landing the big one?

I pretty much just yell "Shut up and land the damm fish". Has worked pretty good for us over the years.

Jet

Dave touched on a good point. Staying parallel to the fish and as close as you can be helps you maintain a lot of control. If he heads downriver get after them if its safe.

Great thread with plenty of information that even an "old guy" can learn from. Granted, the casual release and tail tap after resuscitation is the goal, and learning all the best techniques for reaching that moment are important, but reality can stray from the Hollywood version. Should the worst case scenario occur, the best I can add is there really is no "loss" if that trophy becomes unzipped in the landing process. We set up our own personal parameters of success and failure in life and it usually works out best if we are most generous with our self evaluation. Simply put, focus on the success: fly selection, presentation, hookup and the adrenaline rush of bringing it close were perfect. If that's not enough, take a deep breath and look around. You are standing in a beautiful river where you really want to be doing what you really want to do. It probably doesn't get any better- (with or without clothes!). It's time for gratitude and "Thank you, Mr. Mo" rather than disappointment. Now, if only I could remember this next time I ...

Harry

Landing a big char is not landing a big steelhead is not landing a big brown. I think char are the hardest because they spin and twist all the way into the net and keep spinning. Steelhead travel in rather straight lines and are pretty predictable (in fact have never used a net on a steelhead unless in a boat). Browns routinely get a last burst of energy just when you think they're done.

I am not a fan of jabbing the net into the water at the last second. Too many times to count have seen the net hit the leader or fish or get caught on a dropper. Much rather have the net in the water and slightly below and in front of the fish as I lead him my way.

Awesome! This is exactly what I was hoping for, and then some. I think so far for me the really key points that seem particularly relevant that I had not been doing thus far:
-use my body more to absorb the shock of any quick turns, especially close to the net
-net head first, the more I think about it the more sense that makes. I had always been afraid to do that under the fear that it would "spook" them and cause a more ballistic response. But it really makes sense that it's far easier for them to just swim a bit harder forward out of the net than to have to turn and run away from a net that they are headed directly into.
-the advice from Dan and Dave about lifting their head up is also a new one for me, and I totally see where this could be really helpful in certain moments (like the final netting part)

Otherwise, having a friend help with a second net looks like a GREAT idea! One net from behind, another to cut him off from the front. Foolproof! Thanks Jim!

Totally agree with all of the comments about not being too caught up with the final netting of the fish being the ultimate mark of success. In case my post didn't quite convey that well enough, I'm really happy with the fact that I was lucky enough to hook into a really big trout, and then a bigger one the following day, and yet another big boy the third day! Totally went beyond my wildest expectations for the trip, and I did manage to land several others on the first two days (and lost several too). I actually feel pretty good with how well I played the largest of them (just not the actual netting part), and reasonably happy with how I did with the last one too. The first one I was lucky enough to be able to have a strike from, but there really wasn't a chance in hell of landing even a mid sized trout in that mess of bushes. So no disappointments whatsoever for me, except not having a few pics to share with others. The best part for me was getting to get a reasonable look at them, very colorful, large, healthy, beautiful looking fish.
Thanks for all the great sharing of experiences, I love how much I learn from these discussions. The wealth of knowledge here is really astounding to a new guy to the sport.
JB

A great thread Jason. Lots of good stuff here. My favorite, and I hope it sticks with you also, is Jets. "Land that damn fish" is what I get in my head whenever they are big enough to give me problems.

I've used stationary objects to give myself an idea of just what it takes to break different tippets. Man, you'd be surprised at just how much effort it takes with a fly rod to break a 4x tippet. It's almost impossible with a 4wt rod.

Put the screws to 'em hard and use everyone else's advice from there. I know I'm going to.

Thanks to all that chimed in.

Ed

Lastly I might add, use a heavy enough leader to land the fish quickly. Too many people talk about using 6x or 7x as if it's a badge of honor. Learn to cast and fish correctly and you can get away with much heavier leader. Then play the fish as hard as you can. Learn the breaking strength of your tippet. If you break one off or pull the hook out, oh well you broke it off, at least you know how hard you can push it.

One great thing about this area, is you might get practice with larger fish.
Had a big guy on the other afternoon.
Did a "strength test" with 5x, and a sz 22 hook.
The big guy wouldn't be moved from his hole..
Hook failure is a sad thing.
I recommend tying smaller nymphs on a heavier wire.
Store bought can be a little lite for heavy fish in heavy water.
And practice, practice, practice......they are in there, and starting to feed now.
When I said, "don't show them the net, and be lightning fast".
I should say, the net is in the water with an edge facing them.
I don't show them the whole thing till I'm ready, they know what it means.....

Jim

This is a really good question and I often seen a really great question on this message board. When I'm out fishing, I can usually gauge someone's ability on how they play the fish and their attempts at landing it. The vast majority of fishermen do not have a clue how to bring in an average size fish and forget about them bringing a "fish of a lifetime".

The longer you make the fish fight you brings up their lactic acid and most people tend to "overplay" your fish. This could affect your fish to recover from you catching it and could possibly swim off to die. You would be amazed how much pressure you can put on either 5x-6x tippet without a breakoff especially if your know how to maintain the proper rod angles along with picking your proper spot to fight your fish (no heavy water but rather use calmer water to fight your fish).

If anyone reads Dave Neal posting on page two, he has stated everything you need to properly bring in the "one" of a lifetime and I find it very refreshing to have someone post the correct information without leading the reader on the wrong path. The only additional comment that I would add to Dave's comment is having the proper landing net can make all of the difference to make it easier for your fish. If you notice the types of nets that guide use, you will probably find a similarity amongst them. These guys have to take people who are fishing for the first time to experienced fishermen. In most cases, they have a longer handle along with a rubber or other material to reduce the fish from harming themselves in the traditional netting. Guides have to maintain the quality of their fishery and cannot have any fish die due to mishandling. I have found this net to be the best overall net in the telescoping handle and allow the fish to recover while resting comfortably until they can swim away.

http://www.themeasurenet.com/index.htm

Bill does carry this line of nets and it also measures your fish, so if you have a few fishing friends that like to expand the length of their catch won't let that happen.

Just my thoughts for today....

i just carry a big long handled retractable gaff...hook em right behind the gill plate and the fight is over.