Hooking methods

[storlaks]

I'd like to get some feedback on other fishers hooking methods.
Do you change your method when fishing sinkers v floaters (floaters with tips)?
Do you adopt a change when fishing longline v shorter line?

i.e. off the reel, line clamped, loop etc..

Personally I seem to have a better hook rate in Springtime with sunklines than in the summer with floaters. I change from line clamped with sinkers to off the reel with floaters.

Would be interested to hear some other views on this.

[Fruin]

Very good Owen, I laughed out loud!

Storlaks,

I normally fish off the reel or with a loop of line between the reel and my rod hand, regardless of whether I am fishing a floater or a sinker. In personal experience I have found that my percentage of fish landed is better when I do this.

An exception to this is when I am fishing small spate rivers and the fish are plucking at the fly, then I will raise the rod immediately to see if this can hook the fish.

[Fruin]

Another story that occurred to me about this (all be it a trout fishing story)...

A friend was telling me that when he was trout fishing as a boy, he was getting excited as fish were tugging at his fly and he was trying to strike them. An older guy came past and said,
"You're striking too hard son, if you carry on like that you'll be going home with a bag of top lips!"

[macd]

owen said:

No vast experience of this but on a floating line, once you feel a tug, I have had great success with panicking, falling backwards over a large rock, ripping my trousers and filling my waders with water.

Seemed to hook the fish soundly, but suspect this may not be the advice you are looking for.

brilliant owen,

how long does it take to perfect ;D

I clamp the line. As a loon I was told: "give him f-all'.

I hand line most of the time- even in faster water. On smaller rivers I find the take while handlining to be fierce and I lift into them quicker than I would say on , the Ness.

Hooking a good fish handlining is very exciting- especially with a heap of line at your feet

[Bogyoch]

Graham
Do you clamp the line as soon as you feel the first pluck or pull, or still let him have a bit of line after the initial take and then clamp up?
My least effective hook up period is when the grilse are running. They seem to nip and tweak at the fly as if they're just playing with it. I tried to combat this by tightening the drag on the reel so that if there was any chance of the fish being hookable, he was on immediately: bit like fishing for trout really. This may have helped a little, but I couldn't say for certain.

[storlaks]

Interesting. I also agree with the argument for having the line clamped all the time, especially when fishing longlines. The belly in the line often is enough for the fish to turn with the fly....HOWEVER... there's something nice about the reel singing, hence I let the fish take line (usually a lot) when fishing a floater. I was actually taught this on the Ness (quote: "let it go son till it stops") ..and it does work there, but I've had some problems losing fish on other rivers, mostly on floaters.

If you are fishing off the reel and a fish takes.....how much do you give it?

[Fruin]

A lot of anglers used to say that as soon as a fish took you should say "God Save the Queen" and then lift the rod.

I think it all depends on conditions and the way that the fish takes. When fishing in a loch for salmon you often get to see the take. If the fish slashes quickly and violently at the fly, you lift into it almost immediately. If the fish leisurely turns on the fly, you let it turn back down before slowly lifting the rod into the fish.

Unfortunately on rivers, we don't often have the opportunity to watch the fish take the fly, and therefore rely on past experiences. All anglers will have there own preferences, based on these past experiences.

[wilbert]

I now fish off the reel all the time. When I first started salmon fishing I held a loop of line but found that I was lifting the rod too quickly and too soon at the slightest little pull as if I was trout fishing. I think that I still lift into fish too soon but fishing off the reel means that the fish gets to take a little line before I lift. I now hook and land far more fish than I used to fishing this way. The trouble with salmon fishing is that takes can be few and far between so you don't have many opportunities to practice different hooking techniques.

[tyneandrew]

Personally i prefer to hold the line with my fingers with a loop between them and the reel, there is something very connecting with feeling a salmon take through the pull on your fingers rather than feeling the rod pulling. Seems to have worked just fine for me over the years...

I've never actually hooked a fish just fishing off the reel, then again i've never tried it!

[woburn]

I try to fish off the reel when the fly is moving round nicely with the current. If I get a take I let him have a good few yards, then I clamp the line and wait till it goes solid, then lift.

As the fly comes out of the current and slows down, I start to strip the line. If a fish takes when Im pulling i just keep pulling till everything "locks up", then I lift the rod.

Modern nylons are so fine for their diameter now I rarely fish less than 13lb Seaguar. It has the same diameter as 8lb Maxima. With the stretch in the fly line I feel like I can hold a fish pretty hard as it takes, to set the hook. I suppose I'll get into trouble one day when a big fish takes off as soon as it grabs the fly, but until then this seems to work!

(I hate writing things like this, cos it guarantees that the next fish you hook will give you a tug and *%&k right off! )

Sam

[storlaks]

Cheers guys. I'm re-assured now ! In others words there's no magic formula that guarantees you every fish....

It's still bloody annoying to lose a fish when you think you've done everything by the book.

Ah well, one week to go and I'll be putting it all to the test on Dee-side.

[Fruin]

Good Luck on the Dee, I hope you get the chance to try out a few different methods.

[storlaks]

cheers. I'll be clamping and holding on......if I'm lucky enough to temp a Springer.

[kercock]

I always fish off the reel,generally with the rod down by my side,rod balaced in my hand at about the top of the cork.When the fish take I slowly lift the rod butt to my midrift clamp the line and lift into it. As an experiment over two afternoons I lifted progressivly slower when a fish took the fly.I had two takes each afternoon landed all four (grilse),the slower I lifted, the further down the throat the hook was ! This was several years ago when I had time to go and play,OH and by the way that was on the Tay. Mind you on the Ericht I certainly lifted faster believing that on a smaller river the fish turn away faster because the is a lot less room to manouver,in this I could be totally wrong.but it makes sense to me ! !