Source: Deneki.com
OK, you’ve done the hard part – you’ve gotten a steelhead to eat your swung fly. Apparently some of you never wanted to land that fish in the first place, because we’ve seen all sorts of creative approaches to losing fish. We thought we’d share some of these – ahem – ‘tips’ with you today.
5 Ways to Lose a Steelhead
- Don’t test your knots well. You need to pull hard on every knot – you shouldn’t be able to break 15 pound Maxima with your bare hands.
- Loop your running line around your reel handle. If your running line isn’t free and you get the deep pull…doink! It’s over.
- Apply very light pressure. Steelhead are strong and you need to fight them that way. If you’re not pulling hard, they’re resting.
- Stroll slowly downriver. It’s very common but oh so painful to watch – angler strolls downriver at 1 mph while fish bolts downriver at 15 mph. Either stand your ground or get downriver for a new angle fast!
- Jerk your rod from side to side. Especially with a giant lever like two-handed rod, jerking your rod from side to side is a great way to work the hook lose. When you’re switching to apply pressure on the other side, move steadily and smoothly.
Now, if you haven’t followed our fun tips and actually landed that fish – that’s an incredible privilege and you need to handle the fish well.
