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Posts: 58
| I was fishing in very low water visibility this morning with a spinnerbait. Got a light bite about 4-5 feet away from the boat, reeled down and sure enough there is a fish there, thought maybe a pike. . Didn't get a great hookset. 45" or so fish comes up and only have a few feet of line out. Waiting for the net man and think to myself should I free spool this? About 3 seconds later fish is staying up with his mouth open and head shaking the whole time and finally the single trailer hook pops out. Should I have free spooled it?
Edited by The_Commodore 10/4/2020 2:21 PM
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Or cranked back on the thumbwheel drag. Likely the fish got a bad angle on you and the not-great hookest paid off for her. m |
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Posts: 864
Location: NE Ohio | spinner baits and the roof a muskie's mouth = not good hook penetration. even if ya did free spool it probably would have just prolonged the inevitable. i hate when that happens! |
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Posts: 1276
| Bury the rod tip in the water, and try to keep the fish away from the surface until the net is ready. No guarantee, but bad thing happen the more time the fish has near the surface. |
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | You free spool when the fish is about to make a run away from the boat so you don’t tear the hooks out of her face. Head shakes require more tension with the rod buried. |
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Posts: 58
| Thought about that too. But the fish never breached the surface while head shaking, stayed about a foot under. I just tried to keep the line tight, and as soon as it stopped head shaking it tried taking off and the hook popped. Anyways, thanks for the feedback. |
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | If I could have back every fish that got off at the boat just like that, I’d be a hero. It happens. |
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Posts: 1141
Location: NorthCentral WI | I personally feel like I have lost more fish free spooling next to the boat so I quit doing that several years ago. If the net man is not ready I like to walk the fish around the boat, keeping it swimming in the one direction. When you try to change direction of the fish 180 degrees that is when most are lost IMO. |
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Posts: 624
Location: S.W. WI | The_Commodore - 10/4/2020 2:20 PM
. Should I have free spooled it?
Ya, ...Maybe.... if you would have free spooled- you'd probably now be asking if you would have been better off not free spoolin?
Just the way it goes.
Edited by Rudedog 10/5/2020 3:38 PM
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Location: oswego, il | You could have free spooled but it sounds like you had a beak hooked fish, hard to land one of those. |
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Posts: 1247
Location: Walker, MN | Sometimes you go right for the net and it works out, sometimes they come off. I've lost plenty trying to play out lightly hooked fish too. |
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | I just don't get "free spooling" guys! Just what do you think that drag is for? When you loose a GIANT because you "free spooled" and your thumb slipped and created a backlash, you might just figure it out! My drag is NEVER so tight that a fish can't pull it out. If I want to stop them, I just tighten my thumb down on the spool. For what it is worth. Works for me and I have just a bit of experience (64 years). Try it, you might like it. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Larry Ramsell - 10/6/2020 10:07 AM
I just don't get "free spooling" guys! Just what do you think that drag is for? When you loose a GIANT because you "free spooled" and your thumb slipped and created a backlash, you might just figure it out! My drag is NEVER so tight that a fish can't pull it out. If I want to stop them, I just tighten my thumb down on the spool. For what it is worth. Works for me and I have just a bit of experience (64 years). Try it, you might like it.
Amen |
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Posts: 8781
| If you lock your drag down, yes. If you use it the way it was intended, no. |
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Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | I have never free spooled any fish... Should I ? Why?
I have backed off a drag when the fish was hooked out from the boat a few times.
MR. Ramsell said it best for me.
FREE Country,..... So far.... |
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Posts: 1270
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | Back in the day, I free spooled every fish. Of course my Pflueger Supreme didn't come equipped with anti reverse or a drag system. Got used to it but sure appreciate all the improvements.  |
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Location: E. Tenn | The_Commodore - 10/5/2020 10:37 AM
Thought about that too. But the fish never breached the surface while head shaking, stayed about a foot under. I just tried to keep the line tight, and as soon as it stopped head shaking it tried taking off and the hook popped. Anyways, thanks for the feedback.
The exact same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago.. I had one chase, went into the eight, lost sight of the fish, and my boat partner hollered "He's got it!", when I was in the worst possible position to get a good hookset. I'm thinking doing a stright upward hookset, especially when you lose sight of the fish, but you know it ate.
I guess we just can't win 'em all.
Edited by miket55 10/7/2020 9:40 PM
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Posts: 14
| horsehunter - 10/6/2020 10:42 AM
Larry Ramsell - 10/6/2020 10:07 AM
I just don't get "free spooling" guys! Just what do you think that drag is for? When you loose a GIANT because you "free spooled" and your thumb slipped and created a backlash, you might just figure it out! My drag is NEVER so tight that a fish can't pull it out. If I want to stop them, I just tighten my thumb down on the spool. For what it is worth. Works for me and I have just a bit of experience (64 years). Try it, you might like it.
