Printable View
LFisher's down stream and dry brought back memeories of a 25In plus Brown i hooked on a similar downstream cast. I managed to run and get below the fish but then the fish began to sulk on the bottom and I couldn't do anything with it. I lost this fish and one even bigger when they sulked and eventually managed to chew? the hook out. The question is what do you do when a big brown sulks?
Have never tried this but have read about it. If you are below the fish, point rod directly at it, with solid strain, and tap smartly on the rod. Supposed to jar them into activity. If you are above him, lower rod, directly, and just walk slowly backwards. No jarring or winding; tow the fish into better water. This one I have done a couple of times when a big fish got below me and I just could not get behind it.
okflyfisher and JC,
I would give anything just to have that problem! LOL!!!
akalooker
Lower the rod to the side and apply horizontal pressure ( fish fight on a horizontal plane, not a vertical one). Fight them with the butt section of the rod. Also, move the rod from side to side, as this tends to knock them off balance. You'll be amazed the amount of pressure you can put on them from this position. It's a tactic i've used on salmon, steelhead and large trout. It works great.
I think he is correct. Horizontal plane. I had a situation on the Little Red River in Arkansas. I had a Brown that was large almost landed when 10 feet in front off me he went deep into a hole and sulked. I applied pressure to pull him up and out but should have applied pressure side to side to pull him out of this position and off balance to move him. He put up a great fight and went airborne three times. I estimated he was between 27-29 inches. Was as big round as a football. I lost him when he went deep and began to sulk. I will never fight a large brown the same way again. I know where he is though and will be back this November to try again. I have a great book about Streamer fishing for Trophy Brown Trout. I recommend this book to anybody looking for Large Browns with Streamer.
Agreed that side ways works, but only if you are close enough.
Yeah, I should have stated that in my post. If they're too far out, especially in moving water, you'll have too much line in the water and then you'll be fighting the fish and the current drag on your line.
Thanks Guys. I tried drumming on the rod butt with one of the fish to no avail altough it may work on other fish. The lowered rod tip with straight pressure
and side pressure sounds like it may work. I probably need to be more aggresive and let the reel do its work. I guarantee letting them sit there is not a good idea.
I'll provide the radical answer that will draw 99 "no's" from people who've never tried it to 1 "yes." That is to put the "puppy on the string."
This is done by maintaining tension as you rotate the tip of the rod from 12 oclock down into the water (6 oclock)and reel. For some reason, if you if you apply pressure in the submerged 6 o'clock position, the same plane the fish is in, they come in a lot easier and cease jumping (particularly the case with rainbows and bass). I infer from this, and perhaps it is a crude and flawed inference, that the pressure from above (say a 12 oclock rod tip position) is more stimulating or irksome to a fish. Keeping the line tight is the critical thing no matter how you are reeling a fish and no matter what the gear (fly rig or conventional), whether your rod tip is up at the 12 oclock position, the 3 oclock, 9 o'clock, or the submerged 6 o'clock. The submerged 6 oclock works with conventional gear too.
Don't take anybody's word for it or against it, just try it and perfect it on your own (preferably before your try to land a trophy). It you rotate from 12 to 6 with tension on at all times it will work and turn a fish into a pretty docile creature (hence the Alaskans' term "puppy on a string"). I learned this in Alaska, I did not figure it out on my own, and they land more big coldwater species on a flyrod than any other place I've seen, so they do come up with a lot of tricks of the trade. There are many that eschew what Alaska guides do when they hear about it, but the uncoventional does work pretty well.
As always, your mojo may vary.
[This message has been edited by Rawthumb (edited 22 May 2006).]
The submerged 6 will not work in a float tube. You have to be on the ground or in a boat and take a step back to get the rod tip where you need it to bring the fish into a desired landing zone.