Fighting larger fish

[steelhead]

I have lost several larger fish this summer and have finally decided that when they reach a certain size (around 36" or so), they begin to behave and fight differently. I guess the price of the learning curve on these bigger fish is loosing some along the way. What are peoples thought and observations on fighting bass as they get to be Large?

[piemma]

Aside from not touching your drag, keeping pressure on the fish and not horsing it, prayer helps a lot

[Saltheart]

Patience

[The Dad Fisherman]

Since I'm relatively new at this I'm learning, painfully sometimes, that when it wants to run you have to let it. Don't try and force it in.

I'm also finding out how important it is to set the drag properly. All those years of fresh water fishing spoiled me, I never thought twice about setting, and re-checking, the drag when I went fishing. Learned that one the hard way too

[Rappin Mikey]

Yeah, Let em run, don't touch your drag. Sometimes a heavier fish will sound and just hang on the bottom after that first run. This is when you might be tempted to start horsing them in. Keep tension and be patient, wait till she's ready to come in.

[Steve K]

Saltheart is right - patience is key. All of the large fish that I have caught or fought have headed to the bottom and at some point stopped moving. These fish would not budge and I had to wait them out while applying pressure. There really is a lot skill required to catch large fish in rocky areas.

[steelhead]

Let's start with drag on a spinning reel. What's the proper way to set it up?
I suspect I have mine set to high....

[5/0]

Originally Posted by piemma

Aside from not touching your drag, keeping pressure on the fish and not horsing it, prayer helps a lot

I think piemma hit the nail on the head.If you feel that you have a large fish on just play her in you have all day,remember you're not the one w/ the hook in the mouth if you need more pressure try cupping the spool.

5/0

[ThrowingTimber]

Try setting your drag with a scale along with what has already been mentioned. Once you go with a setting do your best not to f. with it while youre out. Dont high stick!!!! But def. keeping pressure is key.

[wrikerjr]

When you hook into a decent fish (20# +), just hold on for the first run and then try to gain some line, don't horse the fish but try to gain some line. When this fish feels you gaining line, that is when the second run will come. After the second run, the fish is really tired because you forced the two runs in a very short period of time. Now, and only now, can you really try to bring it in, don't force it but the fish should move.

When you sight the fish and it is close to shore, their will be a point when a fish can feel the bottom or know that he is in the breakers. They will always, always, make a dying effort to spit the hook. The trick here is when the fish enters the breakers is to loosen up the drag slightly as to avoiding the fish from creating slack. Most big fish are lost in the breakers!!! If the fish makes a run, its OK keep the pressure on and don't let the fish go to far

Remember if you are catching and releasing, the longer the fight the less the survival rate. This may be different on rocky bottoms where fish lay down in holes (RI). I fish NJ (IBSP) and LI (Moriches, Shinnecock and Montauk). This method was taught to me by a very successful surfcaster after I lost a very decent fish about 15 years ago (you never forget those lessons as a young boy ). I have many 30's and a few 40's, I think I may have hooked a 50 a couple of years back, I am still waiting for the first run to stop, In about two weeks it should hit Portugal.

I tend to think most nice fish are lost because of unmaintained hooks, weakly tied knots and frayed line, rather than fighting the fish.

I have witnessed some people beach a cow of 52# in the surf in about 15 minutes, with this method, so if you can't bring them in in 15 minutes you will know that you are doing something wrong or you definetly have a 50# fish or better and it is a battle where you will need some luck to bring the fish to the scales.

Anyone have success with this method in RI, or is it different with the rocky drop off bottoms.

[capesams]

whenever a question like this pop's up no one ever say's what kind of turf their fishing on.....if it's rock's like the ditch has...what drag?....if it's the beach...lite drag//walk down the beach with the fish till it poop's itself out.....in the boat...med to lite drag...once the fish is hooked you both drift together till she comes along side...now being anchored up is a different story..tight drag/pull slowly.//////every location will dictate a different drag setting.

[GaryK2]

I have had quite a few big fish (say over 30 pounds) that have come right back at me after taking an initial long run, causing the line to almost go slack and me question whether it was still on. My PB of 44 pound did that.