Rods down to land fish

[Johnny A]

I've noticed on some of the fishing shows, tournament shows especially, the guys are setting the rods down on the decks and hand-lining or reaching down to get fish into the boat. I always thought that was not something to do, you keep the pressure on the fish and reach down with a taut line so the fish couldn't throw the bait.
Did I miss the memo or what?

[FrankW]

Hi Johnny A,

I think that when a Pro does this he has seen the fish at the boat and knows how well it is hooked. Also, I would think when he grabs the line he is keeping tension on the hook. I don't know for sure as I never land a fish that way.

Frank

[tywithay]

They grab the line to keep tension. You can also hold the line at a proper angle to move the hooks away from where you want to grab the lip. Especially helpful when using crankbaits.

[dragon1]

Not uncommon at all....I hand line quite a bit if I am using a longer rod and I don't want to drag the fish over the ground or boat flip it (which I detest for all but the smallest fish).

More control of the line, the fish, and allows the angler to reach the fish better - especially with a 7'6" + rod, it is very difficult to get a short enough line from the rod tip to the fish without really reaching up on the rod's blank and compromising the rod's tip angle (high sticking)...

FWIW, Santiago from "The Old Man and the Sea" had no probs handlining that HUGE marlin! The pesky sharks are another issue altogether though!

[Teal101]

With rods 7' or longer I usually net or hand line. You keep pressure on the fish with the rod up, grab the line, then set the rod down. Keeps pressure on the hook and makes it easier to lip em. I hate swinging all but the smallest fish. Rods are too expensive to risk breaking. Puts a lot of stress on your line and hook too.

[carbonduke]

XZoga Taka G 66 15kg blank and you could throw any bass even 2 if you want to :-),in the boat without a problem if that is your way to handle fish. I think net is the best way to handle them.

[fishingman88]

With rods 7' or longer I usually net or hand line. You keep pressure on the fish with the rod up, grab the line, then set the rod down. Keeps pressure on the hook and makes it easier to lip em. I hate swinging all but the smallest fish. Rods are too expensive to risk breaking. Puts a lot of stress on your line and hook too.

Couldn't agree more. Swinging in fish always scares the heck out of me. I'd rather lose a fish then break a rod

[fish10x]

Boat flip everything on a single hook, except drop shot and sheaky head. Boat fill most cranking fish once I see how they are hooked.
O

[njbasscat]

I have snapped a couple rods swinging fish. If they are over a pound, I lip them. If they are over 4 lbs, I net them or Boga Grip them. I have grabbed the line plenty on times to keep tension. It works well. I really try not to touch the fish to the boat carpet. It's bad for the fish.

[WoodT]

I often hand line to at least get the fish's head up out of the water , usually a coordinated action with keeping the rod taut until I know I have a grip on the fish (assuming this is what most people do?). I guess I hand line smaller ones. I kind of make it up as I go along when I drop shot, because I always manage to have fish make a complete mess of the rigging. Anything I can do to keep the line taut and keep the fish away from tangling up in the braid mainline.

I don't intentionally flip fish into the boat, ever. One of best conservation penalty rules of MLF, I like it a lot. It's funny to see how often those pros...especially grumpy ones...forget about it. I think Tommy Biffle did it like three times in a row on an episode once and got angrier at the rule and himself each time. Maybe it was the "release below the gunwale rule." But anytime I can see Biffle get upset at the new generations and their dumb rules is entertaining for me. I think he would hand crank telephone wires if he thought it wasn't in the rule book.

I use those plastic lip grips for pike, trebles, and weighing some fish. I still don't like it much when they flap on them. For pike and treble when I am putting them right back in, I don't pull them out of the water if I can avoid it.

My kid is an absolute hand-lining sunnie assassin off the side of my boat.