Anglers are no doubt staging contests with big fish in our local rivers. These are exciting times and also yield some significant disappointments. It is one thing to hook a big fish, and it is yet another to successfully land it.

Most of the time, big fish win the battle within the first several seconds of being hooked. Anglers panic and improperly engage the fish resulting in a fish getting the upper hand. Fishers clamp down on the reel and either pull the hook out or break the line.

When fighting a big fish in moving water, you want to maintain the upper hand from the moment the fish is hooked to landing. If the fish is in control, it is more likely that something will go wrong and you will never see your catch again. There are generally two areas that anglers need to be concerned about during the stand off. By paying close attention to these two matters, you will produce more wins than loses.

First, the angler must keep pressure on a fish’s head in the opposite direction that it is trying to swim. To do this anglers must adjust the angle and force the rod slowly. This must be achieved by never jerking the rod quickly. I fight a fish with the rod to the side at a 45 degree angle. Ideally, a gentle bend in the rod will keep pressure on the fish. Care needs to be exercised to not turn the rod and change the angle too often or aggressively. The drag on the reel needs to do the work by keeping it cranked but not in a rigid manner.

Whether a fish is taking line or holding its ground or digging in the current, it is important to make sure the rod angle opposes the direction the fish is pulling. Even more important is making sure that the rod pressure is steady and firm but not over powering.

It is essential to put the proper angle on the rod slowly and carefully. A fast or jerking motion is sure failure even if the fish changes directions suddenly as it is likely to do. Trying to horse a fighting fish upcurrent is a recipe for disaster. The key is to keep tension on its head against the current. This will eventually tire the fish. If you control the head you are in control of the whole show.

Secondly, a fish running straight at you will slack up your line in an instant if you do not react fast. Raising the rod as you reel in the slack line helps to maintain a tight line between the fish and the rod tip.

You can be in total control of a fish and be confident that you are wearing it down and then it turns and runs toward you. This can happen so fast and it is difficult to react correctly.

In this case, reel fast as you raise the rod overhead. You need to shorten the amount of line between the rod tip and the fish as fast as possible. Lifting the rod and getting line off the water as you reel will shorten that gap quickly which helps you stay tight until the fish changes direction again.

Big fish are fun to catch and even more so when landed.