Advice needed loosing fish

mills

mills

Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2024
Messages
6
City
Easton
Newb question. I’m using barbless hooks and the trout I have managed to get nibblin end up coming off when I try to reel them in and I don’t land them in the net. Maybe my line is too loose and they get off. And tips to get them into the net?
 
Try to keep your line tight. One mistake I often made when I started out was to drop my fly line with my left hand to start reeling. That introduces slack and will give fish a chance to shake off. Now, I use my rod hand trigger finger to secure the fly line tight to the cork grip right after I cast. Most of the time I will bring in a fish by stripping line, instead of reeling up the slack (unless it’s a pretty big fish).

I’ve also found it easier to bring fish in by applying side pressure - fighting fish with my rod tip pointing upwards would cause me to lose more fish too.
 
You're going to lose some fish. It just happens.

I'm not saying you should bass set, but I find, especially with bigger fish, you want to set and hold pressure a good deal harder than "lifting the rod". Crank on them a bit (particularly downstream/into their mouth, if possible) and see if you can find the sweet spot; worst case is the first few times you break off and lose the fish that was going to shake off in your original scenario.

Edit for follow-up thought: if the fish you're hooking are small, like brook trout, multiply the "you're going to lose some fish" by, like, a lot.
 
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If you're a complete fly fishing newbie, my advice to you is to use barbed hooks. Studies show that mortality rates are very similar for barbed vs barbless hooks. I favor barbless when I'm fishing multiple flies at once, but if I'm only fishing one fly, especially if I'm on a small stream, I prefer hooks with barbs.

Call me a BARBarian I suppose.
 
Yes, we all like to land fish. But is this a real a big problem to fret over? When a fish becomes "unbuttoned " before I have to net and unhook it, I see the positives in that. Especially the last 30 min of light during a hatch. unhooking a fish is messy business
 
jifigz said:
If you're a complete fly fishing newbie, my advice to you is to use barbed hooks. Studies show that mortality rates are very similar for barbed vs barbless hooks. I favor barbless when I'm fishing multiple flies at once, but if I'm only fishing one fly, especially if I'm on a small stream, I prefer hooks with barbs.

Call me a BARBarian I suppose.
Click to expand...
not bad advice. My rule for barb/barbless. 18 and under, barbed. The barb is so small its makes no difference in removing it but can keep fish on the line. Some 16 hooks with tiny barbs also stay.
 
I would take a little time and further evaluate when you are looking the fish. Is it during a hook-set, at first pull in bringing the fish in, as you get close or the last five feet? These are all different times and how you should be playing the fish.

I had the same problem of loosing several rainbows while dry fly fishing in Potter County. I didn't realize they were barbless hooks. I would set the hook, bring the fish in and then the trout would jump up and shake off the hook. As suggested, I needed to adjust when and how tight the line tension should be right after I set. I also did a better job of how much line I left out while casting, too much had me worried about bringing it in while playing the trout.

Lots of good suggestions here. We all loose fish. It's just a matter of adjusting to when it is most often happening.
 
Most fish are lost during the fist few seconds and the last few seconds of the fight or jumping fish. All places where slack is introduced or present.

I'm with Nymphingmaniac on this. If they come off at the net......GREAT. I purposely try to give them slack at the end so they spit the hook. Less handling.
 
Since by your own admission you're new, check your tippet (for wind knots) and your hooks about every 5-10 casts. I recall a time when I failed to hook up three takes in a row on a size 18 hook. When I finally checked, the bend had opened up - the hook wasn't straightened, but the bend was more like 90 degrees than 180. Another time while using a fly that spent the winter on my drying patch, I found the hook had rusted under the wing post and simply broke in half when a fish took the fly. The hackles appeared to be intact, and the fly still floated.
As others have said, keep it tight.
(Also, nothing wrong with calling it a caught fish, when the leader is in the tiptop.)
 
tomgamber said:
I am a master of the LDR!
Click to expand...

In my mind they count as "caught" until the number I've actually counted coup on reaches an undetermined number that feels right. Then they're reclassed as "hooked and missed."

That way I significantly raise the amount of success I have and I can feel better about the money I keep pouring into this stupid hobby.

For the OP: Buy a hook file.
 
So I hooked one on Penn’s and he was downstream of me in fast water. There really was
No slow water
Nearby that I could safely access. I worked him directly downstream and grabbed the line hoping I could use my legs to block the current and unhook him. I
Couldn’t get him close enough and when I grabbed the line he started that violent wriggling you often see brook trout do. Needless to say I lost him. Felt bad because that
Couldn’t have been good for his mouth. Any
Suggestions on what I could have done?
 
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