Needing Help/advice On "fighting" Lunkers

[Texfisherman]

I was on a lake a few days ago and for the second time in my life, I hooked into a lunker.

I set the hook really hard after I felt the hit, and began fighting.

About 8 seconds into the fight, she jumped out of the water and my friend and I got a great look at her.

She was BIG!! Only a few seconds after she jumped, my line suddenly went completely slack, as she had somehow spit my hook out.

I tried keeping steady tension on my line the entire time.

I'm not used to fighting 8+ pound largemouth, and am not really sure how to do it.

Should I keep my rod tip pointed up during the fight, or down, pointed towards the water?

Should I reel-in as fast as possible?

I need some really soild advice on working the rod during the fight.

Any help/tips are greatly appreciated!!

[00 mod]

Ive only caught one in the 8lb class, but several 7lb, and lots of 6lbers and here is my technique...

After the hook set, I keep firm pressure on the line, this includes the rod tip being bent. Part of landing a big bass, is having pressure on the rod tip, as well as the line, so that you can "steer" her to wherever you want. It is common to get really excited and reel as fast as you can, but this is not the best technique, unless she is already swimming at you. Many big bass will wrap themselves around cover that is near by to try and free themselves. At this point it is VERY important to keep the rod loaded and tight line as to not allow them to free themselves.

If you can feel the bass coming up, like they are going to jump, keep pressure on the line, and the rod tip bent, but lower the rod tip, as to not have upward pressure. Many times this will result in a splash and tussle at the top, but not allowing them to jump out of the water. Many times bass, or any fish, are lost when they jump out of the water, because it allows slack in the line.

Remember big fish don't get big by being stupid and getting caught.

I always call a fish that jumps "educated"

Jeff

PS> If anything I have said doesnt sound right to you, it is because everyone fights fish differently!

[Grey Wolf]

00 mod is 100% correct !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SirSnookalot]

Jumping is not exclusive to bass, many species will put on an acrobatic display. Keeping the rod tip as low as possible will help keep them on the hook better. I will say that if certain species are hooked and don't jump like they should you will be disappointed. The jumping show is everything, I just try to keep a tight line.

[Texfisherman]

I really appreciate the amount of information provided.

We are hitting the lake again Monday, so maybe now I will have a much better chance at breaking my record.

Thanks, guys!

[Fish Chris]

Thier are a whole bunch of fishing aspects that I suck at.... and a bunch more where I am probably just average....

But the one thing I am really good at, is playing big fish !

I don't mean to over simplify this, and this is not always as easy as it might sound, but the whole idea is to always (as SirSnook said) keep a tight line, and maintain constant, even pressure. Holding your rod tip down low sometimes helps, but this will not guarantee that the fish won't still jump.... and besides, a big, crazy jump sure adds to the memories

If a fish is ripping drag, all you can (should) do is hang on, but the split second it stops pulling, it's your turn ! NEVER let yourself and the fish get into a standoff, where neither you nor the fish are gaining. It should always be one way or the other.

So anyway, no matter what you do, you will lose a fish here and there. Just part of fishing, but keeping very even, constant pressure will cut way down on your losses. This is another one of those things that just takes practice.

Stay after them

Fish

[WRB]

Landing big bass is all about keeping the fish under control. How you set the hook depends on several factors; the distance away from you when the strike occurred, type of and lbs test of the line, type and size of the hook(s), power and action of the rod, tension on the reel drags are the major things that you can plan for advance of the strike.

1. Use high quality extremely sharp hooks.

2. Use line that is compatible with the size of the hooks wire diameter.

3. Use a rod with enough power to set the hook and control the bass.

4. Use a reel with a good drag and set if for 1/3rd the line strength.

5. Learn to use your thumb to aide the drag when necessary to control the bass.

6. Keep the bass in front of you, don't let it run around or under the boat by moving with the bass.

7. Keep the rod loaded with tension, don't let the line get slack and keep the rod tip up at a 45 degree angle from the bass. If a big bass wants to jump, it will, you must learn to keep the line tight and enjoy the fight.

8. Try to keep calm, it has taken you a long time, maybe years, to hook this big bass, so slow down and enjoy the next minute or two it takes to land your bass.

9. Most big bass are lost at the boat due to mistakes by the angler. Keep you thumb off the reel spool and trust your properly set drag. Bass nearly always make a final run at the boat, be ready for it.

