tip

[n2b]

When fighting a fish the #1 rule is dont make him jump anymore than he has to, keep your rod in the water. I lost a 6lb fish because i forgot my own rule. I was so focused on how big he was and when i got him to the boat he jumped and broke me off took my spinnerbait and all.
Just remember this and you will boat more fish.

[bassfisher14]

Here is another tip.

Make sure and check your line occasionally while fishing to make sure that it isn't knocked or scratched up. That will help in eliminating the line breaking when they do jump out of the water.

[n2b]

i do that very often and thats not why he broke off. :

[madmarty]

Just something I thought I'd clear up. The point of keeping a bass from jumping is not to keep it from breaking your line but to keep it from throwing the hook. It probably broke your line because you had your drag set too tight or because you didn't fight him long enough. Next time play the fish out and tire him. A good idea when fighting a big bass is to loosen your drag as it nears the boat. A big bass will often make an unexpected run near the boat. If your drag isn't properly set your line will break.

[n2b]

fyi you arent suppose to tire a bass out because that makes them produce more and more lactic acid(i think thats what its called) and if they build up too much they can die thats why you get them to the boat as quick as possible and land them. and as for the point of keeping them from jumping im not stupid i know its for makeing sure they dont throw the hook and thats why i said "do this and you will get more fish in the boat." 8)

[keeb]

i dont like when bass jump either they trow my worms all the time.

[madmarty]

No need to get angry but you said the reason you lost the fish is because he jumped. You said you lost the fish because you forgot your own rule.

And I don't beleive tiring a bass will kill it. It would be impossible to land a trophy bass without tiring it. I always tire a large bass before landing it and I've never had one die. I sometimes make a couple trips around the boat to tire a bass. I don't tire them anymore than I need to. Just enough to easily land it.

[Bassin_Dude]

you might wanna start to believe it lockjaw....the bass will build up lactic acid in the fight. he might not be dead when you release him....but if you play them out theres a good chance it might be dead a day later....plus, it builds stress on the fish.... it would not be impossible to land a trophy...on 20lb line. on 8lb yes...thats why you loosen drag just so if it runs it can get it off....not alot, you will have to play the fish to some extent....but not that much....and on 12lb line....you can have yourdrag set to just so you can barely pull it off with your hands, then you will be able to boat a 10lb fish. its not hard to do...but playing them out so they are tired is the wrong way to do it. you can easily just give him line when he runs, and reel him back fast to boat him. if you play the fish out on big fish)what is that to you...5lbs+? that would be crazy, i can pull a 5lb bass in on 10lb mono without having to loosen drag. if you were using 10lb mono and had a 10lb fish on then you would have to play it to some extent, but not much...just loosen the drag so you can just barly pull line off. that should do it.

[madmarty]

02 I've landed many bass that I was forced to tire out before landing, put them in the livewell and they made it just fine. And setting my drag is pretty much what I meant by tiring them out. Where did you hear about the lactic acid? I'm not saying I don't beleive you I would just like to see it so I could know myself. I beleive that if you tire a fish more than nessasary it could kill it but not if you tire it just enough to know it doesn't make an unexepected run near the boat.

[Bassin_Dude]

one thing is for sure....no one knows if the bass will be just fine...you cant say for sure that any fish will be just fine after release, they could die later....as far as where i heard it....i heard it from knowledgable people on the board...niot sure their names...but i think it was liz or hula, or reb....or maybe zooker...im not sure exactly who...but it was from some body with knowledgable info on this board.

[jglassguy]

WEll,
the build up of acid is a new one to me, I was always taught to get them near the net and get them in as soon as possible, However when I teach new anglers how to land a fish after seeing them horse one in, I always stress to them to play it out, and enjoy it....
As far as loosening your drag, my therory is this, your drag should be set in the beginning before you ever make the first cast, always check it because use and weather conditions(humidity) as well as movement can
effect the drag. I know most here like spinning outfits, where the drag is ontop of the spool and probably unlikely to be adjusted somehow by mistake, however on a baitcaster the star drag adjustment behind the handles can easily be loosened or tighted just by dragging the rod out of the truck.
So when I get to the pond or lake, I always test the drag, the line should pull off the spool with some resistance, but not drag or "dig in" to the spool.
I wouldn't recommend loosening the drag while fighting the fish, if its set right to begin with, that is ..the line can be pulled off with some resistance but not
dig in the spool. use YOUR THUMB to slow the spool as it pulls line, feather it.
Easier said than done, esp with all the excitement of landing ol lunker lips, but next time you go out and catch one of average size, play it out and try this method, because the better game plan you have prepared , the better the chances are your going to land that fish. Deciding to loosen the drag at the last moment in my book isn't the answer. that is, sure you can loosen it or tighten it one notch, but your way
better off having it set correctly at first and feather it later during the fight.
We have had lots of fish die on us over the 30 years of putting them in the live well, most of the time its lack of oxygen that gets them.
ANd, in case your really worried about the fish being petered out, get in the habit of reviving the fish..every time you get a bass that your THINK you have worn out. unhook her, and gently put her in the water, holding her, and take hold of the tail and move the fish backward and then forwards, this airates the gills and gets them back on their fish..
If you notice the bass just rolls over when you throw it back, you need to grab it, and revive it...
I am sure that you can save almost all bass this way,
I have been studying IN FISHERMAN mag with
all their experts and they all pracitse this method with all fish.. I am willing to bet that way more fish die because of a hook stuck in the throat than playing it to hard
8)

