic that lost numerous winning caliber big bass- because of fish fighting errors. It was even egregious enough that Mr. Hite gave a lecture, albeit oversimplified. There is much more to this part of fishing than just 'you need to execute'. All your persistence in finding the location, the bait, the color, the pattern, etc. turns to dust if you make errors fighting and landing the fish- especially in a tournament. 

 

There will always be mechanics and mishaps that you need to work on. For example last week I had a decent fish hit a prop bait. I didn't rush the initial hook-set, the fish was on but swimming towards me. I kept firm resistance but with the fish swimming towards the boat the hooks didn't penetrate adequately and it was off in about three seconds. I knew immediately after; in that moment I should have lightly hammered a hookset while the fish was still holding the lure. 

 

Drag is crucial for fighting a fish. Drag setting is dynamic and I often adjust it in-fight and for each type of lure/hook. If that fish is going to run, it must be able to take line- or your line will snap, your hooks will pull and or bend, or, if you are really unprepared, your reel will be pulled off the rod seat! I have a bud who fishes big baits exclusively. His drag is always locked on big Daiwas. I have seen him lose some big bites because of hook pulls or bends during the fight. He goes back and thinks the hook points weren't perfect or something in the overall line/reel/rod rig was uncalibrated. That stuff is important, but imperfections can be compensated for by a properly adjusted drag that will give the fish line to run, and that may mean adjusting the drag in-fight.

 

There are many more elements to discuss. I think having big game experience as an angler helps you to come into bass fishing with a respect and preparedness for the battle, especially when you get a big bite.        

 

 

Just now, DitchPanda said:

My PB bass came on 6lb mono on a tiny crappie jig. I've caught carp over 30lbs on 6lb while throwing twisters for walleye. Learning proper fighting technique is important and from what I've seen its becoming a lost art.

 

I'll take proper mechanics and 'fighting technique' over drag most every time. I tend to lock my drag down on both spinning and casting gear (though not always), preferring to backreel or thumb-bar fish respectively. From previous discussions in these forums, this approach is without question in the minority these days, but no less effective, when done properly. As such, for most anglers, drag is crucial, but certainly not an absolute if your mechanics and technique are good.

[DitchPanda]

4 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

 

 

I'll take proper mechanics and 'fighting technique' over drag most every time. I tend to lock my drag down on both spinning and casting gear (though not always), preferring to backreel or thumb-bar fish respectively. From previous discussions in these forums, this approach is without question in the minority these days, but no less effective, when done properly. As such, for most anglers, drag is crucial, but certainly not an absolute if your mechanics and technique are good.

 I'm not a backreeler although I have done it. I'm not gonna poke the bear on this as my stance on using drag is staunch. But I'm certainly not insinuating in any way that drag is superior to backreel its just how I prefer to get the job done. I will say that to me the important elements are knowing how to keep the right amount of pressure on the fish, knowing when to hit the gas and lean on them and knowing when to back off and bow to them. If they give you an opening gain ground...if they wanna take drag let them.

 One of my proudest moments came years ago when I taught my lady how to fight a big fish on light gear. We used to cast twisters for walleye until almost ice up every late fall. Inevitability we would find our selves battling carp and buffalo sometimes of very large size. She was having trouble landing these as she didn't know rod angle, keeping pressure or letting pressure off when needed. One night we had a few wall eyes in the cooler and we were catching all kinds ofstuff...bass,walleye,crappie,white bass even a catfish. Well I ended up catching a carp and a buffalo...both around 15lbs...pretty much back to back. Soon she hooked up on one he made a strong run and popped the line.

 Retied and a few minutes later she was into another one...took one run and straightened the hook. She was pretty dejected so I adjusted her drag and gave her advice. She asked how do you always land these big guys? I said tell you what next one you hook ill walk you thru it. She hooked one a few minutes later so I began coaching her telling her when to reel and pull, the angle to keep the rod at to keep pressure so she did create slack and when to let off and let the fish run. She followed every word and several minutes later we had a big ole nasty carp in her hands.

She was so happy...biggest fish she had ever caught. To say I was proud is an understatement. Some people say so what it's just a carp..well its not just a carp its a turning point. Most anglers can appreciate the significance of a catch like that.