Setting the hook by snapping the rod back hard rarely works, unless the bass is close (less than 30' away) or the line is vertical. Reel fast to load up the line and sweeping the rod back with force works far better when the bass is 30' or more away from the boat. Practice your hooks sets...very important!

Remember; sometimes the bass wins.

Good luck.

Tom

[Big-O]

Ive only caught one in the 8lb class, but several 7lb, and lots of 6lbers and here is my technique...

After the hook set, I keep firm pressure on the line, this includes the rod tip being bent. Part of landing a big bass, is having pressure on the rod tip, as well as the line, so that you can "steer" her to wherever you want. It is common to get really excited and reel as fast as you can, but this is not the best technique, unless she is already swimming at you. Many big bass will wrap themselves around cover that is near by to try and free themselves. At this point it is VERY important to keep the rod loaded and tight line as to not allow them to free themselves.

If you can feel the bass coming up, like they are going to jump, keep pressure on the line, and the rod tip bent, but lower the rod tip, as to not have upward pressure. Many times this will result in a splash and tussle at the top, but not allowing them to jump out of the water. Many times bass, or any fish, are lost when they jump out of the water, because it allows slack in the line.

Remember big fish don't get big by being stupid and getting caught.

I always call a fish that jumps "educated"

Jeff

PS> If anything I have said doesnt sound right to you, it is because everyone fights fish differently!

X2 ... If the fish is in the junk, brush or trees, once you set the hook, never allow the rod tip to drop or less pressure on the fish. Try not to drop the rod tip while reeling, keep it up and tight. If anything increase the pressure as much possible. If the fish hangs in brush or whatever, keep them snugged up against it because they will likely try to turn the opposite direction and free themselves from the snag heading upward toward you. By never allowing less pressure, the aggressive fish will often sink the hook in deeper during their fight. If they appear that their going to surface, follow the advice Jeff gave for that.

When in open water, steady pressure and control is the key and take your time to let them play out prior to boating them.

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[Fish Chris]

1. Use high quality extremely sharp hooks.

2. Use line that is compatible with the size of the hooks wire diameter.

3. Use a rod with enough power to set the hook and control the bass.

4. Use a reel with a good drag and set if for 1/3rd the line strength.

5. Learn to use your thumb to aide the drag when necessary to control the bass.

6. Keep the bass in front of you, don't let it run around or under the boat by moving with the bass.

7. Keep the rod loaded with tension, don't let the line get slack and keep the rod tip up at a 45 degree angle from the bass. If a big bass wants to jump, it will, you must learn to keep the line tight and enjoy the fight.

8. Try to keep calm, it has taken you a long time, maybe years, to hook this big bass, so slow down and enjoy the next minute or two it takes to land your bass.

9. Most big bass are lost at the boat due to mistakes by the angler. Keep you thumb off the reel spool and trust your properly set drag. Bass nearly always make a final run at the boat, be ready for it.

Excellent info WRB ! All spot on.

Read this again Tex, and soak it up !

Fish

[fishingkidPA]

practice catching bass on UL gear, then you will have a good idea. Thats how i learned.

[Bass_Akwards]

Just like shooting free throws at the end of a big basketball game, it takes calm nerves to land big, hard fighting bass. When you lose one, you just have to think of how many are lost each year on the rods of KVD and the rest of those studs and it tends to make you feel a little better. Losing them happens, so it's fine to let it bother you, but don't take it to hard. You can be a great bass angler and still lose some toads.

Secondly, a lot of NOT losing big bass one day, is remembering how you DID lose a big bass on another day. In other words, after losing a big bass, take the time to try and figure out what went wrong. Theres usually a list of things that could have potentially gone wrong on any particular cast, so look at the clues, learn, and try to remember for next time. Things such as being to lazy to check your line for abrasions after catching a few 3 pounders, not keeping the fish in front of you, or "horsing" a big bass are just a few of the mistakes that can be made when your personal best is on the line.

Many people can fight a fish but when they actually SEE the giant for the first time, they start freaking out. It's human nature to set the hook, fight the fish for 7 seconds, and then SEE your personal best jump out of the water and mentally lose focus. If this happens, you're doomed. You need to stay super calm, act like you've been there before, and use your sense of feel to understand what the bass is doing so you can act accordingly.

Almost every big bass I've ever caught on a boat will make a big move when they get a good look or a good sense of the boat your fishing from. It happens almost every single time so you need to be prepared for it. People sometimes fight the big bass all the way to the boat, feel like the fight is over, and WHAM, the fish makes a big breaking dive and you're done. Don't let it happen to you.

