04-23-2007, 02:34 PM
I thought i'd add a little info to what the kidder and tube threw at you.
Keeping your rod tip up does more than just keep tension on the fish. The back bone of the rod is actually what wears the fish down. It also acts as a shock absorber to frisky fish as well as the stretching quality of Mono line. Another thing it does is keep your line out of low lying snags, which is key in water that has alot of structure, and especially that is shallow.
Also, I didn't notice this mentioned. But when you do set the hook, make sure you've got the slack reeled up first. If you set the hook while your line is limp, you haven't set the hook at all. Reel the slack up until there's a little tension, then give it a gently tug.
Make sure and very your presentation until you find something that works. What works one day may not work the next. Once you find a winning combanation, stick with it. Don't give up on a presentation in like 2 minutes either, give it time. Fish a style for 20 or 30 minutes to see how it's going to work. Also, fishing from the bank, make sure and "fan cast." when I say fan cast, I mean start your cast at say 9 o'clock, and work around the area to 3 o'clock. You want to cover as much area as possible, especially this time of year. The water is still a little cooler, and thier strike zone is going to be much cooler until the water warms up.
When you set the drag, set it to where you have to pull it at a decent level to get the line to come out. If you set it too loose, the fish will pull you into a snag and you'll loose the fish and maybe even your lure. If the drag lets go when you set the hook, you might could stand to tighten it another click or two. [cool]
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Keeping your rod tip up does more than just keep tension on the fish. The back bone of the rod is actually what wears the fish down. It also acts as a shock absorber to frisky fish as well as the stretching quality of Mono line. Another thing it does is keep your line out of low lying snags, which is key in water that has alot of structure, and especially that is shallow.
Also, I didn't notice this mentioned. But when you do set the hook, make sure you've got the slack reeled up first. If you set the hook while your line is limp, you haven't set the hook at all. Reel the slack up until there's a little tension, then give it a gently tug.
Make sure and very your presentation until you find something that works. What works one day may not work the next. Once you find a winning combanation, stick with it. Don't give up on a presentation in like 2 minutes either, give it time. Fish a style for 20 or 30 minutes to see how it's going to work. Also, fishing from the bank, make sure and "fan cast." when I say fan cast, I mean start your cast at say 9 o'clock, and work around the area to 3 o'clock. You want to cover as much area as possible, especially this time of year. The water is still a little cooler, and thier strike zone is going to be much cooler until the water warms up.
When you set the drag, set it to where you have to pull it at a decent level to get the line to come out. If you set it too loose, the fish will pull you into a snag and you'll loose the fish and maybe even your lure. If the drag lets go when you set the hook, you might could stand to tighten it another click or two. [cool]
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