Twice now I have had a relatively big fish on line, and both times I’ve lost them. I’ve kept my line tight after I set the hook, and the fish came to the surface, rolled over, and threw my hook. Should I be easing off on the line, letting them run more? Thanks for any tips you can share on playing and landing larger fish.
I was swinging a nymph and it was downstream when the fish struck. Maybe also I did not set the hook well - I was not using an indicator.
Best bet is to get below the fish in the current. This allows the current to work in your favor.
Secondarily, when you hook a downstream fish, the hook has less of a chance to hook up. Upstream or across, the hook and line slide to the corner of the mouth. Downstream, the hook is coming straight back out of the mouth. Hook set is trickier.
On idea is to let the fish take the hook and turn (as seen from the strike indicator) back towards the bottom. After the fish has turned, you can set the hook. Its the old “one potato, two potato” hookset.
When a fish rises to a fly, it often comes up at an angle against the current (they sit facing upstream). As it takes the fly, it turns down to the safety of its former position. This is the time to set the hook on a downstream take.
Yes, you’ll miss more hookups this way as the fish may get a better chance to spit the fly, but the ones you do hook will have a better hookset.
Frank Reid
its tough on a swing. as already pointed out, the angle of the fish to the hook makes a deep set more difficult to acheive. the size of the fly has implications here as well.
just keep trying. its been my experience that hooking a trout on a down and across swing is more an act of the fish than of me. when i feel the tug, i let the fish “do his thing” and theyll hook themselves. i lose some, but i land enough to convince me it works.
ive found that swinging a wet fly, the fish still “rise” to it, though it stays subsurface. they still turn down and head for cover soon after, and if they really took it, theyll hook themselves. than just keep pressure, and walk towards them, instead of trying to bring them to you.
Already been said, … But I wait quite a while before actually setting the hook.
I like the fish to hook itself when it turns.
Do you set the hook on instinct when you feel something ? Or,… do you wait to feel some real weight on the line before setting.
It’s a waiting game 
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:de9d5]http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/[/url:de9d5]
Some times the fish gods say no! lol besides the one that got away can be as big as you like!(when discribing to a friend over a beer)
I don’t know how big he was… But when he jumped the river went down a foot!!!
lol Rich
I am really happy to see this post, as I have been losing a number of fish myself - all downstream. Thanks for asking the question Nuthatch, and thanks for all the responses everyone else. Gives something to think about.
Nuthatch:
Trout will often pull a fly into their mouth by clearing water through their gills. In other words the “suck” the fly into their mouth. If you are fishing down stream and are tight to the fly you’ll feel the “bump” of the fish trying to take the fly but since the fly can’t move you get a short strike. While swinging a streamer, soft hackle, or a nymph try raising your rod tip to allow some slack into the line. This will allow the fish to pull the fly in and you can get a hook-up.
As far as fighting a fish down stream it is obviously better to try to stay beside or down river from the fish. However you can not always do this.
One of the tricks is to lower your rod tip sideways under the surface of the water. This allows the fly line to drop and the fish to go down into the current. You can then apply pressure to the fish and pull him back up stream.
If you keep your rod tip high this will only pull him into the fast surface current. They will wallow in the surface with their mouth open untill the fly pulls free.
Hope that helps.
John Wilson
[url=http://www.flyfishingarkansas.com:e24c3]http://www.flyfishingarkansas.com[/url:e24c3]
L.D.E.R.
Long distance early release.
JC, … (and possibly Donald)
I was under the “impression” (maybe misguided) that down stream presentations weren’t used on some rivers because it wasn’t “sporting”.
(that is to say, beats where we only use upstream presentations of dries to a specific fish) …
Any idea if this is so ??
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:eb82f]http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/[/url:eb82f]
[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 15 June 2005).]
“Trout will often pull a fly into their mouth by clearing water through their gills. In other words the “suck” the fly into their mouth. If you are fishing down stream and are tight to the fly you’ll feel the “bump” of the fish trying to take the fly but since the fly can’t move you get a short strike. While swinging a streamer, soft hackle, or a nymph try raising your rod tip to allow some slack into the line. This will allow the fish to pull the fly in and you can get a hook-up.”
Thank you John, that may be the best advice I’ve heard all year as it’s been a particular problem for me lately.