Steelhead on the air = fish OFF!!!

[waco]

What do you do!! I hooked up 2 winters last week and when they jumped, my hook came OFF, so my buddy said: I can't believe nobody have told you to put your rod down when the fish jump.
It's there some kind of technique for this. What do you do when the fish jump? I just keep pressure on it but now I'm wondering about this!!

 

[Drew9870]

I always drop the rod tip in this situation, but when it comes down to it Waco, it is all in how the fish is hooked, you can point that rod in any which direction, and even throw it some slack, it all comes to how well the fish is hooked, which is always a gamble during the hookset.

 

[Drew9870]

Waco, try the Gamagatsu Drop-Shop/Finesse hooks, they work well with the egg loop and leave a wonderful gap for the hook point to get deep in the lip, amazingly sharp.

 

[colbypearson]

I lower the rod and maintain tension. If it makes any sense I asses how the fish is going to break water and what will happen once its airborne and in that short time decide the best way to keep tension i tend to dip left or right now that i think about it, but if your losing fish sometimes theres not a lot you can do but maintaining tension while in the air is probably a factor.

 

[eugene1]

I didn't know about the lowering the rod trick. When they jump and fight hard I just hang on and enjoy the ride. If you're hooking them consistently, some will come to hand at some point.

My tactic is to make sure there is as little slack line as possible at all times.

Good luck,

 

[Johnny Southpaw]

Always good to maintain tension but 'give' a little when they jump by lowering your rod tip. Quick reflexes and good anticipation help tremendously. Like Drew9870 said however, it's largely dependent upon how well the fish is hooked.

 

[plumb2fish]

"bow" the rod to a jumping fish....sometimes it works...sometimes it don't

 

[halibuthitman]

I pray

 

[jamisonace]

It's mostly in how it's hooked but releasing resistance while maintaining tension when it's starts to slash the surface reduces the chances you will pull the hook out as the angle of the line to the fish or the hooks angle of pressure to the fish changes. If you are using a monofilament that stretches it's not so critical as the line will be doing most of the work but if you're using a braided line with a short mono leader it is important to assess the lateral position of the fish in relation to the surface of the water before it breaks surface tension...OK fine I'm making this up.

But, I agree release a little tension and you might not pull the hook out as much when it surfaces.

 

[eugene1]

It's mostly in how it's hooked but releasing resistance while maintaining tension when it's starts to slash the surface reduces the chances you will pull the hook out as the angle of the line to the fish or the hooks angle of pressure to the fish changes. If you are using a monofilament that stretches it's not so critical as the line will be doing most of the work but if you're using a braided line with a short mono leader it is important to assess the lateral position of the fish in relation to the surface of the water before it breaks surface tension...OK fine I'm making this up.

But, I agree release a little tension and you might not pull the hook out as much when it surfaces.

That was awesome!

 

[waco]

I pray

I guess I know what to do now!!! :lol:

 

[plumb2fish]

I pray

That is awesome.....I generally cuss and plead for it to keep its effing head in the da** water....

 

[todd_brooks]

It's mostly in how it's hooked but releasing resistance while maintaining tension when it's starts to slash the surface reduces the chances you will pull the hook out as the angle of the line to the fish or the hooks angle of pressure to the fish changes. If you are using a monofilament that stretches it's not so critical as the line will be doing most of the work but if you're using a braided line with a short mono leader it is important to assess the lateral position of the fish in relation to the surface of the water before it breaks surface tension...OK fine I'm making this up.

But, I agree release a little tension and you might not pull the hook out as much when it surfaces.

Thats great I LOL'ed worth a star in my book.

 

[halibuthitman]

on a serious note waco, you need to drive a fish to try to keep its head down, we all hear "get your tip up"! but what that really means is don't let your tip get pointed at the fish. If you do the trade mark I surrender rod held all the way above your head you are driving his head up, and you have bottomed out your ability to go any higher... losing control. you should actualy hold your rod to the side, pulling sideways as apposed to up and steer the fish if you can to safer or better water, you can also rotate your body to pick up slack and avoid the embaracing fall over backward move we have all seen so much.. ive actualy seen someone fall out of a drift boat on a I surrender hookset. Mad jumpers tend to be little fish under ten pounds... fish with shoulders in the 10+ lb range tend to be runners.. not saying a big fish won't jump once or twice but if you survive a jump and a roll your probably gonna get a big fish.. little fellers who rock you with a blue angles air show most likely are gonna wrap up, part off, or just shake you. The best fight I ever had was a 6 pound nate... go figure-

 

[Raincatcher]

All I know is that I drive Autofisher a little crazy when I get a hook into a fish. :doh: I get overly excited, cuz it doesn't seem to happen all that often, and start reeling like a maniac while keeping the tension tight. I don't "finesse" or "play" a fish, I want it onshore as quickly as possible. Really makes Mike shake his head and roll his eyes...:wall::lol::lol:

 

[billfisher]

I pray

ditto!

 

[Kevinb5688]

All you got to do is play a wii bass fishing game. When the fish is going right, tip of pole to the left. If fish goes left swith pole tip to the right, when fish jumps, bow down your rod. Always kep tension, hit all the buttons on your remote and pow! Landed fish. Lol

 

[jamisonace]

Sounds like the Christmas present I need this year. I might need to get Santa to read this post.

All you got to do is play a wii bass fishing game. When the fish is going right, tip of pole to the left. If fish goes left swith pole tip to the right, when fish jumps, bow down your rod. Always kep tension, hit all the buttons on your remote and pow! Landed fish. Lol

 

[GDBrown]

There is a reason they are called "Steel-Head". Most people lose a fish because they don't get the hook in far enough to hold the fish. I had an old friend who was always going to the chiropractor during the season because he set the hook so hard, but he landed every fish I saw him hook. Once it's hook properly all the rest comes into play just like the others have said. That being said, with the newer braided lines it is not as difficult to get a good hookset as it used to be when all we had was mono-filament lines. Hope this helps as well.

GD

 

[jamisonace]

On the other side of things. My two boys 7 and 8 yrs old, have hooked and landed every steelhead that stayed on longer than a quick bite for the last two years. Yet most of the time when the fish hit the bottom of the boat the hook fell out like it wasn't even hooked. These boys practically lay the rod down straight at the fish becuase it's too heavy for them to pick the tip up.

I don't believe there are any rules to this game. I think the best advice so far is to pray.

There is a reason they are called "Steel-Head". Most people lose a fish because they don't get the hook in far enough to hold the fish. I had an old friend who was always going to the chiropractor during the season because he set the hook so hard, but he landed every fish I saw him hook. Once it's hook properly all the rest comes into play just like the others have said. That being said, with the newer braided lines it is not as difficult to get a good hookset as it used to be when all we had was mono-filament lines. Hope this helps as well.

GD