Landing Trout

Now that we have set the hook on that MONSTER TROUT, we will show you how to land it. Remember, as you set the hook in a downstream motion to capture the fly into the top of the trout’s mouth, he will do one of three things…

He will head upriver…
He will head downriver…
Or he will head across-river.

No matter what direction he heads, remember to do these three things:

1. Keep the rod tip up, keeping pressure on the top of the fish.

2. Stay parallel with the fish as much as possible. If he heads downriver, walk with him to keep with him. If he heads upriver, do the same thing. If he moves across-river, just make sure that you keep your rod tip up and let the reel do the work for you.

What happens when your rod tip goes down?

Your rod will bounce up and down with the fish, but if you get to the point where the rod is parallel with the water, that’s when you have taken all of the play out of the rod as it bends; all of the pressure is being placed on the line and the knots. Your rod is designed to compensate for these sudden pressure changes, and your line and knots are only as strong as the materials you’ve chosen to use and the success of your knots.

The key is keep pressure on top of the trout’s head, so that it comes up and does head shakes. This will quickly tire out the fish; the larger the fish, the faster it will tire out. And it’s not good for the fish to play like this for 20+ minutes. The best thing to do is to tire out the fish and bring it in as soon as possible.

If the fish decides to run, let your reel take out the line and adjust the speed with the pointer finger on your rod hand. Don’t try and hold it tightly with your opposing hand or you will snap off the fly. As the fish runs, drop your wrist slightly so that when you have a chance to start recalling it, you have control again. Think of the videos of deep sea fishermen who are reeling in large tuna. As they are reeling in, they are coming back with the rod.

We are doing the same thing here as they are doing with the large tuna, but obviously on a much smaller scale. Just remember never to drop your rod tip to a level where it is parallel with the ground or your fly will snap off. Follow the fish. Keep going with it. You will know when he tires out because his movements will slow down significantly.

Now that you have that MONSTER TROUT tired out, begin to reel him in to you. Remember that when he gets close, he will most likely get spooked, so have your net ready for when he is near enough. Place the net in the water before he gets too close, and scoop him up. Remember, if he does decide to run, let him. Just keep the rod tip up to maintain constant pressure on the top of the fish, and stay parallel with him until he tires out.

If you’re fishing with another person, it is always great to help them land a fish, or vice-versa. Bring the fish into you as you would if you were fishing by yourself and let your friend net it for you. This will help you better control the rod as you bring the fish in.