How do you stop a train?

[First Bite]

Last week I was fishing a jig in a deep tailout when I had a slow bobber down. I set the hook into a big buck that must have been fully rested. He immediately headed for the ocean and after trying everything I knew to stop him, it was decision time...he was half way around the next corner and still going strong when I opened up my bail and let him run. I watched my float go down around the corner to the next drift and stop. I carefully waded across the tailout and worked my way to the drift where I could see my float sitting. I looked into the clear water and could see the big buck sulking in the bottom of the river. I reeled in my excess slack and set the hook for the second time. This time the big Buck came right towards me shook his head and was off. This was the first time that I've tried this technique and for the most part I'd say it worked okay. Has anyone tried this and if so how did it work?
Mark

[smilesforu]

Mark I use a close version of that with my baitcaster (thats one of the reasons I use direct drive). You need to turn the fishes head around to keep them in the pool...little ones you can do with line strength, but the big ones need to do it on their own. Once they get into a shute towards the next hole your usually in trouble. Last year I had one go down a fire hose shute towards a major problem in the river. I could follow the fish as long as I kept it on my side of the river. I kept heavy pressure on while it went down river then when I felt it was past the obstacle I let up on the pressure, so I could just run down stream below the obstacle and keep up the fight. Nope the fish stops and runs back up the fire hose into the pool it just left with no pressure on it.
When I sense a fish is going to the edge of the pool I let up pressure so it will stop the freight train run. Then use easy pressure until the fish is back to safety in the hole. Really had to pull this trick off with a spinning reel, but could be done.

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Marty M
Steelheader.net

Mark, I've tried this trick many times and it does work a decent % of the time. When it doesn't you get your @$$ kicked even worse and could lose most of your line off the reel. It depends on the hole and if you can follow the fish of course. The one freight train I lost in front of you recently was hooked to close to the tailout to try the freeline trick and I couldn't follow it, so I had no choice but to bear down hard just before it went into the rapids, and the hook tore out. Similar thing with Shane (Bigstew) recently. The rapids were just too long and hard to follow so he made a stand against a big one and lost it. To keep a downriver runaway FT in the hole you have to have enough room to try this. You have to make a judgement quickly and open bail or spool while there is room to get a good line loop below the fish so when you start reeling in the tug from below it is strong enough to make it run the opposite direction back up into the hole. It works sometimes, but not always . ... Another thing that works sometimes is to put the rodtip well down into the water. This both lowers the line angle and also dampens the rod vibrations, such that it often stops a long run by a big fish. This is better to try first before the freeline method. ... Some fish just aren't meant to he landed though . - RT

[smilesforu]

A reel with lots of line capacity makes it easier when they go. When you hit the end of the spool its panic time and usually ends up with a break off. Being a bankie I use this technique lots of the fish of the Olypmic Peninsula since following is not a good option with out a boat. (Steelie trick only)
Btw in the fish story above the fish was hooked in pocket water in the middle of the fire hose water. My reel holds 180 yds of 20# test Hookem first...landem next

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Marty M
Steelheader.net

[B. Gray]

You probably tried this but I've found tilting you rod horizontal very close to the water can help turn a hot fish if they keep stripping off line while you're vertical. The first steelhead I ever hooked completely spooled me after I chased it up to the top of my waders. Been very sick ever since...

Bruce

[Snagly]

Here's a modified version of the 'slack line' approach that works well IF you use if from the outset. On hookset, if you get that adrenaline rush and "Oh sh*t!" feeling from a couple of slow, big dog headshakes then the next actions to take are as follows:

1. Keep a tight line (always) but LIGHT PRESSURE. A slight bend is all you need.
2. Get the rod parallel to the water
3. Figure out where the safest place to fight the hog is

All this takes about two seconds, which is much less time than these big fish take to get going. By that time you're ready with the killer application:

4. WALK the fish slowly upstream. Inches at a time. No need to reel up -- if there's too much line out, wade or walk down. Just gently, gently move the fish up.

These big fellows don't even realize they're in trouble much of the time provided you didn't set the hook three times at the outset and put a huge bend in your rod. I've walked a fish 100' up to the middle of a hole (snag free) over the course of five minutes. Once you're in a snag free palce, tighten the drag and apply the "down and dirty" technique: rapid pump and wind, rod horizontal to the water and ever-changing angles to constantly pull the fish broadside in the current and make him fight harder.

What is the fish going to do? Probably run back downstream to below where you hooked him! But if you're fighting dirty you can drain a lot of energy out of that critter before he gets back to the trouble spot. Then you've got a better chance at keeping it in the pool when it cranks up the volume for a last dash.

This gently-gently technique worked great on the two biggest steelhead I've landed to date. Both of them could have easily taken me into the bad stuff had I leaned on them early in the fight.

On the other hand, if you hook up in the worst part of the run and there's better water downstream I generally thumb the reel/ palm-lock the spool and try to wrestle the fish out and down. This works less well (about 20% of the time in the swamps out here) but it makes for some spectacular 30 second battles!

[Steelheader69]

I've used the open bail technique quite a few times. I'd say it worked over 80% of the time. I had one big king take me for a ride. Had a defective brake in my baitcaster which had locked up, so had to use my spinning combo. Well, I only had maybe 120 yards of 12# on board. I watched as the spool started to expose itself. Fish wouldn't respond to change of angle of rod or more pressure, so opened the bail. The fish took a few more strips out and the action stopped. I slowly started to reel up slack line and the rod jerked. This time the fish came back towards me and into my net. Nice 30# buck. Yet, have had those freight trains keep going and "ping", lose all my line. Not even open bail would stop them.

So, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But it does work.

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You haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

[Fishin Magician]

I dont usually follow them down river if it is questionably dangerous. I know where you hooked that fish and I probably would have kept tension on him all the way down those riffles to the next hole as I crossed. Reason: As soon as you freespooled him he started shaking his head to throw the hook. By the time you got down to him and had to reset the hook he may have shaken it loose enough that it came out.You and I hook enough fish that if one gets away I chalk it up to payback 90% of the time i will drop my rod tip to the water and it stops them. If not they were not meant to be caught~John

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