Fighting Fish- the 'Sport' in Sportfishing

[MassYak85]

I think a lot of guys just lock their drag on baitcasters and tbh, a lot of times you fan get away with it. But the times you don't are the fish that will break your heart.

[Bankbeater]

I always try and let the fish pull a little just to see how big it is and how much fight it has.  I think it's better to tire out the fish while it's out in open water than when it's right next to the boat, or the bank.

[TOXIC]

Don’t forget you also have to adjust your retrieve based on what type of lure you are throwing.  A rattletrap style bait, especially in the larger sizes, will act like a fulcrum and are easier to throw. Dropshot, especially with heavier weights for fishing deep are the same.  You can also overplay a fish and actually wallow out the hole made by the hook.  

[Hammer 4]

3 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Don’t forget you also have to adjust your retrieve based on what type of lure you are throwing.  A rattletrap style bait, especially in the larger sizes, will act like a fulcrum and are easier to throw. Dropshot, especially with heavier weights for fishing deep are the same.  You can also overplay a fish and actually wallow out the hole made by the hook.  

Over playing a bass can also cause a lot stress, in some cases can kill the fish.

[ThrowinPlugs]

My whole thing stems from surf casting for big stripers. I want that fight over quick as possible so I can get big mama back on her way full of as little lactic acid as possible to aid in a better chance of living.. The fight is fun, absolutely, but I get more gratification out of "fooling" a bass with a piece of plastic, boating it and getting it back on its way before it can even think "I don't understand what just happened?"

[MassBass]

6 hours ago, ThrowinPlugs said:

My whole thing stems from surf casting for big stripers. I want that fight over quick as possible so I can get big mama back on her way full of as little lactic acid as possible to aid in a better chance of living.. The fight is fun, absolutely, but I get more gratification out of "fooling" a bass with a piece of plastic, boating it and getting it back on its way before it can even think "I don't understand what just happened?"

I understand this, as catch and release mortality is high with migratory stripers. But you are also kind of playing with fire when you are trying to unhook and photograph a striper that is still juiced and bucking. The biggest problem I think is delayed mortality so you or I will never really know if the released fish dies two days later from the stress. I take time to really nurse the fish when I release, don't just flop it back in the water. Hold it in the water with mouth open, flow water through the gills, then when it is really ready and starting to kick see it off. I have seen musky anglers release fish slowly like that to. 

[Black Hawk Basser]

I am 100% sure that I've lost fish I could have landed over the years, but it sure is more fun to use lighter gear to put the odds a little more in the fish's favor.

[Tatsu Dave]

On 7/27/2021 at 7:36 AM, A-Jay said:

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

That was almost more than I could handle with a mouth full of coffee : ) Well said A-Jay an event it is..........

[the reel ess]

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

 

@MassBass Fish swimming toward me is one of the reasons I don't use any reels slower than 7:1 ratio. I can always reel slower. But with a slow reel, I can't always reel faster. 

 

There are many times I lost a good fish due to an error by me. Then there are those times I did everything wrong and still caught the fish. My number one rule with trebles is to set the drag so loose that it slips when I set the hook. You need to make sure the hooks are sharp. Then I try to tire the fish with the light drag. I'll use the thumb if necessary if the fish is headed for weeds or cover.

 

For my jig and frog combos I go completely the other direction. I cinch the frog rod down. I probably have about 90% drag on the jig rod. I watched a video of G-Man Swindle talking about jig fishing in cover. He said not to play the fish. Set the hook hard and keep it coming all the way in the boat. You can go easy on it when it's in the boat. 

[Crow Horse]

This is my strategy be it right or wrong. I only catch & release and crush the barbs on my hooks. I make sure they are sharpened to perfection, sometimes verifying by using an industrial microscope. The hookset is a tight drag and then I'll loosen it a bit. Being in a yak 'll sometimes be towed around but will work quickly to get it next to the yak. I use a floating net and once netted it'll stay in the water till the hook is removed (which is usually quite quick). If it's a noteworthy fish AND it wasn't really stressed during the fight I'll try to take a pic. If for any reason that taking a pic would jeopardize it's survival upon release it will be released immediately. I've released 5-6# bass without a photo because it was more important to minimize stress and get it on it's way. Most fish never leave the water....

[Alex from GA]

I learned how to fight a fish by catching bonito in the Redondo Beach Harbor in the 50s.  I started with 8 lb Stren switched to 6 when that got to easy and ended with 4.  If the fish didn't wrap in an anchor line it wasn't hard to land them.  Tried 2 lb line and failed every time.  Caught my biggest striper on a worm and 6 lb line in Lake Lanier, GA while bass fishing.  24-12.  When I'm in FL around lots of grass and pads flipping I use 60 lb braid and a heavy rod to get them out and keep em coming.  Like Tom said salt water fish are much tougher and fight much longer than any bass.