[Team9nine]

3 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

 I'm not a backreeler although I have done it. I'm not gonna poke the bear on this as my stance on using drag is staunch. But I'm certainly not insinuating in any way that drag is superior to backreel its just how I prefer to get the job done. I will say that to me the important elements are knowing how to keep the right amount of pressure on the fish, knowing when to hit the gas and lean on them and knowing when to back off and bow to them. If they give you an opening gain ground...if they wanna take drag let them.

 One of my proudest moments came years ago when I taught my lady how to fight a big fish on light gear. We used to cast twisters for walleye until almost ice up every late fall. Inevitability we would find our selves battling carp and buffalo sometimes of very large size. She was having trouble landing these as she didn't know rod angle, keeping pressure or letting pressure off when needed. One night we had a few wall eyes in the cooler and we were catching all kinds ofstuff...bass,walleye,crappie,white bass even a catfish. Well I ended up catching a carp and a buffalo...both around 15lbs...pretty much back to back. Soon she hooked up on one he made a strong run and popped the line.

 Retied and a few minutes later she was into another one...took one run and straightened the hook. She was pretty dejected so I adjusted her drag and gave her advice. She asked how do you always land these big guys? I said tell you what next one you hook ill walk you thru it. She hooked one a few minutes later so I began coaching her telling her when to reel and pull, the angle to keep the rod at to keep pressure so she did create slack and when to let off and let the fish run. She followed every word and several minutes later we had a big ole nasty carp in her hands.

She was so happy...biggest fish she had ever caught. To say I was proud is an understatement. Some people say so what it's just a carp..well its not just a carp its a turning point. Most anglers can appreciate the significance of a catch like that.

 

Proper technique is proper technique, whether backreeling or relying to whatever degree on drag. I've got lots of 20-50 pound cats and buffalo to my credit taken both ways, so in the long run, whichever format allows you to execute that technique best is the right one.

[DitchPanda]

14 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

Proper technique is proper technique, whether backreeling or relying to whatever degree on drag. I've got lots of 20-50 pound cats and buffalo to my credit taken both ways, so in the long run, whichever format allows you to execute that technique best is the right one.

Precisely my friend. Both ways are right if the end result is the same.

[gim]

I’ve lost tarpon because of fish-fighting errors. My Father and I went to the keys a few years ago and every time those things jump you are supposed to “bow” your rod at them. It’s hard to remember to do that when a 75 pound silver king goes airborne.  Our reaction was the same every time it happened: watching in amazement.

[soflabasser]

2 hours ago, MassBass said:

I think having big game experience as an angler helps you to come into bass fishing with a respect and preparedness for the battle, especially when you get a big bite.        

Fishing for large saltwater gamefish such as snook has made me a much better bass fisherman especially when it comes to landing the fish. 

[CrankFate]

All I’ll say is I usually land a fish that I get 2 turns of the handle on. And I rarely drop fish. But I do drop way more, really way more, LMB than anything else, by a very large margin. Though, most of the time it’s probably the wrong gear for the technique. I hate to say that because everyone’s gotten so technique specific crazy over the years. But it’s true, you need the right setup for the technique. For example, the last time I was out I dropped several fish on my soft BFS rig fishing senkos. You just don’t get through the plastic and fish’s lips fast enough unless you use a stiffer rod. I should have rigged my stiffer rod for them. I had it sitting there with me. Terrible mistake to make during a tournament, when I still didn’t switch over after dropping 3 fish, knowing exactly what the problem was.

[MGF]

Might be something to the saying..."All things in moderation". When I first started fishing my river I was usually throwing a Rapala floating minnow on an "ultralight" rod and 6# test mono. I caught a lot of fish and it was great fun except that I lost a large percentage of the bigger fish. If there was a snag around (it's a river-lol) they'd get into it and it was over. I moved up to a medium weight rod and usually slightly heavier line and all is well.

 

I use some heavier tackle because of the bait being thrown or the environment. Unfortunately, I'm catching the same fish so the fight isn't as much fun.

 

My largest brown bass last year was 21.5". It was spring so the water was still cool and I was throwing a 3/8 oz jig on a medium or medium heavy BC outfit. The fight was nothing to wrote home about. I almost felt cheated.

 

Some years back I caught a 45" musky on appropriately heavy tackle. The fish felt stout when I set the hook but, after that, I just dragged the fish into the net. I have more fun looking at the pictures than I did catching the fish.

