How Do You Reel In A Catch?

[Mark Elvin]

Watching a couple of guys a couple of days back the second they got into a fish they wound in like the clappers, as quick as possible.

When you get into a decent fish do you just get it in, or do you play the fish?

I like to fish quite light (4-8lb max line) an allow the clutch to take the strain. There's just a certain pleasure I get from "working" for a fish, rather than going in with heavy gear & hauling them in.

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by Mark Elvin

Watching a couple of guys a couple of days back the second they got into a fish they wound in like the clappers, as quick as possible.

When you get into a decent fish do you just get it in, or do you play the fish?

I like to fish quite light (4-8lb max line) an allow the clutch to take the strain. There's just a certain pleasure I get from "working" for a fish, rather than going in with heavy gear & hauling them in.

How hard I play a fish depends on what type and what size the fish is together with the type of venue I am fishing.

For example because a Barbel will normally fight itself to exhaustion and after capture will need to be properly recovered before it can swim off, plus they have toughish rubbery lips I tend to play them for as short a time as is possible (within reason) before they exhaust themselves too much.

But for a fish such as Tench or Carp which fight hard but not to the same extent as Barbel; or fish like Bream which have softer mouths; as long as they are not heading directly towards a weedbed or another snag I tend to play them for a bit longer till they start to turn on their sides and are obviously ready for the net.

I too hate anglers who just strike with heavy gear and just wind in as fast as they can regardless of how much damage they do to the fishes mouth, They are usually very inexperienced anglers.

[steve-m]

I too fish quite light and like the fight and will play a fish to the net.
I was fishing a pit some years ago and a local guy was fishing for carp with what looked like something you would see on a boat for hauling cod and such like up from the depths.
He was using bacon bites ( bacon flavored corn puffs) floating next to a lily bed and was getting fish after fish. But these fish were around the 10lb mark and he was just hauling them in across the water as if they were 2oz skimmers. Thats not fishing, its just barbaric .

[big pike dreamer]

Well a huge part of the sport to me is playing the fish ;-) I went fishing on friday and caught 3 decent sized carp, however I lost a further 2 for the simple fact I was bullying them! I had 2 rods out and was fishing close to a huge bed of weed and reeds and simply had to bully them on this occasion, which in turn meant 2 hook pulls!! Also I was up at another place I regualy go the other week, there was 2 guys fishing the next peg who wasent catching, the guy fishing across from them caught a decent sized fish, the only thing I heard coming from the guys next to me was things like 'F**k me he thinks he's got loch ness' and 'he needs to learn how to fish' I was livid and thought to myself what a pair of T***s!! so it seems some fishermen really do just heave em in, and some like me enjoy the 'battle' and the skill of landing a decent fish!! Landing a 15lb carp on 6-8lb line is a skill and a joy!! landing a 15lb carp on 20-30lb line and pulling it in like a person water skiing is just as you put it barbaric!! (moan over)

Matt