Alex Jardine shares some excellent tips for playing big fish on light tackle
Over recent years I have been fortunate to fish for large fish on light tackle both home and abroad. It is an unbelievable experience to have your reel screaming, backing disappearing and fish jumping. These situations do, however, require both experience and a skill set that is not gained by catching a beautiful 8 inch stream trout or a 2 lb stocked trout on a small Stillwater.
Opportunities of a fish of a lifetime do not come around often and it is important to be prepared and to react quickly. Fighting large trout, and other species, on light rods and tippet requires plenty of luck but it is also possible to improve your chances. Below are several useful tips when fighting large fish:
Always use a balanced outfit
Your fishing equipment is an extension of you and it is important that it all works together when fighting a fish. Longer rods will give you more reach if a fish decides to go on a long run, this keeps the weight of the line off the water. The more line on the water, the less control you have. A reel’s drag should be set to work with the size of tippet you are using and the strength of water the fish is in.
Don’t Panic
Your reel is screaming and your adrenaline is pumping but you must remain calm, these situations require quick and level-headed decisions. Firstly there is the possibility of losing the fish by making the wrong decision but also, waterways can be dangerous (both on the bank and wading) and care must be taken at all times.
Follow the fish
As much as we would like to think we are, we are not the boss in these situations. If a fish decides to go downstream then you go down, if it goes upstream you go up. The bigger the gap between you and the fish the more likely you are to lose it, you are also unlikely to drag a fish back up a fast current.
Hold rod high
It is not always possible to follow the fish on every run that it makes and in these situations you need to hold the rod high. It may look like show boating in the videos, especially if you are screaming “YEE-HAR!” but it is effective. It is important to avoid the angle between you and the fish becoming too acute, this is where the longer rod is helpful.
Use side-strain
When a fish is starting to make a run it is instinct to apply side-strain, angling the rod in order to turn a fish the opposite way. This is an important method when playing large fish but it should be done smoothly and not too quickly. A jerky or fast movement of the rod can cause the fly to move in the fish’s mouth and come out or can cause the tippet to break.
Netting the fish
This is the most important part of the fight and also the one where most big fish are lost. Large fish are usually powerful and healthy, it is important to net them when they are ready. Chasing a half-played-out fish with the net will usually result in a broken tippet. The fish will be ready to net when you are able to lift its head to the surface, then you must slide the fish to you. Do not reach with the net but allow the fish to come over the net and lift.
When fighting large fish on light tackle, regardless of species, these fish will often be very tired. If you are taking the fish please dispatch it quickly. For the majority the fish will be returned after several photos. If you are doing this please make sure you keep the fish in the water, facing the current, and only lift it out when the camera is ready. Crouch down to the water and never lift the fish too high just in case you drop the fish it will avoid it crashing into the water. When returning, hold the fish in the current until you begin to feel the tail kicking and then release to fight another day.
Alex Jardine works for fly fishing holiday specialists Aardvark Mcleod