 

A couple weeks back I hit it just right on the river. In a short time I caught a pile of bass between 14 and 18 inches. Those aggressive fish on a medium spinning rod was a LOT of fun.

 

I guess there's no choice but to match tackle to bait and environment but feisty fish on tackle that doesn't over power them by too much is the most fun.

[A-Jay]

On 7/26/2021 at 4:31 PM, MassBass said:

I feel this element of fishing, especially in bass fishing, is oversimplified and overlooked. There was a guy in The Classic that lost numerous winning caliber big bass- because of fish fighting errors. It was even egregious enough that Mr. Hite gave a lecture, albeit oversimplified. There is much more to this part of fishing than just 'you need to execute'. All your persistence in finding the location, the bait, the color, the pattern, etc. turns to dust if you make errors fighting and landing the fish- especially in a tournament. 

 

There will always be mechanics and mishaps that you need to work on. For example last week I had a decent fish hit a prop bait. I didn't rush the initial hook-set, the fish was on but swimming towards me. I kept firm resistance but with the fish swimming towards the boat the hooks didn't penetrate adequately and it was off in about three seconds. I knew immediately after; in that moment I should have lightly hammered a hookset while the fish was still holding the lure. 

 

Drag is crucial for fighting a fish. Drag setting is dynamic and I often adjust it in-fight and for each type of lure/hook. If that fish is going to run, it must be able to take line- or your line will snap, your hooks will pull and or bend, or, if you are really unprepared, your reel will be pulled off the rod seat! I have a bud who fishes big baits exclusively. His drag is always locked on big Daiwas. I have seen him lose some big bites because of hook pulls or bends during the fight. He goes back and thinks the hook points weren't perfect or something in the overall line/reel/rod rig was uncalibrated. That stuff is important, but imperfections can be compensated for by a properly adjusted drag that will give the fish line to run, and that may mean adjusting the drag in-fight.

 

There are many more elements to discuss. I think having big game experience as an angler helps you to come into bass fishing with a respect and preparedness for the battle, especially when you get a big bite.        

 While there's quite a bit to love, one of my favorite aspects of the basshead lifestyle, does revolve around hooking, playing & hopefully landing the fish that strike.  Admittedly, there's a decent amount of  time & effort expended in advance of getting a bite, so I am a fan of capitalizing on each and every one.  Now it would be all kinds of excellent if that always happened but it doesn't, as there are always a few they get 'dropped' each season.  Hate it, and do whatever I can to prevent it, but sometimes the fish just earns her freedom.   At this point I try not to break stuff and instead just tip my hat and keep casting.

  When setting up & matching my gear (rods, reels, line & terminal tackle) I'm routinely looking to find that happy balance between being stout enough to handle the biggest bass I hope to hook and still having the necessary properties to present my bait in an effective enough manner to elicit  the strike in the first place.   Depending on the technique & the conditions, it can be a fine line, other times it's pretty easy.   The one interesting variable in all of this is that there are some fairly plus size by-catch species living in many of the systems I fish.  One of these on the line is when my gear and fish 'fighting skill' is usually taxed the most and put to the test. 

 After a few decades of doing this, when I do tangle with any oversized mutant, especially in a mostly open water situation, I have learned to not freak out during the fight (mostly), remain calm and do everything I can do to try and be one step ahead of the fish, whatever that means. I want to be a smooth as possible.  Much of that simply must happen in advance of the cast and having a plan for if & when it happens has served me well.

The other deal which has been a HUGE learning tool for me, has been the ability to go back and review video of my catches.  Found out I had some bad habits that were counter productive to the end game.  The replay helped me 'streamline' my approach and eliminate wasted motion, big advantage IMO.  

 This spring, in some less than ideal conditions, I hooked a plus size brown bass on what for me is 'pretty light gear'.  The fish fought hard and felt bigger than the 5.80lbs she ended up being.  I really took my time with her and the fight lasted several minutes.  I really enjoyed that one

 

And a Big Musky on 10 FC is always going to be an event . . . .

https://youtu.be/c8ncmrbV3-M?t=304

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

[PhishLI]

I'll add to this that the majority of fish I've caught up here in the north that weighed over 5 1/2 lbs, and happened to hooked in the top of the mouth, were just barely hooked. Meaning the hook, or hooks, just popped right out. Up here that's at least a 10 year old fish, and their upper mouths are boney and dense.

