Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

Hi,

New at this, and would like to see a discussion on
the subject of "playing a fish" when flyfishing for trout.

For "typical" sized New England trout, e.g. rainbows and brookies,
do you folks literally just haul them in (certainly no problem in
overpowering them even with very thin tippet sizes), or do you
like to "play" them some, and tire them a bit, before landing them.

Which is better for the fish' chance of surviving ?

Do you wait until you have a real large sized trout on before "playing him"
off the reel, some ? How large ?

Very interested in the techniques for this used by others.

Thanks,
B.

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

Bob wrote:
...
Very interested in the techniques for this used by others.

It's not the size of the fish in the fight, it's the size of
the fight in the fish. In other words, it all depends. ;-)

In general bring the fish to hand or net as quickly as possible.
There are times when your equipment is overmatched for one
reason or another, strong current, big fish, strong fish, foul
hooked, in which case you point the rod tip straight at the
fish and break him off rather than continuing a battle that
might prove fatal to the fish. For the kind of fishing you
describe this will hardly ever be an issue unless you're using
a 1wt or a 2wt.

On the other hand, I try to get every fish, no matter how small,
on the reel instead of just pulling them in by hand which would
probably be a little quicker. It just seems like the honorable
thing to do.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

"Bob" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

New at this, and would like to see a discussion on
the subject of "playing a fish" when flyfishing for trout.

For "typical" sized New England trout, e.g. rainbows and brookies,
do you folks literally just haul them in (certainly no problem in
overpowering them even with very thin tippet sizes), or do you
like to "play" them some, and tire them a bit, before landing them.

Which is better for the fish' chance of surviving ?

Do you wait until you have a real large sized trout on before "playing
him"
off the reel, some ? How large ?

Very interested in the techniques for this used by others.

The bottom line is whether or not you are going to catch and release or not.
If you're planning to release them, the rule of thumb is to get them in and
off as quickly as possible, but this is often tempered by how bored you are
from a long, dry spell of no fish. If I get a New England sized fish (10-14
inches) on, and I've been catching them regularly, I'll have that little guy
off the hook in under a minute...drag him in, grab the hook (without
touching the fish), and twist it loose while holding him at the surface of
the water, if possible. No net, no hands, bye bye fish.

If, on the other hand, I haven't caught anything for several hours, I might
let him tug the line for 5 seconds or so, reel him in closer, let him tug a
bit, then reel him in and release him. But he inevitably has the strength to
take off immediately.

OTOH, I've seen 4-5 pound trout fight like banshees for several minutes,
making several (4, 5 or more) runs almost to the backing, finally getting
dragged in on their sides when they were too tired to fart, and then be held
out of the water for 1-2 minutes while we tried to get the hook out of their
mouth from them swallowing it beyond the knot. Then have them be held in the
air for another 15-30 seconds while we untangled them from the net, fiddled
with the camera, posed and took the shot, then finally (FINALLY) placed them
back in the water, looking pretty well stunned. They would sit at our ankles
wondering what the hell hit them for about 5 minutes, then disappear with a
snap of their tail.

Current wisdom says that large fish are a LOT more resiliant than we give
them credit for, although I don't think this is true for smaller ones or
stockies. And there is also evidence that tortured fish like the
aforementioned often end up dying later in the day from the lactic acid
buildup from their workout. So if you intend to release them, play with them
like you'd play with an egg...gently and with caution, and get them released
as quickly as is reasonable.

--riverman

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

"Bob" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

New at this, and would like to see a discussion on
the subject of "playing a fish" when flyfishing for trout.

For "typical" sized New England trout, e.g. rainbows and brookies,
do you folks literally just haul them in (certainly no problem in
overpowering them even with very thin tippet sizes), or do you
like to "play" them some, and tire them a bit, before landing them.

Which is better for the fish' chance of surviving ?

Do you wait until you have a real large sized trout on before "playing
him"
off the reel, some ? How large ?

Very interested in the techniques for this used by others.

The bottom line is whether or not you are going to catch and release or not.
If you're planning to release them, the rule of thumb is to get them in and
off as quickly as possible, but this is often tempered by how bored you are
from a long, dry spell of no fish. If I get a New England sized fish (10-14
inches) on, and I've been catching them regularly, I'll have that little guy
off the hook in under a minute...drag him in, grab the hook (without
touching the fish), and twist it loose while holding him at the surface of
the water, if possible. No net, no hands, bye bye fish.

If, on the other hand, I haven't caught anything for several hours, I might
let him tug the line for 5 seconds or so, reel him in closer, let him tug a
bit, then reel him in and release him. But he inevitably has the strength to
take off immediately.

OTOH, I've seen 4-5 pound trout fight like banshees for several minutes,
making several (4, 5 or more) runs almost to the backing, finally getting
dragged in on their sides when they were too tired to fart, and then be held
out of the water for 1-2 minutes while we tried to get the hook out of their
mouth from them swallowing it beyond the knot. Then have them be held in the
air for another 15-30 seconds while we untangled them from the net, fiddled
with the camera, posed and took the shot, then finally (FINALLY) placed them
back in the water, looking pretty well stunned. They would sit at our ankles
wondering what the hell hit them for about 5 minutes, then disappear with a
snap of their tail.