[hershey]

http://www.orlandobassguide.com/bass_fishing_tips.html

4th paragraph.

[Bassin_Dude]

that doesnt make sense...horsing the fish makes it fight harder ??? it gets them in fast...playing the fish makes them fight...the longer they are in the water they still beleive they have a chance and will fight till they are to the boat...i think everything in that article was correct except that. now as far as reviving the fish...that will work, but is that going to lower the lactic acid? i dont know. shed some light on that for me. i dont like to play the fish....i get them in, get the hook out, and release them fast as i can. i like very little stress on the fish. but...do what you guys want....dont matter to me...im not fishin your water.

[hershey]

That part didnt make sense to me either, but it was the best info I could find on lactic acid.

[redneck13]

Mr. Big,That is exactly right!That was the best advice I ever got about landing a fish when a friend that really knows his fishing taught me.I also ,at times,forget my own rule in the heat of the battle.Sometimes ,I get away with it and sometimes not.

[reddscott]

How did you know the bass was 6 pounds?

[Rob Mak]

to me it depends on the fish if it is small and i can bring him in with out much fight i will. but larger bass take more handling and finesse to land. i have had them jump with a foot of rod under the water. i rather play a large fish then horse one. as for the acid build up i belive that is crap-just like every thing else that dragged it's way out of fl. i hung a 4 pound bass early in a tourny in heavy currant and i took my time fighting this fish. upon netting this fish-which he went thru- we put this fish in a live well. and 9.5 hours later that fish was still pissed off. and we had a time removing him from the live well.

zooker

[jglassguy]

Condsidering the type of lure that bass is hooked on makes a huge diference on whether I can swing them in or play them out..
For example, If I get one on the crankbait, I doubt If I am going to horse it in, and when its still full of energy at the boat, I'll tend to walk it around the boat and tire it out some more,
If I get one on a jib and see its hooked well, I am all for getting in my hands as soon As i can

[powayfisher]

If he's to big to boat flip, I get him in the net as soon as
possible without jeoprodizing the line.are if theres no net I'll get him to the side of the boat and when he stops fighting just long enough to be grabbed, I'v got him.

If i only have 10 pound line I take my time,but if its 17 or 20 I horse em a little but not enough to make the drag slip. I like to set my drag to where I can get maximum performance out of the line. I loosen the drag just enough to where the line wont pop. which you may have to lose a few fish to figure out how to do, unless someone show you how to set it. On heavy line I like to bare down on the drag until I can hardly pull the line out without it popping but on the lighter line I like to bare down on it till its hard to pull out(still without popping it) and then loosen it a hair more. Big line can stand the abrasion that a bass mouth will put on it alot better then light line will so when your setting you drag for the light line you have to take that into consideration
also and not try and get 5.5 pounds of pressure out of 6 pound line, instead shoot for 3 pounds which is about 50% of its strength.Now with 17 pound you can up the odds because of the diameter I'd probably set it for about 14-15 pounds of pressure, which would be more like 70% are so of the lines strength.

I think eaither your line was frayed are your drag was set to tight. Although a 6# fish can cut light line somtimes and that will just happen. I always like to keep the fish's head up therefore my rod is up also while fighting,hes going to jump regardless, and if you take enought tension off of him to where he wont jump you stand a chance of loosing him anyway.
my 2 cents!!!

[n2b]

[quote author=RatLTrap link=board=news;num=1118332911;start=0#15 date=06/12/05 at 07:17:50]How did you know the bass was 6 pounds?[/quote]

because i have cought more 6#+ bass than i can count and this fish was 6#+ for a fact, + i got him in right against the boat and he was 6#s and i knew it from the very moment he flared that big ol head of his. 8) ;D