I do something similar while fishing for carp. I have found that the harder you fight against them the harder they fight back. When I hook a fish, I strip and lift the rod to get the initial hookset but instead of applying more pressure I keep very gentle pressure on and allow the fish to swim away from me. They take up slack in one direction, and I wind it onto the reel in the other. When all the slack is taken in or out, I'll put a little more tension on the fish and let the fight begin.