fighting a fish

[Bassin_Dude]

i leave it set all the time, im not plannin on catchin another 9lb'er or larger bass in the near future, and that drag setting pulled in a 9lb'er. so if it can pull in a hawg like that, then it can pull in a smaller one. so i am all set.

[BassNva]

i like what i call hand to hand combat..
7 1/2 ' flippin stick,50 lb powerpro,5/0 gamakatsu(this is the only time i use gamakatsu)EWG hook,senko t-rigged weightless.get right up into the willow bushes and flip to the roots.feel the slightest movement,set the hook as hard as possible.5+lber will come flyin out of the water.no problem.
yeah the drag is cranked down tight. ;D

[fisherwoman]

BF02, the only reason i asked was that if you leave your drag set all the time it will compress your drag washers, making it all lumpy & uneven so when you do hook that trophy fish your drag will lose it for you . you are better to back it off at the end of each day, it will stay in good condition for longer..
cheers

[Bassin_Dude]

did not know that, thanks for lettin me know. i learn somethin new everyday 8) i'll make sure to go do that now.

[macgyver]

[quote author=Felix link=board=news;num=1112047185;start=0#16 date=03/28/05 at 21:36:28]how big/heavy of fish & what strength of line & rods are we talking about here.
this is what i love about the web. it gives me an insight into how others do stuff.
as i fish saltwater & know very little of your bass fishing, this is intriguing.

the heaviest i fish for anything is 6kg approx 13lb, but mainly 3kg fireline, the drag on my reels are usually pulled down & replaced with oil soaked leather when i get them. smooooth. the drag is set at approximately 1/3 of breaking strain of line ie 2kg on 6kg line. my rods are built to specific line weights again a 6kg rod will be at max. deflection when the drag starts to give.
the thumb or palm of the hand can be used to add extra drag if required.

is all your fishing in rough snags or do you get some off snags/dropoffs etc in open water as well??
[/quote]


Most Bass fishing rods are designed between 6'-7.5' (I said most). As for the drag, well that's obviously determined by what equipment you're using. As zooker stated, using 50lb barided, or Firleine in Our case, and catching a 10 lb fish seems relatively a no brainer. But many of the bass are buried in thick vegetation, wood, and rocks. However if you're fishing open water, and using 6lb mono, you had better make sure the drag is correct, or you'll snap off or lose the fish because of lack of hooksetting power. I would imagine that there are very few bass that would ever take more than 50 feet off of one of my poles. But if I used 6lb mono, and fished a lot of open water, I would be more concerned about it. I think that in the saltwater, a lot of the fish have a tendancy to be more of a fighter, there by being more important on a good drag system. As Cajun stated, some folks don't even use the drag at all. The Largest bass ever caught wasn't 25lbs, so I don't think I would be too worried catching a 25lber on my 20lb Fireline, without it breaking on me.

Lizards

[fisherwoman]

Thanks Lizard, it's all part of my learning new stuff.
cheers
Dave