Lastly, my uncle who was a tourney pro taught me when I was 13 or so about back reeling. I've seen a couple pro's who use this method with bigger fish on spinning gear. If you fish spinning gear, just take the anti reverse off when you land a big one and when she pulls hard, you can let the reel spin the opposite way to let out some line and play the fish as you see fit. Takes practice but it works wonders.

[gotarheelz14]

I don't think many people agree with this but I would just like to add that when a fish is coming up, I slowly release pressure so as not to have him jump out of the water. This usually results in a fish briefly making a bulge/wake over the surface of the water before diving back down.

The key here is to ALWAYS have your tip pointed up and V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y release pressure. If you let your line go completely slack, the fish has a MUCH higher chance to get off, because the hook is no longer being pressured in a way that holds onto anything.

In my opinion, bass don't necessarily want to jump out of the water. They are swimmers and that is what they are good at. Often times, jumping out into the air is their last choice, and last resort. From my experience, if they can stay in the water, they will do it. Try that next time. It might just save your big fish.

Also a lot of times, especially with people who use braid, there is a tendency to have line and equipment that easily outmatches a fish's fighting ability. Just think about the breaking strength of 12lb test line. When you really think about it, that's actually a lot! Especially when fish weigh much less in water than they do outside of it. They are naturally buoyant.

In my opinion, having line that outmatches the fish can introduce a lot of problems relating to physics, specifically leverage, when it comes time to land a fish. Having such heavy line and equipment usually means that often we just don't fish the way we are supposed to. We brig in fish that are "not ripe for the picking" a fish that is just too "green". This means the fish is not really all that tired and still has a lot of energy in him. He has been carried all the way to us without his will and has not had the ability to wear off his energy.

In this situation, the closer you bring in a fish, especially a big fish, the LESS line that fish will be on. Less line actually gives that fish a LOT MORE leverage. Think about it, would you be more successful shaking off a hook stuck in your skin from 10yards away (line stretch etc), or a hook that is only 2 yards away?

Most of the time bringing in green fish is ok because realistically we can swing them into the boat or just drag them onto shore. Don't think for a second you are going to wrangle an 8-10lb fish onto shore or easily "flip" him into the boat lol!

So, try your hardest to keep fish from jumping on you be it by lowering your rod tip, or easing off on the pressure. Play the fish long enough so that they are a little worn, and don't flip out close to you where they have more leverage and the ability to throw out a hook.

---Carlos

[Mattlures]

Some good stuff here already but I will add a little. When they are coming up to jump, sweep your rod to the side and put extra preasure on them. This usualy works better then stabbing your tip down. Also, many times you need to steer the fish. Learn how on ultralight gear. This is done by applying extra preasure when needed and allowing the fish to ge were you want it to. Move yourself or your boat to steer the fish.

Always have a plan. If you know your in a big fish spot or you see a big fish your trying to catch, make a plan of what you need to do and where you need to be. If I am on shore I might run down a bank to keep a fish from going somwhare I dont want it to go. When I am on my boat, my foot is on the TM peddel ready to counter punch.

One last tip. If your fishing in a lot of sticks always have another rod digged with something heavy like a jig. I have saved at least 5 realy big bass that wrapped themselves in the sticks. I open the bail and let them swim away from the snag about 10-20ft and then I catch my line with the other rod and handline the bass in. If you have that other rod ready it can definatley save you a big bass

[Fish Chris]

practice catching bass on UL gear

Bass ?!?! Why not practice catching something bigger, and stronger, like Catfish, or Carp ? (Sturgeon work well for this purpose too )

I grew up catching Carp on my micro-lights with 4 lb mono, so nowadays, catching any bass, on any gear, feels like a piece of cake

Seriously though, when I catch a big bass, the thrill and the challenge, is all due to the rarity of a big bass in the first place. As for the gear..... ehhhh.... even a giant bass, is relatively small, and weak, compared to many other species of sportfish.

Peace,

Fish

PS, When Mattlures said, "to have a plan ahead of time".... I thought about how when I pull up to one of my big fish spots, before I make my first cast, I will get my net out in an open spot on my boat, and unhung from anything it has tried to snag in transport, as I need to be able to grab, and use that one-handed, spur of the moment...

Because you know nets are only good for 2 things, right ? 1) netting fish, and 2) snagging and tangling on anything you could possibly imagine, if they get within 3 feet of said object ! Freaking Murphy ! That dude must have been a real idiot !

