Avoid Losing Trophy Fish

Being a charter guide enables me to spend a lot of time on the water, both learning and teaching techniques, skills and problem solving. I would like to share some of the mistakes or problems I often see on the water that can be corrected or avoided all together.

Some mistakes are very minor, but can cost you a fish of a lifetime. To constantly catch big fish, you must have the right rods, reels, lines, lures and so on. I don’t mean catching a big fish by luck with a little rod or a tiny lure. To consistently catch big lunker fish, the right equipment is needed.

One of the biggest mistakes I often see is the wrong rod and reel being used for what you are fishing. Most fishermen have their favorite rod and reel. That is fine, but if it is not set up for the fish you are fishing for, you can lose that big one.

The length of the rod is up to each person. Here is a guideline for the action of the rod.

For panfish, crappie, bluegills and perch, a light or medium-light rod works best. When it comes to walleye, stripers or trout, a medium or medium-heavy rod works well. For largemouth and small-mouth bass, I prefer a medium-heavy rod. But, there are exceptions to all fishing.

For example, if I was flipping or pitching into very heavy cover like bushes, cattails and lily pads, I would use a very stiff rod like a flipping stick.

Another major problem I often see while chartering is line problems. Often, people either do not have enough line on the spool, it is too heavy a line or too light for the fish they are after, or it is too old and is constantly breaking. Once on the water, it is too late to correct these problems. All these problems wtih line can be corrected before heading out onto the water.

On spinning reels, the line should be 1/8" away from the lip of the spool. If too much line is put on, it will coil off the spool and cause a mess. A little tip when putting line on a spinning reel is to lay the spool of line down flat on a table. Start reeling the line onto the reel. If the line starts to twist, flip the spool of line so it rests on its other flat side. Then reel until it needs flipped again.

On baitcasting or level wind reels, take a pencil or something similar, and put it through the hole in the fishing line spool. Have someone hold the pencil so the spool will revolve while the line is being reeled onto the reel.

For clear water, I use the Silver Thread fluorocarbon lines. For stained water, I use green or clear. For dirty water color, line color is not a big factor.

Depending upon conditions such as structure, water color, and so on, I mostly use 4-6 pound test for panfish, perch and crappie. For largemouth or smallmouth bass, I will usually use 6-10 pound strength. For walleye or stripers, 10-12 pound test shines. Heavy line is required for musky fishing. I will use anything from 20 pound test on up.

Another big mistake I often see clients make is not setting the hook hard enough or not setting the hook at all. So many times someone will get a bite and start bringing the fish to the boat and lose the fish. Why? Most times they did not set the hook hard enough because of the stretch of the line, the give of the rod, and maybe not sharp enough hooks.

I always tell clients to reel down and tighten up on the line, then to slam back on the rod.

A lot of fish are lost because of excitement. The fisherman never sets the hook and justs start reeling the fish back to the boat. In this case, I often say forget about the reel. Hook the fish first and then take your time once the fish is hooked. You have time to let the fish tire itself out. One more point to remember is to set the drag correctly before heading out. A drag set too loose will slip when setting the hook and cause you to lose the fish. By contrast, a drag too tight will snap the line on the hook set. Make sure the drag is set before fishing.

Here is a little tip I will share with you: When fishing clear water, replace your bronze hooks with sharp red Gamakatsu hooks. It also works on crank baits and as a trailer on spinnerbaits. I find that in clear water, the sharp, red Gamakatus treble and single hooks work better.

Now that you have your rods, reels, lines and lures in order, the final tip I need to tell you about deals with netting a big fish. When fighting and tiring a big fish, do not stab down at the fish with the net. You will nick the line or knock the fish off the hook. The proper way is to let the fish tire itself out. Bring the fish to the surface, then slide the net under the fish. Lift the net up over the fish. You will never lose your trophy fish by netting it this way.

Keep these tips in mind ­ and you’ll never lose that fish of a lifetime!