Losing hooked fish

[Teither]

I'm really in need of helpful advice here. This is my first season in which I've focussed on trout fishing and I've started off totally blanking, with not even a nibble. However, in each of my last three outings - a stillwater and then two Clyde trips -  I've hooked [ as opposed to had offers from ] three fish each time. I've lost every one of these fish in the process of reeling in. I'm thinking now that this cannot be coincidence or just bad luck.
Have any of you guys any suggestions as to what I may be doing wrong, please ? I'm very much enjoying getting used to trout fishing now but this really is hacking me off big time. Mind you the same thing has happened to me when salmon fishing. In fact, it almost always does happen.
All advice will be most gratefully received. Thanks in hopeful anticipation.

Teither

[east wind]

Teither,

I lose plenty fish same as everybody I suppose, comes with the territory sort of thing. When it happens I have a think about it and it throws up a variety of possible reasons one of them being tough luck.

I'm mostly on rivers and if your talking about reeling in then its important to give the trout, whatever its size, its initial fight and runs, "reeling in" is a gradual give and take process which ideally for me ends with guiding it into a quieter area using side strain, getting the troot's head above water and hopefully netting.
Not a good idea to get into a position where you are pulling the fish against the power of a current. Funny thing is I usually have a sense of whether the fish is well hooked or not.

I asked a similar question last year and Alex (Haresear) posted a good link to a document on this thread,

http://www.wildfisher.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=10749.0

The document mentioned on the thread canny be accessed but i can get a downloaded version sent if you like.

Its a start, lots of other stuff to consider.

Mac

[Teither]

East Wind
CB
      Thanks for your help with this. I should have explained better than I did that the " reeling in " I mentioned was being done in order to bring in some [ quite a lot ] of loose line that was swirling about on the surface of the water. It wasn't that I was trying to haul in the fish right away. And I think, on reflection, that that has probably been a fairly typical scenario for me when hooking any of these fish. In respect of what felt like, by some way, the best fish I hooked last night, there was initially a fair bit of splashing and then that stopped. I thought initially that I'd lost him at that point but , no, he was still on. It was when I then started to reel in, when the fish wasn't trying to run, so far as I could tell, that the line finally did go loose -fish off. And I think that that too has been fairly typical.
T

[Malcolm]

Jim,

I have a very pragmatic view on this - a percentage of fish are lightly hooked and get off and well hooked ones stay on. I think I lose more fish on long shanked hooks. My normal hook for most things trout is a B160 short shank which has a wide gape for it's length and holds very well. If you are using very small hooks, twist the hook so that the point is at a slight angle you get a better hookhold.

As it happens I'm in the opposite camp from East wind and Claret Bumble, I play all fish very hard indeed and for big fish (especially salmon and big seatrout) don't hold the rod by the handle but instead about 10-12 inches above it to get more leverage. I don't give line unless I think I'm going to get snapped after the initial couple of surges. I don't know which approach is best

[haresear]

 I find most fish are lost within the first few seconds of being hooked. The other danger time is when they near the net.

I play my fish hard too and I'd rather lose them right away if I'm going to lose a fish at all.

When a fish is first hooked, often the hook is only just in and needs to be pulled in more firmly in order to get a better hold.

I noticed this years ago when I fished for pike with bait.  I used to strike them really hard and lost quite a few fish before I learned that I was just getting the point of the hook home. A steady pressure is the best way to get the hook well and truly home. After I learned that lesson on pike I found I lost fewer fish. Once I switched to barbless hooks I found I lost fewer still, because it is easier to drive or more accurately pull a barbless hook home than it is a barbed one.

So, when trout fishing, I lift into the fish gradually as you would when making a backcast, with gradual accelleration until I feel the weight of the fish. What happens next is dependant on the fish to a large extent, but Iif it runs toward me, I raise my rod as high as I can above my head and make great big long strips to get that rod bent and the pressure on the fish. If I'm on the bank and it is a clear bank, I'll walk or run backwards too, to get rid of slack line, but watch your step and be careful where you try this.

After that initial period, it is just a case of keeping the rod bent and choosing your landing place (ideally you should have worked that out by now, but the fish might dictate otherwise). I like to keep the rod butt at 90 degrees to the fish so that I'm using the optimum shock absorber effect of the rod.

Hope this helps.

Alex

[Wildfisher]

I find most fish are lost within the first few seconds of being hooked.

Me too. I went through a bad spell over the last two days we were up north, I could not bring a fish near the net for  hours on end, boat or bank   Prior to that I hardly lost a fish. I have no idea what changed, perhaps I was getting tired, lazy, blasé, lax, bored?  Who knows?

Think Little Grey River 2010 Alex, it happens to us all sometimes.   :lol:

[haresear]

Think Little Grey River 2010 Alex, it happens to us all sometimes.

Absolutely. I can't (don't want to) remember how many I lost in a row :shock:

Harelug will recall another winter's day when I lost fish after fish on the Avon. I think it was 12 in a row or about that, maybe more. The only thing the hook didn't come out of was my finger. I ended up at hospital.

There was another crazy day on the Earn when I lost approaching 20 grayling in a row, but bizarrely ended up landing the next 20 or thereabouts without losing another :?

Alex

[Teither]

I'd just like to offer my thanks to one and all for your comments and advice. It's clear to me from all the comments that there's more than one way to skin a cat  in this game.
I think that I've certainly been giving far too much loose line. Comments by Exerod and CB in particular homed in to what I was probably doing, lowering the rod while concentrating on less important things. That's something I 'll definitely guard against next time I get lucky.
But should I play hard or gentle .. ??  :?
Thanks again,

T

[Tweed]

A lot of interesting points on here.  The only thing I'd add, is that unless it's obviously a really good fish I never bother playing fish on the reel.  When I started out I used to lose the odd one at this point, when trying to get the loose line on the real and now find it far quicker, more efficient, and easier to maintain constant, consistant pressure by hand-lining them all the way in.  If a fish wants to run I let it take line through the fingers.  The only exception would be with a really good fish and when there are obstacles in the way that might snag loose line if it runs.  To each their own and all that, and whatever works for you . . .

There's also a decent argument to say that the harder/firmer you play them, the more energy they have left when you release them and they therefore recover quicker as well.

Andrew

[scotty9]

There's also a decent argument to say that the harder/firmer you play them, the more energy they have left when you release them and they therefore recover quicker as well.

Andrew

Yup - haul 'em in!