Fishing should be a "drag" - An alternative Point of View

Fishing should be a "drag" - Alternative Points of View

By Capt. Fred Everson

Hi Mel,

I just finished reading Gary Poyssick’s piece on drag sets. The diagrams were nice, but in my humble opinion, the information was flawed. I expect many fishing guides who read the phrase concerning hook sets cringed at Gary’s advice on hook sets – “… with most fish you should try to rip their heads off.”

I beg to differ. As one who fishes with long, limber rods that have no chance of “ripping their heads off” I preach a much softer hook set. Capt. Chet Jennings is a consummate live bait angler – one of Tampa Bay’s busiest guides and premiere live bait anglers – and we both agree that over rigorous hook sets are the primary cause of missed fish by experienced clients and novices alike. The hook-set we teach at our fishing classes is to reel down on the fish with the rod tip pointed at the water, and when you feel weight, come up with the rod. Modern fish hooks are sharp enough to require no muscle whatsoever.

As a seminar speaker at fishing shows I have had the chance to listen to many, many guides, and I have never heard a single one promote the lip ripping hook-set. The exceptions for a hard set might be tarpon, cobia, or shark – all of which are particularly hard mouthed, and may require a bang or two with the rod to ensure a solid hook up. Other than those fish, few other inshore species require little more than a short, sharp tug of the rod tip parallel to the water to bury the hook beyond redemption. Trying to put too much muscle into a hook-set is a recipe for missed fish, and I get to see more than my share them.

This is, of course, merely opinion on either side. Those looking to learn the art of catching fish through reading should know that neither fishing nor writing are exact sciences. In a lifetime of reading and writing about fishing, my philosophy has ever been to use what works, and disregard what doesn’t. If something has the ring of truth, I will try it. If it doesn’t, I pass it by – unless experience dictates that it’s wrong headed. Then I write rebuttals.

Capt. Fred Everson

Cappy-

I'm a big fan of yours and Gary Poyssick is a terrific writer (and his illustrations are terrific), so I read the article on drag with interest. I think a couple of things should be pointed out:

1) It's a law of physics that, no matter how expensive (or cheap) the reel, as a fish runs off with your line and the diameter of the remaining line on the spool gets smaller, the drag gets heavier, so having it set properly at about 25% of the rated test is important.

2) Always test the drag through the rod guides, NOT just off the reel. If you pull the line directly off the reel and feel it is set correctly, then string up the line through your rod and pull at the same setting, and you will find the drag is a bit too heavy. Set the drag the way the fish is going to feel it...through the rod!

3) Last, but very important, when a fish is pulling drag on a spinning reel, it puts a half twist in the line with each revolution of the spool, so after a good tussel, remember to remove all the terminal tackle, and with your boat moving forward, pull your bare line through the water for a few minutes and it will "spin out" the kinks that have developed....

These are just add-ons, and I know space is limited when you are trying to get information out to the fishing community.

Down in Houston for a couple of weeks covering the SuperBowl, and then off to Hawaii for the ProBowl. I hope to get in the water in the islands

Doug Dodson
Tech Manager
ESPN

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