[SirSnookalot]

I wouldn't over complicate things, keep your mind clear, a tight line and with a little practice you will own them.

As Chris said big bass are not the strongest, biggest, jumpingest fish out there. You won't get runs of 100 yards or more, I got spooled with over 250 yds of line the other day, only wished I would have a jumper. When they are jumping they aren't pulling line out, gives you a split second to put pressure on them. I think the jump is a blessing.

Catching a 6-8-10# fish of any species is a lot of fun, but what makes bass fishing exciting is the jump, if you lose it so what, just go catch another.

[WRB]

I wouldn't over complicate things, keep your mind clear, a tight line and with a little practice you will own them.

As Chris said big bass are not the strongest, biggest, jumpingest fish out there. You won't get runs of 100 yards or more, I got spooled with over 250 yds of line the other day, only wished I would have a jumper. When they are jumping they aren't pulling line out, gives you a split second to put pressure on them. I think the jump is a blessing.

Catching a 6-8-10# fish of any species is a lot of fun, but what makes bass fishing exciting is the jump, if you lose it so what, just go catch another.

That is a great video clip of a tarpon off the stern jumping. Never caught a tarpon. Big bass running over a 100' is rare; they are tight turning fish and there strength is in turning directions and short bursts of speed and .....jumping with a head shake.

Stripe bass can smoke you with long runs, but it's hard to beat a smallmouth bass, musky or silver salmon for fresh water jumping skills. A big LMB may jump once, maybe twice shortly after being hooked.

We all have memories of the one that got away because we tend to replay it over and over. If we are blessed we get to land of few of these very special giant bass.

Tom

[HAWGHUNTER88]

On big fish they can just hold the bait in there mouth and spit it out with a jump. What every one has said is right, but I always set the hook more than once with a big fish. She might not be hooked!

[piscicidal]

I was on a lake a few days ago and for the second time in my life, I hooked into a lunker.

I set the hook really hard after I felt the hit, and began fighting.

About 8 seconds into the fight, she jumped out of the water and my friend and I got a great look at her.

She was BIG!! Only a few seconds after she jumped, my line suddenly went completely slack, as she had somehow spit my hook out.

I tried keeping steady tension on my line the entire time.

I'm not used to fighting 8+ pound largemouth, and am not really sure how to do it.

Should I keep my rod tip pointed up during the fight, or down, pointed towards the water?

Should I reel-in as fast as possible?

I need some really soild advice on working the rod during the fight.

Any help/tips are greatly appreciated!!

Texfisherman,

You're getting a lot of good advice here.

One thing that wasn't mentioned...were you using a single hook bait or treble hook bait (hardbait)? If you were using a hardbait, it is very important to have some compliance in the system to keep the hooks from ripping out of big fish during the fight. A softer, parabolic type rod and mono line will help keep the fish buttoned up when using the hardbaits. It is also advised to replace the treble hooks with a high quality 2X on many hardbaits.

I was fishing with a really good bass fisherman Thursday night. We got on a good bite with lipless traps and caught a lot of nice fish...but between the two of us we also lost four fish over 5lbs. You will lose more fish with the treble hooks even if you do everything right. It's the nature of that beast. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just keep chuckin it out there and catch another one.

[Texfisherman]

I can't thank all of you enough for taking the time to give such detailed replies.

I have read and will re-read all of these replies several more times!

I was using a single hook - texas-rigged plastic worm when it hit.

Thanks again, everyone!!

[WRB]

I can't thank all of you enough for taking the time to give such detailed replies.

I have read and will re-read all of these replies several more times!

I was using a single hook - texas-rigged plastic worm when it hit.

Thanks again, everyone!!

Common problems with T-rigged worms;#1 the worm slides down the hook shank, balls up and fills the hook gap covering the point. #2 using the wrong size hook or using inexpensive dull hooks. If your tackle is set up correctly for T-rigged plastic worms, you might want to consider using an aide to keep the worm head on the hook eye and skin hooking the worm.

Mustad Ultra, Owner, Gamakatsu and others make excellent worm hooks.

I prefer the straight shank sproat or forged round bends in size 3/0 to 4/0 for most T-rigged worms; the gap should at least 2X the worm diameter.

Products like The Hitch Series Texas Rig hitches work good to keep the worm on the hook eye.

Tom

[kms399]

watch your drag too. when I worked at gander so many of the people I talked to about this had their drags set way too tight.