Setting the Hook - Don't let that Trout get away!

Setting the Hook

Takes some finesse

Once you are for sure that you have a fish on the line ( the rod tip bent over to the water surface is a good indicator), you now have to set the hook. 

Setting the hook as I said takes some finesse. Try it too early (while the fish is still nibbling but does not have the hook in his mouth) and I jerk it away and the fish swims off. Do it too late (after he has taken the bait) and I risk the chance of ripping the hook right out of their mouth.

So, to be done right, here's what I do.  When I feel the first nibbling, I wait. I am waiting for a kind of solid tug. If I wait until I feel a this tug, then maybe even a second or third one, O am pretty much guaranteed the bait is in the fish's mouth. At that point, I quickly set the hook by snapping my rod upwards. Not so hard that I chance ripping the hook free, but just hard enough to 'set' the hook firmly in the fish's mouth.

Once I know my fish is hooked, I reel in slowly, keeping my rod tip higher than my head. The reason is, lowering the tip, creates slack in the line and the fish can sometime shake themselves off. I keep tension on the line with a combination of using the pole's natural flexing and keeping the rod tip up until I have reeled the fish in. Never be in a hurry, part of fishing is feeling the fight of these fish, as they love to fight and jump.

 

As my fish gets close to me (if I am in the stream), or on the shore I simply slide my net under the fish and bring it in.

Next up: Catch and release or keep your fish? I will cover both scenarios