Posted by C. J. on October 29, 2002 at 12:09:34:
In Reply to: Re: FIGHTING AND LANDING HUGE FISH posted by thank you on October 28, 2002 at 17:54:44:
A few suggestions:
1. Use Owner hooks - they're freaking sharp and unbelievably strong. I lost a lot of fish before I started using Owner hooks exclusively.
2. Use the right knot for the line you're using. Get an old hook and tie it on, then hook it to a tree and pull. Does the line break before the hooks comes off? If so, then you're ready. Pull until one of the above happens. Search Google for "fishing knots" and you'll find a lot of detailed descriptions and instructions. Don't stick with the ones your grandfather taught you. Try all of them.
3. Never fight too hard. The idea is to just keep the hook in the fish until he or she comes to an understanding - "I'm not getting away from this mother..." You convince the fish that there's no getting away and they just give up. Let the fish run from you, but make it work a little harder than its used to working - eventually it'll get tired out and give up. Most fish give up easily, but the fun ones are marathoners - they'll keep running for hours. The only way to land them is to either use major test line, or keep playing them until they give up.
Have fun.
P.S., #3 above doesn't apply to Grouper. With a grouper, you just have to hope to get lucky enough to get them in the boat before they find a hole.