How to Lose Fish

 Yes. It is easy to do.

Sometimes there is no good excuse. It is just in the heat of the moment forgetting one simple rule: If you lose a fish, always check the hook. It might be bent.

I caught a lot of 12 to 18" fish-- small schools on the move-- and then I had one that would have been better but not on for long. 

Turns out the reason I lost 4 more was this:

I guess that fish was bigger than I thought!

I had been catching near keepers (and lost one keeper) on white ones tied this way--but I ended up trimming off all but the lead 3/0 hook. As a friend says, "big bass never miss" which turned to be true--only larger ones were caught--and a few obviously smaller ones lost--I'd feel hits that didn't hook up.

This black one I debarbed the trailer--which is a #1.ALL the smaller bass took that trailer the past few sessions. Only 18"+ took the lead hook. That might be chance. Most but not all trolling. I did sight cast to 4 landings a few days previous.

Nice to be out fishing. But better luck next time--and check the fly!

Imagination and the art of fishing

 There are times when fishing fits a narrative--even if that narrative is nothing but imaginative thinking. Last night was one of those times. 

If you read my last journal entry, you know that I tied a new triple articulated deceiver and that the first three fish it caught were all over 24" and one (that I lost after a fight) was probably over 30". And this fly seemed to take a savage strike very quickly after being in the water.

I followed up that fishing with a session last evening as the sun was approaching the horizon, and caught four fish. This time, the first was sizeable in the 24-26" range, but then each one after that was smaller, and smaller and smaller still: about 20, then about 16, then barely 12 inches. While the larger first fish took it without warning (as was also true in the previous days), the smaller fish all took repeated swipes at the fly before finally taking it. This seems to be -- possibly -- a behavioral difference between larger versus smaller bass. Imaginary thinking?

The other imaginary thinking aspect: best chance for big is first catch in a swim....which is "proved" by my results. Of course in reality it is not so simple, is it?

 

 

 

The disappointment of losing big fish

 The past few weeks, I've been experimenting with longer flies. 

Three hooks,

versus two.

 

2017 caught a very big (probably biggest) fish on a triple. Didn't do it much after that.

Double this year--bigger fish.

Brand new triple this morning on glass water. First drift -- huge linesider. HUGE. Splashin and fightin

Pulled line through my hands, took some drag on flyreel. Then I kept pressure but I think I was ham fisted. Went light--lost it!

Also lost the big fish I caught on a triple in 2017.

Also lost a really big fish (on spinning gear) in Florida last year. June 2019.

Big fish are my nemesis.

 

I do wonder if the poorly trimmed back hook was the problem. Did I hook it on the trimmed back hook (Frankly I doubt it. All but two of the two dozen stripers I've landed have been on the front when I've had a tandem setup with both hooks untrimmed.)