Why do I keep losing fish???

[Skunked]

Lately I've been pretty consistent with hooking up with fish, but I'm in a slump for landing them. Of my last 12 fish hooked only 1 has been landed. I need to find a way to improve this ratio. In two cases the knots failed but in every other case my hook just came out.

All fish were trout that I would estimate between 12-20", most hooks I've were using were between 12-16, Except a few including my only one landed were on large stonefly nymphs.

I can't figure out if I am putting too much pressure on and ripping hooks out? Or too little and letting fish spit the hook?

Any ideas?

Thanks

[D3smartie]

From when i was guiding i would say more people loose fish from not putting enough pressure rather than too much.
Other than that you sometimes just go through streaks of losing fish. I lost 22 Kings in a row one summer. That sucked.

[TooDrunkToFish]

One time when I was on a losing streak, I realized that it was (probably) the hook I was using. I was using long shanked hooks (Aberdeen style). When I went to shorter shanked hooks, my land ratio went up. I think the longer shank may have been giving the fish some leverage to shake the hook, especially when the line was kept tight.

[JohnOD]

Must be fishing barbless

John

[Steelie Mike]

Like Dave said, put more pressure on then and make sure your rod is not straight up. Keep side pressure on the fish that will allow you to stay in control as much as possible. Slumps happen regardless of technique sometimes. A Fall/summer season a few years back almost made me quit fishing for steelhead. Go get them and get into the habit of checking your knots as much as possible.

[D3smartie]

Originally Posted by Steelie Mike

put more pressure on then and make sure your rod is not straight up. Keep side pressure on the fish that will allow you to stay in control as much as possible.

This was the one other thing i thought to add but I come back and the steelie master has chimed in. I agree 100% though.

[NWFloridian]

Just to add to what others said, if you're losing fish to failed knots, you should take a look at your knot technique. I can honestly say that I've only lost one fish to a failed knot in the past few years, and that was to a very large summer steelie that took me down and across a rapid. (Basically I had no shot at that guy anyway.)

Make sure to ALWAYS moisten your knots before drawing them up. Take care to make sure that the loops tighten uniformly. If it doesn't look perfect, re-tie. Also, you might consider another knot. If you're using a simple clinch, try the improved version, or even better, a uni or turl knot.

One other thing... if you're breaking off, or failing to get good penetration, you may be using a tippet that's either too light or too heavy. For big stoneflies, you should probably be using at least 5x, and probably 4x or 3x. A lighter tippet just won't drive the thicker wire on those hooks through a fish's jaw. Likewise, a size 16 comparadun will require a much lighter tippet to work properly.

Of course, you might just be on a losing streak. We all go through them.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[Skunked]

Thanks for all the tips.
After reading some of the comments I'm thinking this is a combination of a slump and not always getting enough pressure to the fish fast enough.
At least in the long run it will probably make me a better angler because I am getting very precise about how I tie my knots, sharpening hooks frequently and also focusing more on minimizing my slack line on the water.
Hopefully I will break out soon.