Current wisdom says that large fish are a LOT more resiliant than we give
them credit for, although I don't think this is true for smaller ones or
stockies. And there is also evidence that tortured fish like the
aforementioned often end up dying later in the day from the lactic acid
buildup from their workout. So if you intend to release them, play with them
like you'd play with an egg...gently and with caution, and get them released
as quickly as is reasonable.

--riverman

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

To be safe, it would be wisest to catch and release as soon as absolutely
possible, but the colder the water, the less you have to worry.

In the spring, I often get Lake Trout on the fly rod and those brutes can
put up a terrific fight. The fight usually last a long time (taking line -
giving it back - and taking it out again), and after pictures and admiring
their beauty, they are good to go - no problem. When the water warms up
considerably, its another story. On a lake where a summer thermocline
develops, those fish are spent by the time you get them in the boat. I have
spent up to 15 minutes reviving a lake trout when the surface temperature of
the water was over 70.


"Bob" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

New at this, and would like to see a discussion on
the subject of "playing a fish" when flyfishing for trout.

For "typical" sized New England trout, e.g. rainbows and brookies,
do you folks literally just haul them in (certainly no problem in
overpowering them even with very thin tippet sizes), or do you
like to "play" them some, and tire them a bit, before landing them.

Which is better for the fish' chance of surviving ?

Do you wait until you have a real large sized trout on before "playing
him"
off the reel, some ? How large ?

Very interested in the techniques for this used by others.

Thanks,
B.

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

To be safe, it would be wisest to catch and release as soon as absolutely
possible, but the colder the water, the less you have to worry.

In the spring, I often get Lake Trout on the fly rod and those brutes can
put up a terrific fight. The fight usually last a long time (taking line -
giving it back - and taking it out again), and after pictures and admiring
their beauty, they are good to go - no problem. When the water warms up
considerably, its another story. On a lake where a summer thermocline
develops, those fish are spent by the time you get them in the boat. I have
spent up to 15 minutes reviving a lake trout when the surface temperature of
the water was over 70.


"Bob" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

New at this, and would like to see a discussion on
the subject of "playing a fish" when flyfishing for trout.

For "typical" sized New England trout, e.g. rainbows and brookies,
do you folks literally just haul them in (certainly no problem in
overpowering them even with very thin tippet sizes), or do you
like to "play" them some, and tire them a bit, before landing them.

Which is better for the fish' chance of surviving ?

Do you wait until you have a real large sized trout on before "playing
him"
off the reel, some ? How large ?

Very interested in the techniques for this used by others.

Thanks,
B.

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:


On the other hand, I try to get every fish, no matter how small,
on the reel instead of just pulling them in by hand which would
probably be a little quicker. It just seems like the honorable
thing to do.




More honorable to use a method that in some situations is less efficient
and results in a longer fight?

Strange choice of words. Pretentious, misguided, rigid, elitist, or
..... (not that I think it's a "bad" thing to do) but honorable?

Maybe it does say something about how you view honor?

Willi

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:


On the other hand, I try to get every fish, no matter how small,
on the reel instead of just pulling them in by hand which would
probably be a little quicker. It just seems like the honorable
thing to do.




More honorable to use a method that in some situations is less efficient
and results in a longer fight?

Strange choice of words. Pretentious, misguided, rigid, elitist, or
..... (not that I think it's a "bad" thing to do) but honorable?

Maybe it does say something about how you view honor?

Willi

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

Willi wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
On the other hand, I try to get every fish, no matter how small,
on the reel instead of just pulling them in by hand which would
probably be a little quicker. It just seems like the honorable
thing to do.

More honorable to use a method that in some situations is less efficient
and results in a longer fight?

Strange choice of words. Pretentious, misguided, rigid, elitist, or
.... (not that I think it's a "bad" thing to do) but honorable?

Maybe it does say something about how you view honor?

I try to honor the fish, which would generally mean bonking them
on the head and eating their flesh while thanking the fish spirit
for sustenance. In terms of catch and release, I try to honor the
fish by catching them properly, with respect, and releasing them
them same way. For me, catching them properly means getting them
on the reel.

YMMV.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Playing A Fish Quest. ?
 

Willi wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
On the other hand, I try to get every fish, no matter how small,
on the reel instead of just pulling them in by hand which would
probably be a little quicker. It just seems like the honorable
thing to do.

More honorable to use a method that in some situations is less efficient
and results in a longer fight?

Strange choice of words. Pretentious, misguided, rigid, elitist, or
.... (not that I think it's a "bad" thing to do) but honorable?

Maybe it does say something about how you view honor?

I try to honor the fish, which would generally mean bonking them
on the head and eating their flesh while thanking the fish spirit
for sustenance. In terms of catch and release, I try to honor the
fish by catching them properly, with respect, and releasing them
them same way. For me, catching them properly means getting them
on the reel.

YMMV.

--
Ken Fortenberry