Tips For Fighting Fish on Centerpin?

[Rich]

I keep breaking off the big ones. Usually within seconds, but if I let go of the spool soon enough and let them run, I've gotten a good 30 seconds before the break off. Lol 2 big fresh salmon yesterday, a big (for me) steelhead, then I finally landed a 15" brown.

 

Why do I keep breaking fish off? I miss my baitcaster. Lol

[Richie Razor]

Use heavier, better quality line, make sure your knots are tied right.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Chotchkies House

[Rich]

I should have added that. To test my equipment, I brought the centerpin out for carp yesterday. Used my exact same setup I had been using all day. I know a carp is no fresh salmon or steelhead, but it's a pretty big fish capable of exerting a lot of resistance. No probs in knot or leader. It's all me.

 

[Roy]

Rich, I have no doubt that you know your knots and line qualities. So far my only thought on why you're having problems is the fast river bottom (rocks) vs. soft muddy bottom lake/pond for the carp.

[solopaddler]

The issue almost certainly is you're not applying drag correctly. There's several different ways of doing this, but the bottom line is it takes a delicate touch learning when to give and take and precisely when to clamp down and lock the spool when you're talking big strong fish.

 

It's a big part of the learning curve and success only comes with experience.

 

What you really need is a demonstration from someone who knows how to handle a reel properly.

[sauce]

I find that wetting my "drag" fingers helps to let line out more smoothly when a fish runs. Pulling back on a fish and putting a big arc in the rod takes away from the rods shock absorption. Try not to pull straight back and keep the rod in a position that will allow it to bend and absorb the shock of headshakes. Also, heavy pressure for hook set then back of a bit and let'em freak out a bit before the fight really starts.

[Canuck2fan]

The sad truth is there are fish that can't be stopped unless you are using a telephone pole and straight 50lb braid. My cousins who have moved out to B.C. just laught at my gear. They ask what are you fishing for with those toothpicks, bait?

 

Chrome will as noted dive for the bottom and use anything on it to cut a line. One section of a trib I fish is flat rock bottom covered with zebra mussels and landing 3 to 4 in every 10 fish hooked there is a real feat.

 

The IMPORTANT part is you are hooking fish!!!! Learning to control them will come in time.

 

One thing I would check is to wrap your leaders around you hands and snap it to see if it is a problem with them snapping under the head shakes. Carp just pull they don't usually cause high impact shocks like chrome do. One spring I had switched to a new type of leader material and lost about 5 fish one mornning. I could NOT break the knots by pulling them to test it, but a quick snap and it would break everytime. I went back to my old leader material and landed every fish that afternoon.

[Ralph Field]

Going with other steelheaders , as Mike B said, will help by watching how they apply drag to their reel. As said earlier there are many methods, I apply drag with my 2nd finger directly on the spool .

[Rich]

Some awesome tips here as usual! I think I definitely understand what I do wrong now. I treat them like fish I hook on a spinner where keeping tension is the whole game. And I keep the rod arced straight in the air. I need to set hook and leave a little slack by the sounds of it, let them get their shakes in before they run. It makes a lotta sense now and boy do I feel like an ameteur thinking back how I tried to fight those salmon, lol ... Thats alright though, I AM an ameteur at this. All part of the learning curve. As said I am hooking way more fish than I ever have in the fall so I'll just be happy about that until I learn to land them!

 

Unless any steelheaders want to volunteer their time to speed up my learning curve that is

 

Thanks everyone!

[BillM]

Just stick with it man, you'll get it. I've also noticed that if you let a big salmon way downstream of you, their tail can easily snap whatever leader/mainline you're running. Happened to be a bunch when fishing a Lake O estuary a few years ago, couldn't figure out what was going on until I actually saw it happen, lol.

[bare foot wader]

what lb mainline and leader?

 

being a guy that fished ON tribs for 15 yrs and then moved to BC and now bounce back and forth, I found that the conventional ON thinking on light leaders isn't actually necessary for more bites (if you can mend good drifts it doesn't matter if you're using 4lb or 12 lb leaders IMO)....anything less than 6lb leaders are only for dry flies lol

 

I'd suggest to try fishing a heaver leader, like 10 or 12 lb, until you get the hang of it

 

with your baitcaster (or experienced pinner) you get consistent drag applied to the fish, with somebody new on the pin you're going to get pressure spikes from not applying drag as smoothly, that isn't good for light leaders even with a long soft rod

 

and is it possible you just have bad/old line? I had a spool of 12 lb raven once and it snapped like nothing, cost me 4 winter steelies one day before I respooled back to trusty trilene

[misfish]

Rich,I was in the same boat. New to the pin,I was losing bigger fish. It takes time ,but you will get it. I find on the bigger fish,I will wet my hand and palm drag the reel.

 

Caught a spunky sliver chinny this morning. It took a bit to get in. Im still learning.

Im running 10 Raven main,with 6 sufix as a lead. The 13.5 CTS holds it,s own.

 

Keep at it.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Misfish