Fight
'Em RightQuickly, I should admit that I’ve had a few personal tales of my own, or problems, actually. In consideration of this, it presents self and others with a scenario, or better, a job or quest. The job is to eliminate as many of the “one that got away” stories as possible.
While fishing muskie, I have yet to see one make a run much over forty feet in length (average: about 8 feet), nor have I met the fish (or think I will) that I can’t tire and land in less than 5 minutes (normally far less) on standard muskie tackle. But hey, that’s what makes muskie fishers and fishermen in general so special: active imaginations prompted ever so slightly by ego.
Back the task of avoiding the got away stories – in reality, avoiding this totally or recording a 90% recovery per strike just isn’t going to happen—at least not with this fish. There is no doubt though, that a significant dent can be put in the “loss” ratio by paying attention to some details and learning to fight a fish properly once hooked. There are many common mistakes that can be easily avoided.
Equipment and Hookset
Now here’s another arguable subject. Everyone has their favorite gear; and some folks are just more comfortable with certain lengths, weights and actions when it comes to rods and other terminal necessities. And, comfort with your equipment is a factor that should never be overrated either. The hookset, itself, is of great importance. If not executed properly, none of the other stuff really matters – as you just don’t get to it. In my mind though, a good portion of successful “setting” is in the equipment.
Beyond sharp hooks and fresh, strong line, the issue is simply driving those hooks in to a point where they will hold. Besides the corner of the mouth, these critter’s heads are nothing but a big bone-box. I preach religiously about “snapping” the hookset. Pulling hard (all too common) just doesn’t cut it. It may look impressive (briefly) because the rod loads nicely—but it doesn’t drive hooks. A quick, sharp snap is what drives hooks.
Factors that will greatly diminish this snap are light-action, no backbone rods and line with any significant amount of stretch. We hear more about longer rods every year for muskie fishing. You’ll hear it from me too. I love long rods. I think they allow me to cast farther with less effort; they allow me to work lures a little better; they certainly allow for a much better figure eight, as well as—they allow you to fight fish better, ultimately keeping more fish on.
Pick a quality baitcasting reel that is noted for having a reliable drag system (Bass Pro’s Muskie Angler series reels and rods fit the bill nicely). When these big fish want to move, they need to take a little line. Some folks like to disengage the spool when fish are ready to run, “thumbing” the line as it goes out. But going back and forth from engaged to disengaged isn’t as easy as it sounds. One slip could spell disaster (a backlash). A reel with a good drag system in working order is actually the most consistent way to be certain the fish can take line under the right amount of pressure. A quality drag system should allow you to tighten the drag to a point of almost total lockdown (for hooksets) … and with slight adjustments transfer to medium tension. They should adjust and allow line to come off smoothly.
From Set to Net
Once a muskie is hooked it becomes awareness time; much can go wrong between the strike/set and the net. Part of this awareness is having a “plan” on how to handle the fight (few consider this) and in general—just keeping your cool. Knowing how to handle a fight is important; being confident that you can handle it is equally important. A few very common mistakes lay the groundwork for discussion: avoid slack, avoid “horsing,” make certain you actually “use” your rod, and, unless you are filming a thrashing video—keep the fish’s face below the surface of the water if at all possible! Earlier, I’d mentioned widening those holes that the hooks entered through. Before going any further I want to address the “multiple set syndrome” that some folks are prone to. When I started muskie fishing, I was promoted to set the hook several times. After all, if one set is good, two or three must be better, right.
It’s been my experience that one set is best; the only exception being that the initial effort was weak. Otherwise, if the first hookset snapped and the fish is shaking (reaction to being hooked), any further hooksets are simply counterproductive. All they will accomplish is ripping bigger holes and possibly creating periods of slack. None of this is desirable.
So, we have a head-shaking, hooked muskie … what now? Simply maintain marginal, but not overbearing pressure and “use” you rod—to both steer the fish and to maximize its shock absorption qualities. If this is a fish you really want to catch, the idea is to keep the fish calm. You must stay calm and concentrate on “steady” pressure. That means being ready to give when the fish moves too. So (and you should have thought of this already), are you using the drag system or disengaging and thumbing? If you are using the drag system, your very first thought after hooking the fish should be to back off on the drag and possibly adjust from there to fine-tune.
Get
in the habit of testing the drag with your
free hand, and be ready to loosen it more if
the fish turns to make a run. Or, be ready
to disengage the reel when the fish turns to
run … at the very least, be ready to move.