I usually back the drag off a 1/4 turn after hook set and let it play out. When they are facing you just head shaking, thats the worst position. Walking the boat with your rod low can help but sometimes they just get off. |
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Posts: 393
| 9+ ft poles add a significant buffer when fighting a fish at boatside. You should never really have to risk free spooling using 9+ poles. |
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Posts: 69
Location: Royalton, MN | With spinnerbaits, I've have had more missed hook-ups and had more fish come unbuttoned that with any other lure by far. With those two single hooks facing the same direction, spinnerbaits just get poor hook-ups. However, they get follow and bites and can come through weeds like no other bait, so losing some fish is just an unfortunate reality. |
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Posts: 426
Location: Perryville, MO | This is the second time in so many days I've heard this assessment. I fish spinnerbaits a lot. I don't use a trailer hook, and still I don't seem to miss that many fish. I've pulled away from one fish this Fall and another seemed to miss the bait. Accounting for the one, that's a very small percentage for me. I don't get it really. Driving one sharp hook home seems like a high percentage game to me. In fact, I caught one this past week with the hook (outside) in and through the top of is mouth.
Edited by hawkeye9 10/12/2020 1:34 PM
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Posts: 69
Location: Royalton, MN | hawkeye9 - 10/12/2020 1:30 PM
This is the second time in so many days I've heard this assessment. I fish spinnerbaits a lot. I don't use a trailer hook, and still I don't seem to miss that many fish. I've pulled away from one fish this Fall and another seemed to miss the bait. Accounting for the one, that's a very small percentage for me. I don't get it really. Driving one sharp hook home seems like a high percentage game to me. In fact, I caught one this past week with the hook (outside) in and through the top of is mouth.
Can't say why it is, but it's been my experience. The treble hook baits often hook a fish multiple times. Twice this season alone I've missed good fish near the boat when they've t-boned a spinnerbait and missed the hook, and one smaller Leech fish hit the willow blade at boatside and put a bend in it. They like tail-nipping the spinners too. Frustrating baits for sure, but they put fish in the net.
What kind of spinners do you use? Do you use a curly-tail grub trailer? Do you bend the hook open a little more than how it came?
I use Rad Dog heavies with tinsel skirts mostly, and put a 7-8" curly-tail grubs trimmed down to 5-6" on the trailer hook with a dab of super glue. |
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | There are more things to consider than just line tension when you lost a fish. Line angle for example. There are lots of different opinions on whether or not to Freespool. My opinion is simple. If I'm not turning the reel handle, I'm in freespool. Good luck with your next bite. |
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Posts: 426
Location: Perryville, MO | BassThumb, I use Llungen Nutbusters with Mogambo tails (considerably shortened). I especially like the "stock" Eagle Claw hook that comes on the Mag size (sticky sharp for sure). I'm not sure if it is what makes the difference on hook-ups, but the hook is shrink-wrapped to the bait which does allow you to set it up with an upward sort of angle. (The real benefit though is that I don't even think twice about cutting a hook to release a fish which actually sucks with a traditional spinnerbait as it is all but ruined. Takes less than a minute or so to put a new one on.) |
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Posts: 69
Location: Royalton, MN | hawkeye9 - 10/14/2020 11:48 AM
BassThumb, I use Llungen Nutbusters with Mogambo tails (considerably shortened). I especially like the "stock" Eagle Claw hook that comes on the Mag size (sticky sharp for sure). I'm not sure if it is what makes the difference on hook-ups, but the hook is shrink-wrapped to the bait which does allow you to set it up with an upward sort of angle. (The real benefit though is that I don't even think twice about cutting a hook to release a fish which actually sucks with a traditional spinnerbait as it is all but ruined. Takes less than a minute or so to put a new one on.)
Good to know. Thanks. |
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Posts: 1144
Location: Minnesota. | Larry Ramsell - 10/6/2020 9:07 AM
I just don't get "free spooling" guys! Just what do you think that drag is for? When you loose a GIANT because you "free spooled" and your thumb slipped and created a backlash, you might just figure it out! My drag is NEVER so tight that a fish can't pull it out. If I want to stop them, I just tighten my thumb down on the spool. For what it is worth. Works for me and I have just a bit of experience (64 years). Try it, you might like it.
This!! It's what the drag tensioner is for.... Set it tight but loose enough for slippage. If that bugs you with a fresh and feisty fish on click it back a "tad" after that initial burst if you feel the need but that's it. That's the "function of that function"....kapeesch?? or whoever the heck it's spelled!
To the OP, dont over-think this stuff...it's muskies and -- it's part of their charm!!! It's what happens for a 100 reasons. |
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Posts: 113
Location: Shoreview, MN | Not sure freespooling would do anything for a headshaking fish - might have actually made it easier to shake the bait. While they are shaking you are kinda screwed - gotta get them swimming again - usually by putting the rod down in the water and a lot of pressure in the right direction... |
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