Now, I have only a little to offer, but you have to pay attention…down here…yes, the drag has to be set so the spool doesn’t over run on a big fish- it shouldn’t be too tight as big fish snap rods-the bend in the rod should aid in fighting the fish-don’t put a hand too far up the rod causing stress on the rod- bend or bow at the waist to the jumping fish to take pressure off the line as the fish crashes down upon the leader (at least drop your arm)-once the fish stops strong runs but zips a bit here and there move the rod tip at different angles from hi up to down to the water surface…keep the fish off balance with the ‘walking the dog’ technique of moving it in the opposite direction of the fish’s surge and do it smoothly…speaking of smoothly, don’t get so adrenalized that you stumble about and slip and slide. Move smoothly AND….most importantly!!! pause at times and savor ‘the moment’…seriously, this is what it is all about…preparation, tying, presentation, deception, the take, success…yes, all good, but savor that moment…you have earned it.
If you were standing elbow to elbow on some Alaskan, Oregon, Michigan river flinging hardware or drift gear and you hook that fish…you have about 10 seconds before some dipshit starts casting into the general direction of where you were fishing and others expect you to raise your rod and move down river with your fish and hurry up while you are at it! Fortunately, fly fishers usually are spread out a touch more, and are more patient…giving you maybe a minute or two to savor your success…so enjoy…feel the power, feel your equipment work (you paid enough for it) and feel how darn smooth you can be under that adrenaline surge…
SwittersB & Exploring 