Have you ever been "spooled"?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is when you hook a fish that is too much for your tackle.

This usually happens when wading because you can't chase the fish like in a boat.



I think I have been "spooled" more than once but one time really comes to mind.


I was at Christmas Island in the 1980s with a group through the shop.

Our boat dropped us off at Paris Flats across the bay in 4 feet of water so as we waded in it got shallower.

I noticed a really big Bonefish coming off the shallow flats heading into deeper water on an out going tide.

Big Bonefish seem to always angle away from you and head out at the same time.

I think it was in maybe 3 feet of clear water on a white sand bottom.

I quickly made a long cast out in front of this fish hoping it might see my fly as to passed the area.

Just luck that it ate my Crazy Charlie fly and just kept going.

I waded after it out to shoulder deep water and when I ran to the end of 200 feet of 20# Micron backing the 10# clear

Mason tippet parted.

It was a helpless but exhilarating experience.......



Have you ever been "spooled"?

[GreggH]

Never. I guess catching a big fish is a prerequisite. Came close last week. Had to chase down a Bat Ray that was over 100lbs, 8 wt!

[Mr T]

One time fishing on the lower Sac I hooked a King salmon fishing behind the reds for trout. Just to see what happened I did try to fight one on a 5 wt (yes, I know, go ahead and call me names).

Blew up the drag on a Battenkill disc pretty bad.

[Idadon]

Yup! Twice, once by a Sturgeon (I assume) fishing off the ammo pier at Mare Island. Couldn’t chase it and it never slowed down.

Second time a huge RB on the Henry’s Fork on a 5wt. Actually, on the trout, I clamped down with just a few wraps left on my spool in an attempt to save my fly line. It worked and broke just above the hook.

I’ve caught two 29 inchers up there over the years. This one just took off down river and only stopped once. There used to be some scary big trout up there but I’m to old to wade that stretch anymore.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Maybe 20 years ago, no, 33, I just bought a new 1986 Chevy Suburban and went on a wonderful trip with Don Rotsma and Rick

Jorgensen to Idaho/Montana. They go every year for many decades now. They might be there right now.

One stop was the Henry's Fork at the Ranch. I just bought a new Sage 490 LL rod, new CFO III reel with Cortland WF4F Peach 444 line.

I think I was using and long leader to 6x and a #16 PMD paradun when I hook a really big hot Rainbow that gave me a run for my life.

I landed it and Don took a photo of it. Did not get spooled but got into my backing. One of my top memories......around 20 inches?

[StevenB]

Mystery fish:
I was fishing with a Nine Wt. near the mouth of the Monkey river in Belize.
We were working up the river casting for tarpon and snook.
Got a hook up from something that never rose up to the surface.
It headed out towards the ocean at a slowish but steady rate.
I could not stop it or even turn it.
It just steadily move off until I found that I was nearing the end of my backing and I had a lot of backing.
End up just locking down on the spool until the tippet broke.
Best guess was it was a big Ray of some kind (possibly snagged) since it was just a slow steady swim away.

Reeling all the backing up took a little while.
Sure was glad the backing to flyline knot held.

[jaysflies]

A couple times. Once in Baja, Mexico fishing for Dorado at ocho ocho (8. When all of a sudden a school of yellow fin tuna were on top feeding. We instantly got a double hook up. My fish decided it wanted to go to the bottom and didn't stop. The captain said "lo siento" but he's going to spool you .. It did. He said maybe 100 pound yellow fin. The one we landed was 55 lbs.

Another time was in Australia. I hooked into a big long tail tuna which kept going. We were on the mother ship heading to our destination when the skipper spotted a school of tuna. He turned the boat and headed to the fish. Casting from the deck of the boat with 14 other fishermen and most of them hooked up, you didn't have a choice but to sit there and let everyone fight there fish. A few people got spooled. Overall it was a great experience. I'd do it again

Jay

[Darian]

Came close one time while fishing on the American above Watt Avenue; late afternoon in December. Going for Steelhead with a size 8 gold comet on a 6 weight/Pflueger 1495 1/2 reel. Hooked a large, dark Salmon that immediately turned downstream and kept on going until I locked up the reel and broke the fish off.

Another one was while fly fishing at Cerralvo Island for Roosters. Laid a cast down in the middle of Roosters boiling and was hooked up. Did a strip-strike and held on as this fish headed for the other side of the Sea of Cortez. He never slowed and when the backing was getting thin, I asked the captain to follow it. Before the boat started, the backing parted.... Most of the backing (300 yds??), running line, shooting head, leader and fly gone.... Very exciting tho!!

[hwchubb]

Two that I can think of. One was on the American in 1999, the year they reopened the upper section of the lower river in January after 3-4 years of keeping the upper river closed until March (which (I would be in favor of again). I hooked a fish that rolled twice, enough to show it was big and bright, and made me REALLY want to land it. No such luck. It took off downstream, and broke off with somewhere 100+ yards down the river.

A second was a big Chum in Puget Sound last fall that just headed out into the estuary and never stopped.

Nothing takes longer than reeling in after a long long distance release either.

[dynaflow]

Came close on a Tuna out of a Christmas Island skiff a couple of years back....he just kept going.

It's harder to get spooled these days, what with most salt water reels accommodating 300 yards of 50 lb.+ braid backing coupled with powerful drag setups.

If you get more than 150 yards out plus your fly line, he probably ain't a comin' back pardner!