 

Last year I caught a 6+ fish that T-boned a Shellcracker G2. I was throwing it on a heavy rod with straight 50 lb braid due to the choked area I was fishing. Both front and rear trebles stuck her in the upper mouth behind the lip. I kept her submerged while unhooking her because it took me so long to remove the hooks. I felt as If I was going to break her jaw with the torque it took to dislodge the barbs. By the time I lifted her for my buddy to snap the pic my gripping hand was so fatigued that I couldn't hold on when she shook just before he snapped the pic.

[BrianMDTX]

I may be wrong, or simply looking at this issue wrong, but I think many have given up on using the rod to fight the fish and use the reel to winch it in. I know many on BR have a lot more experience with big bass than I do, so I'm no expert by a long shot. But when I hook a decent bass (4 lbs and up), I do not set the hook and crank it in to the boat or bank. If the bass runs, I let it run, and use the rod, not the reel, to play the fish. If it's heading for heavy cover, I move the fish with rod action, not the reel. 

 

Pump and retrieve seems to be a lost art. 

[TOXIC]

Welcome to my world. First and foremost I am a finesse fisherman.  I had to become one because the catch rate on the lake I guided on got so pressured that by switching to finesse tactics it increased the catch rate and upped the fun factor for clients.  Fighting a 2 or 3 lb bass on finesse gear is very thrilling for clients.  The fish feel much bigger.  When you step up to bigger fish with finesse setups you need more skill. Make no mistake, I can and will throw 65lb braid pitching heavy cover in Florida and 35lb braid on bedding smallmouth in the reed beds but I’ll also have my finesse rods right there next to them.  Those same 4-5lb smallmouth out in open water will get a Ned on 6lb test mono all day.  Both of these fish were caught on finesse rigs.  The Snakehead was 14.9lbs and was caught on 6lb mono and a Senko.  The Blue Cat we didn’t weigh but it also was 6lb mono but a Ned made with a trout hook.  I just love finesse fishing.

[PressuredFishing]

14 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

My PB bass came on 6lb mono on a tiny crappie jig. I've caught carp over 30lbs on 6lb while throwing twisters for walleye. Learning proper fighting technique is important and from what I've seen its becoming a lost art.

It's getting revived with trout fishing for sure, 2lb test, ultra fine wire hooks, and huge 8+ pound stocked trout. One of my most fun battles was a tiny size 500 reel with 2lb izorline with a 1/64th oz trout magnet with ultra fine wire hook, reeling in a 7lb trout, and a 8.5 trout. Both fish took at least ten minutes to catch and for 6 minutes I never touched the handle as the drag was singing. Also by fishing this was I was using the reverse mechanism, which is also becoming a dying art, but I cannot tell you how much I love this mechanism for fighting large fish and river fishing by giving line quickly to your bait to drift it naturally.  Personally I also feel like lighter line can give certain baits a more natural presentation because it is not as wirey as 15lb floro/mono, and is more supple. I fish almost all my baitcasting lures on 12lb mono, except for my punching I use 40lb braid. And for spinning for heavier baits I use 8lb, and for lighter wacky rigs or spybaits I use 6, but if it's open water I'll even use 4lb on ultra small child rigs and exposed point baits like fine wire ned rigs.

[Catt]

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Hate it, and do whatever I can to prevent it, but sometimes the fish just earns her freedom.   At this point I try not to break stuff and instead just tip my hat and keep casting.

 

Totally agree ?

 

I just remind myself I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right presentation...we will meet again!

Edited July 27, 2021 by Catt
Operator Error

[Mobasser]

The trend for a long time has been xf, stiff rods, especially with bottom contact baits to increase strike detection. These rods are good for this, but there's a learning curve with these rod actions, as opposed to a rod with a slight tip flex. I don't know the percentage of fish landed on ultra stiff rods vs rods with a little tip flex. But, I believe more fish are probably landed with a little softer tip rod. Others have mentioned lighter line, and a more forgiving tip adds a cushion to help land fish on lighter line. But, I've lost fish on both styles of rods.

[king fisher]

I have spent most of my life guiding anglers, for many different species of fish.  Watching people loose fish is always heart breaking.  In my experience far more fish are lost do to the angler trying to land a fish to quickly, therefore being to aggressive, compared to fish lost from to being to gentle.  Even an experienced guide can get excited and bump a fish off with the net, trying to get a monster in the boat before the fish is ready.

