Fly Fishing Basics - A Simple Tip That Can Save You the Fish of a Lifetime.

You are new to fly fishing, you don't have much experience fighting fish, and now you have the biggest fish you've ever hooked on the line. Here's a tip that will increase your chances of landing your personal best.

A feeling like no other. / photo by Ken Baldwin

This is a straightforward tip that is an easy fix and can save you the loss of the fish of a lifetime. I know it sounds like hype, but I've seen it happen too many times to count. It boils down to when you have a big fish on the reel, and you are reeling it in, and in the excitement of the fight, the hand that is holding the rod is moving too much and works the hook out of the fish's mouth.

Fly Fishing Is Control Under Chaos

I've seen it repeatedly while guiding: An angler hooks into a big fish and plays the fish on the reel. So far, everything is good. The fish tires a little, and the angler starts reeling in. In his excitement, as the angler reels fast with his left hand in a piston-like motion, which is fine, his right hand, which is holding the rod, also bounces and moves in a piston-like motion, which isn't fine.

When it all goes right. A Yellowstone Cutthroat trout / photo by BJ Stone

If the fish is on the reel and coming at you, it only makes sense to quickly crank in the line to keep up. But the hand holding the rod needs to stay steady and calm. If the hand holding the rod is also moving up and down instead of staying steady, you tighten and loosen the pull on the line as the rod tip bounces.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

I've seen anglers so excited and putting that energy into their rod-holding hand that the movement of the rod tip loosens the hook out of the fish's mouth, and the fly pops right out. If you need to move your feet to keep up with the fish or keep the line tight, that's ok, too. But while your winding hand and body are moving, keep the rod on an even keel like it's on a shock absorber. Don't bounce it up and down.

A colored-up wild rainbow trout. / photo by Ken Baldwin

Keep Calm and Catch Big Fish

Catching a big fish is exciting. It can feel like you are going from zero to one hundred in a split second. Go ahead and be excited, enjoy the moment, and physically get involved in landing that fish. But have the presence of mind to keep your rod hand calm and loose during the fight. You don't want to lose a big fish because your rod-holding hand was too active and caused the hook to work its way out. Once landed, you can then use that hand to give high fives all around; you've earned it. KB

          "The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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