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Location: 31 | I learned to put my thumb on the spool before going into the 8, this relieves the pressure and it is no problem to disengage the reel. Heck, I was hitting the free-spool back back when everyone was using 5-6 foot rods, so I am not changing either  Like Steve, I think it's benefits outweigh its negatives, actually I've never had a problem... it's the stone cold nuts for me to use a poker analogy.
Most of you guys will not be able to relate to this but I use 20+ year-old 6500C reels with converted direct drive components from the early 1970's 5000 DA. Basically, I do not have a drag in the conventional sense and the only way the fish can take line is when I allow the real handle to spin backwards. |
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Posts: 19
| No freespooling on my figure 8. I just make sure my drag is set correctly before I make that first cast. This way I can concentrate on getting that slob to bite with a hard set before I worry about trying to land it. A good point was brought up with newer reels having better drag. I will freespool when fighting a fish that is close to the boat while using an older reel... but still not on the figure 8. |
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Posts: 42
| Free Spool !
Regardless of my drag setting, I feel the big advantage of the "free spool" is me getting a better hook set because of positioning.
In free spool I'm able to feed line letting the fish "turn away". When she turns, I set. Once the hook set is complete, I engage the reel and let the drag take over.
Edited by BassMiesterNJ 4/19/2010 8:34 AM
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Posts: 2088
| you "feed line" to a fish that eats in the 8 and as she swims away set the hook? Are you talking about a figure 8 with your sucker rig? |
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Location: 31 | That didn't make sense to me either. They eat it at the boat with me and they're swimming away with their eyes crossed. |
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Location: 31 | That didn't make sense to me either... they take a bite at the drive up window with me and they're paddling away with their eyes crossed. |
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Posts: 63
| Nope, I never have. But Jim Saric was saying if you get a monster at boatside, and it locks up your reel, all you have to do to release the tension is to bend your knees. |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | Inhaler - 4/21/2010 2:46 AM
Nope, I never have. But Jim Saric was saying if you get a monster at boatside, and it locks up your reel, all you have to do to release the tension is to bend your knees.
Not when she swims directly away from you. Otherwise, that's a pretty good idea. I'll use that this year. thanks |
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Posts: 899
| The fish I've lost boatside after hooking up have not been because I didn't free spool, they were due to a couple common mistakes. 1) Setting the hook in an upwards direction and pulling the fish's head out of the water, or 2) the fish biting when I'm in a position that makes setting the hook nearly impossible. Usually, after hooking up boatside I bury the rod tip to keep the fish from jumping (doesn't always work) or if they are just sitting there shaking their head I drag them around the boat until the net man is ready.
One other thing I've talked about with other folks that may be worth considering is how the rating of your rod affects how you should set your drag. Lots of people are using XH or XXH rods these days. With that heavy of a rod, there isn't as much flex and in my opinion it is a lot easier for a big fish to rip the hooks out if your drag is locked down. Especially boatside. I lock down the drag on reels that are on rods rated H or less, back it off just a touch when I'm using an XH rod. Something to consider if you're not a free-spooler anyway. |
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Posts: 63
| whynot - 4/21/2010 9:49 AM
One other thing I've talked about with other folks that may be worth considering is how the rating of your rod affects how you should set your drag. Lots of people are using XH or XXH rods these days. With that heavy of a rod, there isn't as much flex and in my opinion it is a lot easier for a big fish to rip the hooks out if your drag is locked down. Especially boatside. I lock down the drag on reels that are on rods rated H or less, back it off just a touch when I'm using an XH rod. Something to consider if you're not a free-spooler anyway.
Thats a good idea, but don't you have to worry about not getting a good hookset if your drag is backed off a bit. I would think that if your drag slips it would impede the hook set. |
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| If you have sharp hooks you shouldn't have any problem getting hooks into a fish with the drag backed off a tad. I'm not talking a lot, just not a locked down drag. Maybe a quarter turn depending on the reel. |
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I've never understood why so many muskie fishermen think they need to fish with a drag locked down tight.
Especially when you nail one at boatside. 90% of the fish I've witnessed getting off at the boat were because of a "superman" hook-set and a tight drag.
They either pull the bait out or they pull the fish up out of the water and they shake it off.
My boat-side hook-ups that actually made it into the net went way up when I started to just put tension on the fish and let it take drag after it's pinned up.
But that's just me.
JS |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | Guest - 4/22/2010 9:41 AM
I've never understood why so many muskie fishermen think they need to fish with a drag locked down tight.
Especially when you nail one at boatside. 90% of the fish I've witnessed getting off at the boat were because of a "superman" hook-set and a tight drag.
They either pull the bait out or they pull the fish up out of the water and they shake it off.
My boat-side hook-ups that actually made it into the net went way up when I started to just put tension on the fish and let it take drag after it's pinned up.
But that's just me.
JS
Because if you are part of M/F and you musky fish, you only fish with a Okuma 9'3" rod and a Okuma reel, with the drag locked down, and you open your reel, free spool every musky, why because that's how my Dad did it 35 years ago.LOL
Guess you are so right how to fight a musky in 2010 !!!!!!!!!!! |
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