Posted by DennisA on October 28, 2002 at 16:49:34:
In Reply to: FIGHTING AND LANDING HUGE FISH posted by DESPERATE! on October 28, 2002 at 14:32:54:
I just started fishing off my yak in the local (LA area) kelp beds this summer. I usually fish 12-15 test, but kept loosing some huge fish when I fished the bottom w/ cut squid. Same thing happened to me over and over, either 1) the line would break at the hook or the hook would come out all together, or 2) the line would get wrapped in the kelp and I'd get broken off. Finally I made some tackle and fighting technique changes and last week I finally landed one: a 38-inch leopard shark.
First thing I did was move up tp 20lb test. Next, I started using circle hooks. The circles tend to grab the fish near the lip or toward the outside of the mouth, which means there is less line IN the fish's mouth. Even the small teeth that most fish have can cause the line to abraid and a hook-ups in the lip minimizes this. Finally, I've learned that there are times you don't always want to keep tension on the fish. If a fish swims into the kelp, I will actually open the spool while keeping my thumb it. When the tension releases, the fish will often swim out or make a run for it, allowing you to start fighting it again. Hope this tips help. Good luck.
: Hello all, i find this messageboard to be really helpful so i will ask another question. When fishing kelp beds this past weekend i hooked more then 5 HUGE fish. I don't know what they were but they showed NO signs of tiring even after 30mins!!! But after about 30 mins i get tired of fighting so i try to power reel them in. But everytime either the hook rips outta their mouth or the hook breaks off the line or for some other reason the fish gets OFF the hook. Is this normal? What am i doing wrong? How do i land these huge fish? Its my first time dealing with fish i actually had to fight with, usually i just reel em in. I'm using 18lb line. Maybe i'm not "fighting" the fish properly. What i do is i keep tension on the line at all times, usually keeping the rod bent but not TOO bent or arched. Then when i feel the fish PULL to get into deeper water, i let the drag release some line, then i wait some more. Please teach me how to land these huge fish. I can only imagine how big these fish are if they don't show ANY signs of tiring after 30 mins. I'm a newbie in desperate need of help. Thanks guys.