{"id":19656,"date":"2020-01-23T17:34:35","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T17:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oceanbluefishing.com\/magazine\/?p=19656"},"modified":"2023-05-26T02:04:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T16:04:49","slug":"landing-fish-more-effectively","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oceanbluefishing.com\/magazine\/landing-fish-more-effectively\/","title":{"rendered":"Landing Your Fish of a Lifetime More Effectively"},"content":{"rendered":"

Angling is one of the many activities we do to relieve stress. But usually it doesn\u2019t work that way especially if you\u2019ve yet to land a fish! Here are some things that you would want to do right on your next Vanuatu fishing trip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a guide, there are some things that just shouldn\u2019t be done or said. Over the years you bump into all sorts of characters from different levels of the economic scale like millionaires, guys that have been saving for the trip for years, and the mad keen bloke who does trips a few times a year around the world and work only for normal survival like clothes, food, beer and angling. Rest assured we treat everyone the same way just like every other keen fisho.<\/p>\n

Casting the levels of experience aside, no matter how good or bad you are at angling, I have seen them all make mistakes, and this article is just for this purpose. Avoiding the smallest of mistakes that cost everyone their fish.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go through some of the head scratching \u201cwhy did I do that?\u201d moments shall we?<\/p>\n

1 <\/span>Setting the Hook<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve kind of discussed this before but let\u2019s elaborate more on the hookset.  So, you have just had an insane strike that almost pulled your rod out of your hands. First things first, set the hook and set HARD. You will have to set the hooks a few times to ensure a solid penetration of the hooks and you should remember that when you go to set again you will have to wind back down to tighten the line, otherwise you\u2019re really not achieving much as you are only setting slack line.<\/p>\n

This applies to jigging as well. When you feel a solid hit while jigging, I recommend that you continue with your jigging motion, pulling up extra hard while turning your reel handle twice the times you were while jigging. This will ensure that you are constantly tightening the line and punching the hooks through the fish\u2019s thick jaw tissue.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRemember, fish is already cooked from the fight so a little less tension will help you and your guide land the fish faster and safer.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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2 <\/span>Gimbals<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gimbals are one of the greatest inventions in stand-up tackle and they do a pretty awesome job at keeping anglers comfortable while allowing them to fully utilize their body weight during the course of the battle with fish. I love them and always recommend our Ocean Blue guests to use them, but I also hate gimbals for the simple reason that people lose so many fish due to wanting to put the rod into the gimbal prematurely.<\/p>\n

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Setting the hook once then the rush and panic when trying to find the gimbal creates a lot of slack line resulting in lost fish and a grumpy guide. \u201cDo not put your rod in the gimbal\u201d until the fish \u201cstarts running\u201d or starts to take line of your reel as this is when you have no chance of slack line. In one smooth and solid movement, use your off hand to push the rod butt into your gimbal. Make sure that you\u2019ve checked where your gimbal is and is facing the right way or is adjusted properly. Making last minute gimbal adjustments are another big factor in lost fish due to slack line.<\/p>\n

Just to make sure you got my point, only put the rod butt in the gimbal when the fish is off for a run. Reel hand on the rod and reel, off-hand to push the butt into the gimbal in one smooth and solid motion.<\/p>\n

3 <\/span> The End Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So both you and your guide see color and the fish at this stage is pretty well poofed, so the guide will generally start coming boat side with you and concentrating on the leader. You don\u2019t want your rod in the gimbal. Stop smiling, I know you\u2019ve done this a couple of times before. Keeping the rod in the gimbal will cause too much pressure on your rod tip due to a high angle and will most probably snap your rod tip, in other words high-sticking. Remember, fish is already cooked from the fight so a little less tension will help you and your guide land the fish faster and safer.<\/p>\n