Losing Fish

[Don]

I talked to a friend this evening and he stated that he fished taney last weekend. I asked how he did and he said don't ask. He then stated he hooked approx. 20 fish on variety of flies and sizes but could hardly get anything in the net because the fly kept pulling loose. I gave my best advise.

First, he stated he was using a 9 ft 6 wt rod. I told him to use his 8.5 ft 5 wt for faster reaction to the strike.

Second, he said he didn't set the hook really hard. I stated that most of the time I loosen my drag several notches, not to the point of backlash, and I can set the hook much harder as the drag spins off some during the hookset. Then as I begin the fight, I reach to the real and click back tight several notches.

Third, he said as he is nymphing, he usually casts slightly upstream and has to mend a couple of times as the fly drifts to the side of him. I explained I usually highstick by casting halfway downstream and drift directly downstream and at the most I cast at a 45 degree angle facing downstream, thus eliminating alot of slack for a quicker, stronger hookset.

Any other suggestions, agreements, disagreements?

[Phil Lilley]

Question- what fly(s) was he using? How small? Type? I have trouble with some flies for instance a 200R pulls out easy. 200R is what I use for thread midges which I use alot.

When nymphing, I try to set the hook with the tip of the rod parallel to the water and pointing downstream, not setting the hook up in the air with the rod. It's a habit I acquired fishing for salmon- trying to set the hook in the corner of the mouth.

[Don]

He stated hook size didnt make a difference and he was hooking fish on both large and small hooks. I know his flies and they are approx 10-22 in size.

Thanks for the tip about the rod angle. I will pass that on to him this weekend as well as being attentive to it myself.

Don

[Luke]

When I'm nymphing down stream, I put a small mend to one side of the indicator/fly. That way when I go to set the hook, it pulls across the stream instead of upstream out of the fishes mouth. I get more hookups in the corner of their mouth and more hookups overall. It works for me.

[Seth]

I more often than not always hook the fish in the corner of the mouth or sometimes the very top of it.

I don't know if it's in the way I set the hook or what, but I never really have had a problem losing many fish. Sure here and there I have a few pull out but not many, even with #22's

[motroutbum]

i rarely miss fish with any hook ups, becuase i hardly ever just dead drift flies, and never use an indicator. if you sight fish to a single fish, then your chances of success will increase and your hook up percentage will also increase. i know most of you are thinking well i cant see my fly...you dont have to see your fly!!! just approximate where your drift is with the flow of the water, and then watch the fish you are fishing for and if the fish's mouth opens or he moves to one side or the other then set the hook.

if you are indicator fishing, make sure that your indicator is down stream of your flies. that way you can have the quickest reaction strike. if your flies are down stream, the fish will have taken your fly and spit it out before you will have even noticed anything. just my 2 cents, see ya on sunday

btw....wish you all were here to experience the blizzard caddis we have on the animasa right now, we floated last night and couldnt hardly see there were so many. it was deffinitely the most awesome natural phenomenon i have ever experienced...the fishing was really good too