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Thread: Help me understand the physics of an interesting hookup incident

  1. #1
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    Default Help me understand the physics of an interesting hookup incident

    Friday, I was out doing some trout spey and was fishing from the river left bank, swinging my fly from the center of the stream back toward the bank. I ended up snagging a fish, which in and of itself was odd, but when I got it up to me I noticed I had snagged it on the right side of its body, below the dorsal fin. Since my fly would have been swinging towards the fish’s left side of its body as it faced upstream in the current, I cannot fathom how I ended up snagging it this way. Any ideas would be welcomed.

  2. #2
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    Could it have followed your fly ready to eat and then got spooked last minute and turned on the fly?

  3. #3
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    I guess, but it would’ve had to turn under the leader, which of course was tight to the rod. I was also swinging quite close to the bottom in fairly shallow water...using a 5ips leader and a cone head fly in 3-5’ of depth.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by PV_Premier View Post
    Friday, I was out doing some trout spey and was fishing from the river left bank, swinging my fly from the center of the stream back toward the bank. I ended up snagging a fish, which in and of itself was odd, but when I got it up to me I noticed I had snagged it on the right side of its body, below the dorsal fin. Since my fly would have been swinging towards the fish’s left side of its body as it faced upstream in the current, I cannot fathom how I ended up snagging it this way. Any ideas would be welcomed.
    PV-Sometimes you just accidentally "snag" a fish and there might not be a reasonable answer to us humans

    Carl Blackledge

  5. #5
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    I've had it happen to me several times as well, hooked right side pectoral fin area when swing river left, and left side when swinging river right. I think there are a few possible scenarios 1) I feel that the fish physically misses your fly as he comes to eat it, turns on it and takes off, turn and burn, but totally misses it and gets hook in the pectoral fun area. Especially when they are super grabby, 2) the fly hits some type of funky water and at the last second before the grab the fly undulates making the fish miss your fly and then gets hooked in the pectoral fin, kinda like how a fish misses your skater as its moving across the surface. The fly is still moving and they miss their target due to the current 3) the fish comes up to side swipe it to knock it out, all the while hooking itself in the pectoral fin area, 4) lastly sometimes you can't explain the unexplainable and crap happens.
    And Always Remember
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    Brian W Clemens
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  6. #6
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    Brian,

    With all due respect to your theory. I can't remember the last time I was eating and missed my mouth..LOL

    Carl Blackledge

  7. #7
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    "the physics of and interesting hookup incident"...well when a man loves a woman... ask your parents!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike borba View Post
    "the physics of and interesting hookup incident"...well when a man loves a woman... ask your parents!
    Now that’s funny

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by PV_Premier View Post
    Friday, I was out doing some trout spey and was fishing from the river left bank, swinging my fly from the center of the stream back toward the bank. I ended up snagging a fish, which in and of itself was odd, but when I got it up to me I noticed I had snagged it on the right side of its body, below the dorsal fin. Since my fly would have been swinging towards the fish’s left side of its body as it faced upstream in the current, I cannot fathom how I ended up snagging it this way. Any ideas would be welcomed.
    Being "tight" to the fly is not the same as the fly being in a straight line from the rod tip. Micro currents can, and usually do, move the fly in all kinds of directions. The line is indeed tight to the current, but not necessarily tight in a straight path. I have had anglers in total disbelief when I show them underwater video of their drifts. They'll swear on a stack of bibles they were "tight to the fly" when in fact they were simply tight to the current. The other common reason, as mentioned above, is a last minute refusal that can snag a fish just about anywhere.

  10. #10
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    I agree Ralph. And the fish doesn't even have to have been making a pass at your fly. I've actually watched and felt my leader wrap around a second fish as i was drifting it toward another fish. The second fish was not interested in my fly, but caught the leader on a pectoral fin or in its open mouth couldn't tell which, which of course spooked that fish causing it to dart down and away. I felt the tug and tugged back, which set the hook. In fact, I recall having that happen tarpon fishing in a small rio the Yucatan.

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