Reeling in! Help!

[Uncle Jesse]

All of the above is good advise. If you are going to give line to a fish and work to get it on the reel, keep tension on the line as you let it go with the fish, keep your rod tip up to act as a shock absorber for surges or if you have knot in your line and have to stop the fish unexpectedly. I don't have great expensive reels but all have decent drag systems. I have never caught any really large trout but have a 7.5 grass carp; a couple of 5.5 largemouth and a pretty good sized channel cat on my 3 wt. because I had decent drags on the reel.

[Cold]

Like the others have said, for any trout that you've got the appropriate weight rod for, getting the fish "on the reel" will not usually be necessary until you get to fish that require a 6 or 7wt rod. For my part, when I hook a small stream trout, I just pinch the line against the front end of the grip with my index finger, stripping line in as the fish tires. If he takes a run, its usually a short one, and I can just "unstrip" the line as necessary.

Recently, though, I've started going to ultralight gear, fishing my new 1wt for most of my local fishing. This light rod is easily contended with by even a 12-14" fish. In a true small stream (to me, of course...about 20' or less across), there's simply no room for the fish to run, and I still can get by with the occasional "unstrip". In a somewhat larger creek, or if I hook a bass in a local pond, I've got to resort to reeling in the slack like crazy while maintaining tension on the fish until I get him on the reel. Its intense for a few moments, but that's a part of my fun when fishing. That realization that this is a big fish on the line, and the odds are pretty even...what a great feeling.

[William Fitzgerald]

Try collecting that stripped line in you free hand as you fight the fish---loop after loop. As some ahve said when possible if you have too much reel some in. No reason having line around your feet or pilled in the bottom of a boat while fighting a fish. BILL

[flyracer77]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like Stripping the line would be effecient. Especially when the trout are under sized!

[Gemrod]

I never put a fish on the reel. I trust my hand more than the reel.....famous words of a great friend of mine.

[Bucky]

I have this same problem often, and have taken to the method of just stripping line in until the fish is close enough to land. Never had a fish big enough to really pull out the line anyways.

[luckie88]

Once you get a big enough one and you see your line go into your backing, it gets even more fun.
Just remember "The tug, is the drug"