BentRod
10/16/2015 7:25:00 PMCongrats on hooking one. Must have been exciting. If your hooks are sharp and you're not breaking your leader then I wonder if you're trying to land the fish too quickly? Granted, some fish are going to throw the hook no matter what you do, but if you're not playing the fish long enough then the thrashing around it's probably doing as it gets close to shore increases the chances of it twisting just right and popping the hook out. Coho tend to roll and twist, so it's a tough one, but if you're not doing so already, then try giving the next one a little time and lighter drag to tire itself out before trying to net it. Good luck on your next outing!
JoshH
10/16/2015 8:59:00 PMMy best advice from learned experiences like you are having now is two things that most do wrong once they have a fish hooked up. 1 is adrenaline makes you want to get the fish to shore right now! You have to play the fish to shore. It will let you know when its ready to be landed. Let the fish do all of the fighting, dont fight it yourself. Keep the tension between you and the fish, but dont try to reel in when its trying to run. Reel it when the fish is letting you, when its thrashing and figbting the only reeling you should be doing is to keep the tension in the line. When you are bringing it in to shore and it turns to run back out, let it. Once it stops the run, start bringing it back in. The fish will let you know when it is ready to be landed.
The other thing is your drag tension. It should actually be fairly light. You only want it tight enough to be able to get a good hook set and to keep enough tension in the line to make the fish have to work a little. If the fish turns to run, it should be able to take line. Ive seen many folks with drags set too tight, the fish turns to go, their pole doubles ovee, and after a few tugs the fish pops off. A light tension on the drag will allow you to keep fish on that you havent just nailed the hook set on. Again, tight enough to keep tension, but light enough to let the fish run.
Those are the two biggest mistakes i see. Getting too worked up and trying to land the fish immediately, and having the drag set too tight, especially in rivers when people are worried about the fish snagging on something submerged. Ive witnessed countless fish lost because the hook is ripped out of the fishes mouth.
The other thing is your drag tension. It should actually be fairly light. You only want it tight enough to be able to get a good hook set and to keep enough tension in the line to make the fish have to work a little. If the fish turns to run, it should be able to take line. Ive seen many folks with drags set too tight, the fish turns to go, their pole doubles ovee, and after a few tugs the fish pops off. A light tension on the drag will allow you to keep fish on that you havent just nailed the hook set on. Again, tight enough to keep tension, but light enough to let the fish run.
Those are the two biggest mistakes i see. Getting too worked up and trying to land the fish immediately, and having the drag set too tight, especially in rivers when people are worried about the fish snagging on something submerged. Ive witnessed countless fish lost because the hook is ripped out of the fishes mouth.
JoshH
10/16/2015 9:05:00 PMI should have read bentrods comment before i posted. Same advice, just more to the point :)
BentRod
10/16/2015 10:13:00 PMWell, if you need someone to show you how to slip on a moldy Pink while playing a fish, fall in the water, and still land the thing, I'm your man! :)
makscoot
10/16/2015 11:08:00 PMif you are fishing the upper Snohomish then you are likely near the hywy 522 bridge, maybe tesla road. losing fish during battle often means the rod is not keeping proper tension on the fish. If you haven't already, invest in an 8'6" okuma Celilo ($70) on Lamiglas ($120) 12-20 pounds medium weight with a fast action tip. Those rods are really design for the northwest. I see guys fishing with ugly sticks that have heavy backbone and little overall bend. If you already have that then it is just a numbers game. you are out fishing me and I have plenty of money invested in quality tackle, The will come. Keep it up and good luck. I need to drift the river my self
Cheers,
Makscoot
Cheers,
Makscoot
Goldrigger1
10/17/2015 6:30:00 AMSorry you lost your fish. I've experienced slow fishing for larger fish way too many times. I get lethargic or bored. When the action is fast, all of my moves are textbook. I'm so ready I think of the fish as something to tire out till it can hardly swim anymore. Everything is so easy then.
When the fishing is boring, my mind is not ready and I am sloppy for 20 seconds or so. I lose more fish during that time. Bad hook sets, poor reaction to a fish rising to jump, I may not even have the drag set right. I've fished so long I'm no longer surprised I lose a fish when it is slow.
When the action is fast I rarely let a fish jump, the hook set becomes perfect, the drag is always ready. My mind makes me feel so relaxed then. Kind of odd how it works for me.
I couldn't work the water like you did. I'm gone before my arm gets tired. My mind moves to other places I could fish or other things I could be doing.
When the fishing is boring, my mind is not ready and I am sloppy for 20 seconds or so. I lose more fish during that time. Bad hook sets, poor reaction to a fish rising to jump, I may not even have the drag set right. I've fished so long I'm no longer surprised I lose a fish when it is slow.
When the action is fast I rarely let a fish jump, the hook set becomes perfect, the drag is always ready. My mind makes me feel so relaxed then. Kind of odd how it works for me.
I couldn't work the water like you did. I'm gone before my arm gets tired. My mind moves to other places I could fish or other things I could be doing.
fishwish
10/17/2015 6:38:00 AMThanks for the advise. Now that I think about it I am probably reeling in too fast. I have got a good rod and do get really excited when I have a fish on my line. I have been fishing near a lot of wood so it sounds like I need to pull the fish away from the wood and let them run a bit. The pinks I was catching earlier in the year did seem to thrash on shore a lot more than the other pinks that were landed near me. I have been mostly fishing the edges of what could be described as deep riffles and some odd spots were there is something that makes it different from the rest of the river. Because I just do not like to fish in meat alley at Thomas Eddy, I have taken to roaming the fishing spots, often without a rod, on weekends and after fishing in the morning to find places to target in the future. Until this year, I have spent the majority of my "fishing" time doing this kind of scouting.
fishwish
10/17/2015 6:54:00 AMGoldrigger, I had been getting pretty bored but knew the fish should be coming through. I lose a lot of gear at these times so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at losing fish.
Fishlady15
10/17/2015 10:37:00 PMFish wish... Good that you are scouting around. That's what I'v e been doing to find the best spots. Finally found a friend to come with me this time. So I fished the Snohomish today near Thomas eddy. Just a lot of zombie pinks swimming downstream to die. I got one bite. And next time we"all try another spot.
Goldrigger1
10/18/2015 9:05:00 AMFishwish, I get all prepared the night before. I have it all figured in my mind. I usually have a couple of plans. When my plans don't work out then my plans aren't working and that's when I get bored cause I really just want to leave. I was only talking for me. I admire determination.