You can be the drag system by simply moving
with the fish back and forth in the boat
much of the time … how’s the fight going?If it appears docile, it’s your job to keep it that way. If it’s going wild it’s your job to calm it down or take control. One thing I’ve noticed, is that it can be almost amazing to note the differences in personality (for lack of a better word) during battle between fish of similar size. Some appear to be nonchalant, seemingly unaware of anything even being wrong with the situation. When you are lucky enough to encounter a fish that appears happy to just swim around a little, with the occasional, half-hearted shake—take advantage of it and play the game until you can lead them to boatside; just keep a bend in the rod and let them do their thing.
I’ve mentioned controlling the fish, and this is the real key and the part most folks just miss. You can have a tremendous amount of control over the fish and what it does. No matter how big, these fish will follow the pressure to a certain extent. Careful though, because if you cross that gray line to the point of “horsing” it can backfire too, and they’ll violently react against it.
They do follow the pressure though, since this is the reason you are eventually able to bring them to boatside. I’ve seen large, docile-type fish hooked and more or less lead around—never more than 15 feet of line total out—and easily landed in less than a minute. Steady pressure with the butt of the rod at “right angles” to the fish maximizes the rod’s shock absorption and “steerability”. Concentrate on maintaining that rod angle at all times, whether you are trying to steer the fish down, up or to the side. The only time you should “bow” to the fish (lessen that angle by pointing the tip at the fish) is when they make a solid run away. At this point you need to let the line flow smoothly off. As soon as the fish stops though, regain that 90-degree angle.
To me, the muskies that represent the most challenge are those mid-size fish in the twenty to twenty-five pound range. They have the weight and strength to go where they want. They also tend to be more exuberant in battle and more easily angered (likely because of their relative age). They are prone to much head-shaking, twisting, rolling and jumping; none of which are good news when it comes to keeping hooks in place.
This is to be avoided if possible, or at the very least kept subsurface. There is no cut-and-dried answer. Concentrate on “steady” – that right angle, and forget all that baloney you hear about keeping your rod tip up; maintain the right angle bend, but to the side, or down. Remember that fish follow pressure. Panic and use heavy upward pressure, and you’ll nearly always see a savage surface show! The majority of the time, the rod angle is best kept down, especially so when in close quarters with the boat.
And, I know it’s tough when you haven’t caught many, and especially when it’s your first and certainly if it’s your biggest, but concentrate on keeping your cool until the fish is landed. I’ve seen it all-too-often where everything seems to be going fine and then suddenly there’s a transformation when the fish gets close to the boat the first time. The “would-be” captor wants the fish in— right now! Muskies aren’t afraid of boats. Just because they get near has nothing to do with their being ready to land. The first pass by the boat is nearly never the right time … it can easily end in disaster.
Of course, in consideration of the fact that muskies aren’t real afraid of the boat, we need to consider those that they often strike the bait close to the boat. I’ve never really felt driven to keep track of the most asked questions while guiding, but one that is easily at the top of the list would have to be: “what do I do if one of these big … hits by the side of the boat.” This is most commonly asked immediately following instructing of a fledgling angler on the “figure-eight’ manuever at boatside. Regardless, it’s a pretty good question. Way too often the angler’s answer is to simply hang on. Like many scenarios handled without a plan, hanging on may work, but is a bit risky. Often, it’s a great way to get a quick bath, a broken something and a fleeting thrill.
With thought prior, there’s really plenty of time to react. The obvious problem here is the minimal amount of line to work with. Keep in mind though, that muskies don’t just take off at mach-90 after being hooked. Their first reaction is almost always head-shaking, generally with little forward movement. So just be certain that right after the set, you’re prepared for the fish to take some line. This is accomplished by either immediately loosening the drag or disengaging the reel. Many folks will tell you that you “must” disengage the reel before you go into a figure eight and have your thumb on the spool. When the fish hits, you set the hook by holding tight with the thumb on the spool and are ready when a fish needs to take line.
However, it doesn’t work well for all, as there can be thumb-slippage on the hookset (or worse yet a backlash). Beginners especially – need to know that they can/should loosen the drag, and that if they need to disengage the reel under pressure—they’ll need to pull back on the spool with their thumb. Also, what those that promote disengaging before going into the “eight” often don’t account for—is the fact that muskies are not prone to cooperation or predictability. They often hit a foot or two before you go into your figure eight.
Practice. If it’s in your head to do it immediately, you will have time to loosen that drag. At boatside with a fresh fish, another tremendous aid is your mobility, by simply moving around in the boat, you are part of the drag system. (And this is one reason I prefer a center console boat like a Mako, where there is that mobility on both sides.) Immediately following hookset at boatside then, it’s best to drop that rod angle with tip in the water – and using the rod and mobility; often, you will be able to steer that fish around the boat and never have more than 10 feet of line out during the whole battle.
Have that gameplan and get lots of practice. Here’s to wishing you lots of practice..
