TR for the Bighorn Micro Clave and a Trip to Chas's

lid wrote...
snipped

Maybe it is the camera angle, but in picture #16 it definately appears that the butt of the rod is
tilted forward towards the fish greatly reducing the angle between rod and fish. As for grabbing the
leader, as I point out above, the best technique (when there is room) is to not even attempt that
until to fish is in shallow water on its side with no pressure on the line.

The butt of the rod is tilted towards the fish in pic 16 and I
am understanding what you are saying. The method you describe
is the way I normally fight fish unless I am trying to turn
their head out of the current. Definitely something I will
take note of next time I get to tangle with those beasts.

1) Why are you checking out my rod? bseg

Only your FISHING rod.

That's what they *all* say. . . . g

You have an open invitation to come over and receive personal tutoring with big hot steelhead (not the
worn out old boots that Steve targets ;) ) anytime that I am available (which is most of the time)
between July and late Nov. - mid Oct is the best.

I'd seriously like to take you up on that sometime. Only
fishing for trout has taken some of the zest out of fishing
and this new experience was exactly what the doctor ordered to
put that fire back in my eye.

With the exception of keeping a moderately low rod angle and taking ALL pressure off the fish as soon
as you have it in shallow enough water, you are probably already using most of the tricks. You
already mentioned making the fish fight the current as well as you, but an even more effective
technique, if the fish is not directly upstream (or at all downstream), is keep a relatively low rod
angle and point your rod somewhat across the current rather than directly at the fish, so that the
current puts a downstream bend in your line between you and the fish. This not only causes the fish
to fight both the current and the pull of the current against your line, but acts as an excellent
shock absorber when the fish makes sudden lunges or jumps. Another "trick" is to change the direction
of pull against the fish as often as possible so that it is constantly having to adjust its position
relative to the current. This seems to considerably reduce the time needed to wear them down enough
to land.

I'll have to try that downstream line trick sometime. It
makes a lot of sense.

I wasn't trying to pick on you specifically, but like most trout fishermen, even quite experienced
fishermen like yourself, you (at least as I percieved from the pictures) seemed to be unaware of some
factors that are almost never an issue in normal trout fishing, but can become critical when handling
large strong fish in strong currents. I hope you took my comments as intended - suggestions to help
you better deal with this type of fishing rather than as attacks on your abilities.

No, I totally took it as a constructive thing instead of as an
attack and I appreciate it. Something I will definitely start
watching out for in the future so that I can break what could
be a terrible habit should I ever do more of that type of
fishing.

Although I have some patterns that I prefer over others for varying conditions, I have no secret
patterns, and am convinced that MOST OF THE TIME pattern doesn't matter all that much for most
anadromous fish. Well I better end this overly long post and get busy finishing packing for Kodiak.
I'll be away from any computer between tomorrow AM and the evening of 10/3.

Good luck on the trip! I look forward to reading the TR.
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)