playing fish

[tincatinca]

I must confess that I am also a poncey angler that often uses his other hand to support the rod coupled with using in the main soft actioned rods . If you think about it from a scientific point of view then the forces in in play will be varied during the course of the fight but perhaps the most significant one relates to the law of levers and moments of force, whereby the hand holding the rod is the fulcrum. With the normal length of the rod being approx 10 feet in front of the hand that would multiply the force acting on the rod tip by 5 assuming that the last two feet of the rod is supported by the arm holding the rod and that the line was at right angles to the rod tip. Of course other forces come into play such as the spring energy in the rod, line and the angle of the line to the rod tip combined with the muscular leverage applied.. Certainly in my own case it does not have to be a particularly large fish to promote me to use my other hand to support the rod as I do find that when required it gives me far more control than i would have if I just used one hand on the rod. On the other hand it could just be old age.

[BoldBear]

I agree with most of you about keeping the rod high and applying sideways pressure and the use of through action rods being better for absorbing the last minute runs etc.;

Most fish try to pull in a different direction to where you are trying to steer them so

when I am playing a Tench or Carp which looks like it is heading directly towards some lillies to the side of me I sometimes take a chance and change the direction of my pull directly towards the lillies which usually makes the fish change direction again and start to pull away from them, but it's a last resort 'do or die' decision 'Shall I or shan't I?'.

 

I would not normally dip the rod tip low unless there is a good reason (like a fish moving a long way to the left or right) however a lot of match anglers fishing the pole for carp in shallow waters find that a good way of stopping a powerful run is to dip the Pole tip well under water and apply sideways pressure which tends to bring the fish up on the surface and wallow.

Edited November 18, 2008 by BoldBear

[HOPPY4]

Budgie,

You and me both on the Getting Up AGAIN! I Think that playing fish at distance with the rods that I use is Better for control when you have the Rodtip HIGH! I have on many occaisions moved my position to one side or the other so that the angle was different, but the rodtip remains High if at all possible. Once the fish is at the net, I still maintain a Verticle rodtip! This will allow my arm to assist the rod as the fish make sudden lunges to throw the hook. I also try to choose a swim that will allow me to have this frredom, but do know that this is not always possible. A Horizontal rodtip can and is another way to play the fish when necessary! As most of my fishing is alone, needing to work with just 2 hands is a necessity. You use what works at the time and I do also AGREE that going from one to the other will make the Hookset loose and the possibility of loosing the fish HIGHER! JMHO!!

 

HOPPY4

[Vagabond]

I reckon you had a litle nap, and woke up to find the tide had gone out Dave

 

[wayne baker]

most of the time when playing fish i try to keep it orthadox eg upright, There are ocasions when it is nesasary to use side strain eg when pulling fish towards snags to get them going away from them, And when there are other anglers close by to avoid tangles. I believe there are ocasions when a side strike have there uses. When fishing for tench and bream, Pulling the fish gently from the feeding area to avoid spooking the swim to much. I think from my experience a lot of people do make playing a fish a lot more dramatic than it actually is. Like budgie said a lot of people using heavy rods really dont compress them enough during the fight and i believe this costs them a lot of fish.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Any way you like, as long as you don't use that utterly poncey way beloved by anglers on telly, who inexplicably support the rod a foot or so above the butt with two fingers.

 

Why does it need explaining? What's hard to understand about giving the rod some extra leverage? Maybe I've got this wrong but I do this simply because I sometimes cannot stop a pike charging off with my feeble right arm but rather than loosening the drag, I put a couple of fingers up the butt (lol...there's a joke there somewhere) and that stops my arm taking all the pressure. I could use my right arm only and allow the fish to go, if it wants but I'm of the 'bully 'em home' school of pike fishing and if using a couple of fingers saves me loosening the drag off to give a fish yet another pointless run, I will. I don't think there's anything poncey about it.

I'm using 50lb line and rods with a test curve upto 4lbs. Nothing is going to give so what's the point in allowing a fish to run? Maybe I should let the fish zoom around, scaring everything in every direction or allow it to snag me or get tangles in a weed-beds, for appearance sake of course or maybe I should use my poncey fingers and get the flippin' fish on the bank in quick time.

Tell us this. Why are many rods fitted with a fighting grip up the butt section? Is that for extra leverage or is that for ponces?

Maybe you're a man's man.

 

Anyway, the only thing I'm not in the habit of is holding the rod upright, no matter what direction the fish is travelling in. Not only do I think this poor playing ability but I also think it encourages tail-walking, which might look great for the cameras but all it does is put very sudden and pointless stress on the tackle....and the fish most probably.

Edited November 18, 2008 by Andy Macfarlane

[Dick Dastardly]

I put a couple of fingers up the butt (lol...there's a joke there somewhere)

 

I cant be right in the head you know but with Daves falling asleep on the beach and Andy's fingers up the butt Ive not stopped giggling (in the most school girlyish way) at this whole thread! Been some great humour on AN recently and nice to see a return of it after the some what strange attitude that has prevailed recently! My favourite up till now though has to be Tels reference to Dens "artwork" on the Deep hooking thread! the battered cod "bait" bit tickled me as did Dens sharp reply!

[poledark]

Budgie, "little things" and all that Was I sharp with Terry ? I just read his comment a bit fast and got the words mixed up

 

Try it your self a few times almost a tongu twister.

 

Den

[Miggy]

Maybe play the fish in comparison to the direction in which you 'strook' into it with, thus, keeping the hook-hold as strong as possible and less chance of it coming loose.

 

Mitch

[poledark]

"Does one" (lovely sounding phrase).....I will say it again...."Does one"...... really plan how they play a fish? "Doesn't one" (even better) just pull in the opposite direction to which the fish pulls?

 

"One would think it pretty simple really, but then "what does one know" ?

 

Den