Fishing the Gurgler

[Greg Hunsicker]

This morning just as the shadows were leaving the lake I tied on a yellow Gurgler. I threw it out about thirty feet from th bank and watched a large fish aproach the strike with a splash. Bass! ThIe fish headed back to the bottom, I stripped the slack and raised my rod and nothing. Missed! What did I do wrong?

[island fly]

I think what happen to you is a common problem. When you are dealing with small fish lifting the rod tip catches the fish every time. But for larger fish you need to set the hook with a line pull. Simply point the rod tip at the fish and pull the line back. On a good size fish Ill do this two or three times. Once you have them on then I will raise the rod tip and set the hook again.

I hope this helps.

Island Fly

[ducksterman]

So many variables...if it was as you describe I suggest there was too much slack...but let's suppose that wasn't the case...then as island fly suggests you could have raised the rod and pulled the fly away...sometimes quick is too fast

[Eight Thumbs]

Greg,

Sometimes you can do everything right and still not get the metal in the fish. LMB have a lot of room in that mouth and the hook may not connect. I agree with Island Fly about the importance of adding a line pull to your strike and not using just the very flexible rod tip. I would also suggest a second strike with line pull and rod tip to make sure the hook gets seated well.

But that being said, I would guess that you lost the fish because you had too much slack in the line. I fish Gurgle Pops all the time and I find that a large number of my strikes come very quickly after the fly hits the water. I have lost a number of fish because I failed to get the slack out of the line immediately after the cast. You have to get that line under control as soon as the lure its the water. Also, for what it's worth, I get many more strikes on a Gurgle Pop when I fish it with a very slow crawl and twitch retreive. Good luck, I hope this helps. 8T

[Buddy Sanders]

Greg,

Nobody hooks them all.

It could of been many things.

Nothing you can do about it now.

Sometimes the fish gets to win.

Don't let it bother you.

At least you got to seen the fish strike.

That's at least half the fun....

Good Luck!

Buddy

[Big Bad Wulff]

If you had to 'strip the slack out' you had too much slack.

[racine]

What I find amazing is that sometimes bringing a large brim or LMB to shore I find the hook isn't even into the flesh!? The fly is just logded into a hard portion of the jaw and the line pressure is what brought them to net! So my reflex is both rod tip and line strip with 3 separate rod/hook sets before I feel I can bring him in.

Are you saying just to strip the line for the larger fish?

[billknepp]

In still water it's best to wait till you feel the fish...then strip/pull set as others have said above...But waiting till you feel the pull of the fish is almost paramount in still water fishing..Does sound from your discription that you had not yet taken up the slack from the cast...

In top water fishing it can take some getting used to, To the waiting to feel... and after a pull set you are still in the strike zone if you do miss the fish and many times you'll find that a fish will turn and slam the fly a second and even a third time..

After seeing that explosive strike at times we all get a bit ahead of ourselves in the first trips out of a new season. I sometimes find I must sort of retrain myself to wait...

[Wild One]

I notice many times when I can see the fish coming, I'll miss it. I get so excited, especially if it has any size to it, that I set the hook before the fish really hits the fly. I've done this with every type of fish I've ever fished for and really have to telly myself to hold on and wait for the fish to hit. If you saw this guy coming, you may have set too early.