David Johnson
10-05-2003, 09:56 PM
"Wait, wait, wait!!!"
"Why?"
Because you can catch fish like these!
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/243120277.jpg
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/152920277.jpg
When trolling herring waiting is difficult but well worth it.
You see, the reason I tell people to wait so long is nine out of ten times once you get a fish biting your bait it will not leave it. If it does you wouldn’t have gotten it anyway by setting sooner than later.
When it’s happening, when that rod finally goes down, the adrenaline kicks in and your mind keeps telling you, “grab it, it’s going to get away.” So many people make the comment to me how they are amazed a fish can bite those hooks and not get hooked. Beleive me they can.
I have one client that told me as soon as he starts getting a bite he starts to mentally tell himself, “don’t set the hook, don’t set the hook.”
But what has to be realized is that fish is facing you, trying to grab your bait as it moves around, and also trying to swallow it head first. All predators swallow their pray head first to keep fins, scales and spines from lodging in the throat. Just watch a sea gull or herron swallow a fish, they give it a couple of shakes to get it head first and then it slides down.
So while your sitting there watching that rod tip bounce, all that head first stuff is going on and the fish is facing right at you the whole time. If you are to set now, the hooks have a high potential of pulling straight out of its mouth. But, if you wait for the rod to “fold over” and take a steady pull without any throbbing then the fish will have now turned away from you so when the hook is set it’s a solid connection.
It doesn’t matter how hard a fish is hitting or how long it is there, what I am looking for is that rod to load up and fold over.
If that rod is allowed to fold over like that there's probably a 95% chance that fish will go in the box.
Trust me, I've seen it all happen.....From days when I've had people on the boat get every fish that bites to days when only 50% of the takedowns have positive results.
[ 10-05-2003, 10:03 PM: Message edited by: David Johnson ]
"Why?"
Because you can catch fish like these!
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/243120277.jpg
http://www.ifish.net/uploads/152920277.jpg
When trolling herring waiting is difficult but well worth it.
You see, the reason I tell people to wait so long is nine out of ten times once you get a fish biting your bait it will not leave it. If it does you wouldn’t have gotten it anyway by setting sooner than later.
When it’s happening, when that rod finally goes down, the adrenaline kicks in and your mind keeps telling you, “grab it, it’s going to get away.” So many people make the comment to me how they are amazed a fish can bite those hooks and not get hooked. Beleive me they can.
I have one client that told me as soon as he starts getting a bite he starts to mentally tell himself, “don’t set the hook, don’t set the hook.”
But what has to be realized is that fish is facing you, trying to grab your bait as it moves around, and also trying to swallow it head first. All predators swallow their pray head first to keep fins, scales and spines from lodging in the throat. Just watch a sea gull or herron swallow a fish, they give it a couple of shakes to get it head first and then it slides down.
So while your sitting there watching that rod tip bounce, all that head first stuff is going on and the fish is facing right at you the whole time. If you are to set now, the hooks have a high potential of pulling straight out of its mouth. But, if you wait for the rod to “fold over” and take a steady pull without any throbbing then the fish will have now turned away from you so when the hook is set it’s a solid connection.
It doesn’t matter how hard a fish is hitting or how long it is there, what I am looking for is that rod to load up and fold over.
If that rod is allowed to fold over like that there's probably a 95% chance that fish will go in the box.
Trust me, I've seen it all happen.....From days when I've had people on the boat get every fish that bites to days when only 50% of the takedowns have positive results.
[ 10-05-2003, 10:03 PM: Message edited by: David Johnson ]