Step 2: Step 4:
Take a Walk Net Man
Walking downstream or upstream with a
hooked fish helps achieve that goal and
should, coincidently, increase your catch
ratio. Talk about a true win-win. A trustworthy net man increases the
number of fish you land, and decreases the
time spent playing a fish.
I greatly increased my catch ratio on
Idaho’s Henry’s Fork River by walking
downstream with a fighting rainbow
the moment it was hooked. In contrast,
I noticed many fisherman standing
their ground on the ‘Fork; by the time
a trout reached their nets, after finally
being dragged along the surface, it was
exhausted and gasping. By walking with a
trout and keeping the fish on a short line,
you can increase tension and tire a fish
quickly. And when it’s time to slide the fish
over the surface and into a net, it doesn’t
skip for 30 feet.
Step 3:
Head Turner
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Photo: Greg Thomas
Turning a fish’s head throughout the fight
is a greatly underutilized tactic. It may
be scary to lower your rod parallel to the
water when doing so, but once you gain
confidence, you’ll never fight a fish any
other way. This tactic keeps you in control
and maximizes the strain on a fish. To do
this you’ll have to identify which direction
a fish is swimming. If it’s swimming, say,
upstream to the right, you’ll point your rod
left and pull left, and vice versa for a fish
swimming downstream to the left. After few
head turns, you’ll feel the fish tiring and
should be able to manage it to the bank in
a timely fashion.
The most effective procedure is having the
net man downstream from the hooked-up
angler. This gives the angler an opportunity
to back up on shore while turning the fish’s
head toward shore and, hopefully, right into
the net. When executed properly, a fish
has no choice but to swim directly into the
open net.
Step 5:
In the Bag
Once your fish is in the net, give him a
rest, a chance to catch its breath while you
catch yours. When doing so, always face
a trout upstream in clean water, complete-
ly submerged. If possible, allow the fish
to just swim gently in the net. Watch the
tempo of its gills. If the gills flare quickly,
give the fish more time to recover. Once
the pace slows, and the fish demonstrates
that it wants out of the net, it’s time to say
goodbye. If you want underwater photos
you might shoot them now. The fish will
be better off if you take photos of it under
water, rather than out of it. Keep ‘em wet if
you can.
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