|
|
Posts: 1150
Location: Minnesota. | Do you like to have the reel engaged or in free spool?
Often wondered...thanks in advance.
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 304
Location: Lino Lakes, MN | My reels are engaged thru the first half of the figure 8 or oval. I have had big fish hit boatside before I can get into freespool- Hope for a little drag slip -not much and then back off the drag and thumb the reel after hookup.
Good Luck
Steve |
|
| |
|
Posts: 100
| Thumb on the bar and will freespool when a fish hits. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 246
| Most times I freespool. I like the idea of giving a little more when a fish hits at boat side. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | Freespool. That way I can slam the hooks in and then let the fish have line fast to hopefully get it away from the boat. Bad things happen fighting fish in close. They can't wrap around motors, pull line against splash rails or rough spots under the boat, or other neat things that always seem to happen in close that way. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32930
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Freespool |
|
| |
|
Posts: 395
Location: NW WI | Freespool |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1150
Location: Minnesota. | Thanks guys. Seems I have some training to do. Never had this happen yet, 'cept on smaller fish. I think it's my fault as I've taken my bait out way too quickly on a few occasions.
Never (*G*) again.
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 2067
| this has been asked many times on this board.. MANY guys do not freespool.
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=57...
Edited by IAJustin 8/12/2012 6:03 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 1150
Location: Minnesota. | Justin, thank you.
I did initially try a search but evidently didn't enter the right criteria as it didn't give me this post series.
Gracias. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI | Freespool. Its instinctively part of my boatside routine that leads into my next cast. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 127
| Gregoire - 8/11/2012 10:22 AM
Thumb on the bar and will freespool when a fish hits.
bingo, same here. this technique got me my personal best last fall. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I like to lock the drag down. That way if a Muskie hits it is me or the fish. None of this loose drag or free-spooling stuff for me. Either they are in the net or I'm swimming. Yeah, I injured my shoulder again this weekend.  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 252
| I've only caught one muskie while figure 8'ing and I wasn't free spooling. I just kept going through the figure 8 after the fish hit and it stayed on. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 3910
| Part of that expensive reel you got there is a drag system. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 95
| I haven't been on this board in a while, but it amazes me this topic comes up quite a bit. Ripple is right... let the expensive drag in that expensive reel do it's job. Tighten your drag down tight for thos efishing big fish waters... the BIG fish WILL pull drag. You might lose a few of the smaller ones. Back in 1995, on Eagle Lake, one of the guys fishing with Herbie had a jumbino eat a bucktail at the boat. He was in free spool. The fish hit so hard, that it ripped his thumb under the spool and had to have it removed. It was a bloody mess, with no thumbnail left... peeled it right back, while this fish is trying to rip on his 80 lb rope!! From what Herbie said "It was wild man!"
for those who have been doing it for years and years, free-spooling can sometimes help alot... But I don't trust myself YET!!!
Anyway, just my 2 cents worth!!
Edited by DonnieHunt37 8/14/2012 6:18 AM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 151
Location: West of the metro, MN | Free spool. Using your thumb is faster than adjusting your drag |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1749
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Engaged. I adjust the reel so that the fish will take line. I can always thumb it for a hookset and then let them run from the boat. I have lost more fish from locked drag than anything else. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 225
Location: Nordeast Minneapolis | Agree with Ranger... if I wanted to freespool, I'd use one of the old man's old 'knuckle-knockers' he still has lying around in the basement, pre-drag. But if I've got a $250 reel attached to a $350 rod, I'm going to use the drag on the reel and the action on the rod to take a slipped thumb or a second of stupid out of the equation. I've never lost a fish on the 8 because of this; the only thing that gets in my way is when I pull the bait out of the fish's mouth before she hits.  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 95
| Zactly GUS!! I hang onto the front cork... takes ALL guess work and loss of thumbnails OUT OF THE EQUATION!!! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 61
Location: Anoka | Engaged for me I can get the hooks deep then I can work the drag thats what works best for me. |
|
| |