     That said,  big bass can be the exception to the rule.  Bass can be hooked around thick cover, which makes it imperative to put as much pressure on the fish as possible to get away from the cover.  Bass also don't usually make long runs where patience is a priority.  They rarely will take many yards of drag, a person can many times give way enough  just by bowing the rod to the fish, when it makes a run.  Most of the time, they bull dog into cover, and once pulled away from heavy cover, can be subdued quickly with max pressure.

        Obviously in open water with light line, or crankbaits with small trebles, I fight a bass lightly, the same as I would with other species of fish.   Regardless of species of fish, or type of cover, personal experience, both landing a large fish yourself, and watching others is the best way to learn, when to step on the gas, and when to let up.  When in doubt, take it easy and enjoy the fight.  

       

[A-Jay]

55 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

The trend for a long time has been xf, stiff rods, especially with bottom contact baits to increase strike detection. These rods are good for this, but there's a learning curve with these rod actions, as opposed to a rod with a slight tip flex. I don't know the percentage of fish landed on ultra stiff rods vs rods with a little tip flex. But, I believe more fish are probably landed with a little softer tip rod. Others have mentioned lighter line, and a more forgiving tip adds a cushion to help land fish on lighter line. But, I've lost fish on both styles of rods.

Totally agree ~

Mount one of the hottest new  25:1 gear ratio casting reels, on to one of these tomato sticks and that's Everything I Do Not want when fighting a high flying brown bass.

But that's just me.

A-Jay

 

[Mobasser]

30 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Totally agree ~

Mount one of the hottest new  25:1 gear ratio casting reels, on to one of these tomato sticks and that's Everything I Do Not want when fighting a high flying brown bass.

But that's just me.

A-Jay

 

Agree. Ideally, a powerful butt section, that tapers up to a slight tip flex in the top 10" to 15" of the rod would help land more fish. Rods like this are out there, but you've got to hunt for them. Kind of an old school type of rod. These days, everyone thinks a " tomatoe stake " is the best.

I might add, I read a good article by Billy Westmoreland years ago. I distinctly remember the part on his rods. He said " my rods are light in weight, with power in the rear section, and a little tip flex, to help cast lighter baits, and play bigger fish. This was years ago, with mono line, mostly under 10lb strength. Much of this is lost in rod design now, because everyone thinks they need 60lb braid.

[Mobasser]

Another thing is the type of bait your using. I've landed far more fish on single hook soft plastics, than crankbaits or lipless baits over the years. For me, lipless baits have been notorious for losing fish, regardless of cover type being fished. I still like and use them though, but I use a composite rod now- with a little tip flex.

[WRB]

Fresh water bass anglers use tackle, on average, suitable to control bass twice as big as the will ever catch.

It’s the junk yard dog syndrome that bass anglers tend to believe the fish are tough as nails needing strong line to get the bass out of the jungle. 

I love to bass fish and respect them but tough hard fighting fish they are not. 2 minute fight is a long time for any bass before it is totally worn out. The sport comes in finding the bass and tricking into striking artificial lures.

Smallmouth followed closely by Spotted Bass are more sporting fighters then LMB. Yes a giant LMB is a strong fish that can jump it’s length out of the water and swim about 15 mph for several yards. Yes bass know how to run into cover or over structure cutting or breaking your line.

Every salt water game fish fights harder then fresh water bass pound for pound and some salt water fish are twice as big as the angler is and at least twice as fast and fight 30 minutes or longer running hundreds of yards. You must learn how to fight salt water fish to land them on tackle with line no stronger then bass anglers use.

I believe lighter tackle like finesse is better suited a sporting fight for the average size 3 lb bass.

Tom

 

[Holetail]

Although I am somewhat new to the addiction of bass fishing, I learned how to fight big fish in my 20’s when I fished offshore both commercially and for fun. The technique of pump and reel down was drilled into me by my first captain after I broke off a few nice grouper. You learn quickly when a paycheck is on the line! I have kept that knowledge and use it today with these “little” fish and I really don’t drop many that I get a decent hook set on. Sometimes the hook just falls out when I lip them which tells me that finessing a fish and enjoying the fight is the way to go. I don’t fish tourneys or need to catch to pay the bills anymore so I like to enjoy the tug that I’ve invested $, time, and effort into chasing.