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Posts: 158
Location: Eagan, MN | What do you guys do when you're fighting a fish and it goes airborne? I usually try to stop them from jumping in the first place by kind of leading them around and getting them to swim around the boat. But once they're in the air I've always tried to just keep steady pressure, keep my rod low and try to pull away from the direction the fish is going. STill, I've lost a lot of fish on jumps or right after a jump, and I'm wondering what everyone else's thoughts are. |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | keep the rod tip down, even in the water as much as possible. |
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Posts: 3240
Location: Racine, Wi | Take Pictures!!! LOL
I pretty much do the same thing. Try to keep a bend in the rod, and keep the line tight. If I see the fish coming up, I try to keep downward pressure to keep them from going airborne, but sometimes, they still go. Just hang on, and try to keep the line tight. |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | of course if a musky wants to jump its just plain gonna jump. i have seen many nice aerial arobatic shows ending with my lure doing flips away from the fish in the other direction!! |
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Posts: 440
| PRAY!!!!!!! |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | hahaa!! chad im usally going the other direction cuss!! maybe thats why my lure goes flying maybe i should try your way next time!!! |
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Posts: 440
| To be serious I think trying to get the rod down and keep the fish in the water is you best "gamble".....I don't think we can stop a jump if the fish really wants to. That is why I said PRAY!!!!!!! |
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Posts: 56
| I don't believe there's any sure-fire technique to keep a jumping musky from throwing a bait, but keeping your line tight is the best. Now if keeping your line tight by dropping your rod tip to the water or reeling up slack works, then do it. Aside from that advice, I'd recommend what someone else said. Pray!
Steve |
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| An airborne musky is a joy to watch and also likely a quick release before you get her into the boat. Keep your line tight and rod tip down and try to prevent the musky from gaining this opportunity to escape prematurely!  |
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| Cheer!
then dive the rod down into the water and crank to get the slack out. |
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Posts: 4266
| Curse when you see the line coming up, then pray that they stay stuck.
Beav |
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| I'm usually too busy watching her tailwalk to worry about keeping the rod low! |
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Posts: 1536
Location: God's Country......USA..... Western Wisconsin | Pretty amazing to watch when they jump and shake their head so violently. Seems strange that the height attained when a Muskie jumps is in direct coralation to how hard you are pulling. I try my darndest to keep the line tight, even if this means taking a small step away from the jumping fish. Just try hard not to step completly out of the boat. |
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | "Just try hard not to step completly out of the boat"....lol..... I had one fish on that if it wasn't tail walking 100 foot from the boat it was right under the boat but 15 foot down.... Never had it close enough to the boat and shallow enough to even think of netting it... To this day I wish my brother had grabbed a camera and started shooting rather then having grabbed the net... Awesome fight, I did everything I needed to keep it hooked, rod tip down, tight line..etc.. all the way up to its final jump where it slammed down into the water with enough force to finally throw the hooks(maybe a little slack line too.)... Man was that fun... and disappointing... Was in a channel area of a lake in vilas county...when I lost the fish I hear gasps from several different directions... must have been about seven different boats stopped and watching me..... Gotta get back to that lake again.... |
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Posts: 2752
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | I'm like Lambeau- plunge the rod into the water & try to keep a tight line. My most memorable muskie was a tail walking ~36" fish that put on an unbelievable airborne demonstration in about a 3 acre shallow bay (3 to 5 feet of water). I was actually rooting for the fish at the end- yup never got it into the net- hell it never even came close. About 3 minutes of really intense airborne acrobatic's and the hook was loose. God I wish I had a video of that fish dancing.
Al |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Great advice to stick the rod down deep, it does work!! And you can prevent the jump(occasionaly) by doing so and reeling fast, or pulling the rod towards, when you see it raise quickly. the further away the fish is though, the harder to keep them from jumping. Learned the rod tip down technique in MN awhile back. Those fish over there seem to be acrobats!
Edited by Reef Hawg 3/7/2005 5:52 PM
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Posts: 4266
| What do the saltwater guys tell all of the tarpon fishermen??????
"Bow to the fish." They figure that tension in the line will aid in shakig loose, but a slack line gives them less leverage. I just drop to one knee, kind of that Catholic altar boy genuflection thing, and try to pull their heads down. Seems to work better on barred fish than spots. Spots are just plain nuts. With both species, I try to pull them out to depper water using the electric motor with my rod stuck down in the water. 9 times out of 10, they'll head deep when you get them to deep water.
Beav |
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| All good answers...but...when they jump, do the same! Though it takes some practice, the ability to jump at the same time a fish does will definitely increase one's chance of landing the toothy prey. Being able to jump higher than the fish also allows the angler to keep the rod tip above the head of the quarry, eliminating needless gyrations and rod whipping motions that can endanger other fisher peeps in the boat. Being able to train yourself to avoid "false" jumps will also decrease the likelihood of yer arse taking a tubby if you leap too far off the bow.
Begin your day w/ a cat head biscuit stuffed w/ Velveeta cheese and a dolop of mayo; this vital food source will give you the necessary energy for a day of jumping and cranking, thus landing. Wear a quality pair of gym shoes; I personally prefer hi top Converse, double laced in the black and white shade. On the way to the lake, place a Thigh Master between your legs and squeeze the legs vigorously back and forth together at stop lights; who cares who stares, you know the end results! Once there, slowly motor away from the dock entrance and do a variety of stretches before heading out, and begin to mentally prepare for the day. If you per chance hook a fish, gaze intently at the point where the line enters the water; this will allow you to guess the fishs' next move, and clue you if he/she plans to jump. Since fish most always jump to better s what's on the other side of the water, your ability to leap in sync w/ the fish will most likely freak him/her out, thus encouraging the fish to stay below the surface; should the fish tail walk, you do the same...should he porpoise, porpoise on my brotha! Be one w/ the fish and increase your landing percentages. Once you have perfected this technique, share w/ others; I do local seminars and pack the Civic Center once a month here. Now get out there and show the common man how to prepare a frozen dairy treat!  |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Sponge..
Does it help to practice jumping up just as an elevator starts going down.
My boys and I were getting pretty good at this.
I had no idea it would benifit me in keeping Jumping Muskies hooked up. |
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| Sponger, I prefer to jump and click my heels together if it is a really big fish. Lost a giant on the Kawartha's Chain years ago doing that and still have her teeth marks on the blade of my bucktail to remember her by!  |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Sponger,
Hey man, I need an email. Sue and I are on vacation the last week of March through the first week April, looking to stop by and say hello. Also looking for a place to vacation over that way, any resorts/hotels you would recommend?
By the way, great post, sir!!
[email protected] |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | I'm with Lambeau..CHEER. I'm too busy letting out a whoop and grinning to think straight.
You always hope learned instincts will prevail. What a great fish!! |
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| I can see it now. The next time I have one jumping I'll be thinking what SPONGE said and jumping clear out of the boat or jumping onto a couple of my St. Croixs......Haha |
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What to do when they jump?