How many times has this happened to you?

[Hookhead]

You've located the perfect hiding spot for that big mama; a hole in the mat next to a rotting log. You swing your bait caster into action and drop your (insert favorite bait here) with pin point accuracy exactly where you wanted it but your spool is spinning out of control. You instantly slam your thumb onto the spool in hopes that you've caught it in time but glance down to notice a level 9 'trip-ender' rat's nest that would make Don King's hair style seem like an easy comb-out. @&*$#&!&^@(*&!!!! You press the button and roll the spool backward a few turns then forward thinking "it'll come out...won't it?" Then all of a sudden the familiar feeling of a largemouth slamming your bait and jerking the rod almost out of your hands changes your focus. What do you do? Land the fish by hand or fix the spool?

This happened to me on Sunday. I was so ticked that I opted to fix the spool and then fight the monster.

How many of you have had this happen? I'm betting many! Let's hear it.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

been there, hand lined them in both times.

[jcrazy]

has happened to me a couple of times. i just fix the spool, rather than bringin the line in cause then it'll just be a mess. i've had fish spit the hook back out and i've had them there till i got it out. but if i was in a t. you better believe i'll bring em in by the line. lol

[Hookhead]

It's happened to me twice too.  The first time I was using a Norman's Deep Little N.  The lure sat right on top of the water while I was trying to fix the over-run and out of the corner of my eye I saw a bass ****** it up.  That was my first Deep Little N top water bass I ever caught!

[Shad_Master]

I had this happen to me a couple of years ago, but on a spinning reel.  It was late in the season and I had put off changing my line and it had developed a lot of memory.  I was fishing and decided to cast into a pretty stong wind and it cob-webbed out all over the place.  I was hand-linning it in when I felt a tug and instinctively set the hook.  It turned out to be a big ol' bull frog (he stretched out to 27") :-[

[Max-in-Mn]

This happened to me once too. I had about a 6lb pike on and I tried to hand land it. Got it to the boat, it ran, and the braided line sliced my finger open like a hot knife through butter.

[boiler_animal374]

this is my first post so forgive me if it comes out a little crazy used to happen to me all the time but have a tip that just might save the day for ya:    1:cast our baitcaster as far out as possible or too whatever distance you think you will be flipping too

2: pull out a few exta yards of line

3: take electrical tape (works best on a dry spool) and place it across your line remaining on the spool

    Now your backlash can only go as deep as the tape you just applied..... this has helped me a bunch. let me know how it works for you.

[BassMaster]

i definetly agree and approve boiler animal's techinque.... its truly remarkable!

[BassMaster]

Also, try to adjust the brakes on the spool every now and then.  lubrucating the whole reel with a slight bit of quantum hot sauce also works to minimize backlash and helps the reel a ton.

[boiler_animal374]

yeah it works real well bu i must admit i got it from a book called "Fishing tips and Tricks" bought the book at Gander Mountain has a lot of other tips in there like Armor-all on your skirts to help make them more weedless and the one posted above... the web site of the publisher is www.creativepub.com  

[el_jewapo]

i personally would fight the fish like normal, reeling the backlash up. i've done it before. none of my reels have anything that makes them hang up on the retrieve when i have a backlash, just trying to pull it out. no need for hand fighting the fish.

[paully]

Well, that kind of happend to me but it wasn't bad. I was fishing a senko and then a WALLEYE takes it. the line was so twisty that it wrapped around my rod and i couldnt reel it in. I had to keep moving back until my brotther could grabi t.

My brother on the otherhand, had a 6 lb channel cat on his line on a spinning reel. This line hasnt been changed for a year so it was memoryish and springy. it wrapped EVERYWHERE on his spinning reel when he had it on. He unwrapped it and fought the fish and I llanded it ;D

[Rattlinrogue]

This happened this spring.A bass hits my topwater lure,I set the hook,and when I do the reel falls off of the rod into the lake .I grabbed the line pulled the reel back into the boat.I reattach the reel to the rod,cursing every breath.When I reel in the slack,the bass is still on.I start reeling,and the bass promptly comes up out of the water and throws my bait.More cursing.

[Hans]

This has happened to me a few times. Once with a Zara Spook. I tossed it out to the edge of some lilly pads and got the old birds nest. I fixed it up and looked out to the pads. Could not see the spook so I gave the rod a good yank and a 5 pound bass was on the other end! Taught me a lesason about waiting for the ripples to go away when casting top water baits!

Hans

[Hookhead]

Fantastic tip boiler_animal!  I'll try that tonight. Thanks.    Backlashes don't happen to me very often but when they do it always seems to be at the most inopportune moment.

[Tenka]

I use Boiler_Animals tech on both my baitcaster, i go out side with a moderately heavy ball weight attached to the line, and cast it as far i  think i can, then i pull about  5 yards more out and tape it with masking tape cut to fit it.  i get backlash at least 2 or 3 time a day fishing(only been using them for 2 months) this makes it so i can get it fixed really fast.  I learned it from Bill Dance tv.