Article by Sue Foster
“I’ve heard that before!”
We in the tackle store business have heard that one before! There are stories that are funny (after the fact) and there are fishing stories that just make you want to say, “Awe, darn!”
If you are new to fishing, consider these little “hints” and “tips” and things not to do or at least to be aware of. It happens to the best of us, makes us feel really bad and becomes part of the “one that got away” story.
One story I just heard this past week reminds me of several lost fish over the years. And the sad part is, the fish was caught and in the boat! The old’ stringer or fish basket story! The man told me he had boated the biggest flounder he had ever caught in his life up by the Route 90 Bridge. It was 27-inches long. He put the flounder on a chain stringer and the metal clip bent out and the fish swam away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this. Metal fish baskets can do the same thing. They rust, or are just cheap to begin with. They are made for freshwater “sunnies” and just do not hold up to big saltwater fish. My suggestion is this: “Once the fish is in the boat, keep it in the boat! Put it in a cooler with ice. You can even make saltwater brine with ice and saltwater and you can even bleed the fish by clipping its gill. This makes a fish really, really fresh.
“Let’s see how big that flounder is!”
Many good coolers have a measuring ruler molded right into the cooler lid. Flounder are slick and can slide right out of your hands and go back overboard if your gunnel is low. Put it in the cooler while it is alive and flopping around. Measure it on the deck if you need to make sure it is legal, or grip it firmly with two hands and a couple of rags. If you know it is legal and it is a big one, get it in the cooler and measure it later. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the story of the flounder that flips off the top of the cooler and swims away!
“He hit the flounder right on the head with the net!”
A novice trying to net a big flounder is the butt of many “the fish that got away” stories! If you are netting a big flounder, get it’s head in the net first and the rest will follow. Trying to scoop it up like a crab doesn’t always work. If you accidently hit the fish with the rim of the net it will spook and run. The bigger the net, the easier it is to net a large fish. If the net is on the small side, always try to get the fish in head first and get that net up fast!
Remember, when you are fighting a fish and you change the angle of the line, the hook can dislodge. The angler should keep pressure on the fish without letting any slack in the line, without changing the drag and without moving all over the boat with the net man trying to chase him down!
“The fish wasn’t coming in fast enough, so I cranked down on the drag.”
We hear this all the time, especially from anglers fishing in the surf. The angler fights the fish for 20 minutes and the big striper is coming into the wash. The angler gets excited and cranks down on the drag. Don’t do it! Let the waves help bring in the fish and keep pressure on the line without letting in any slack.
“My buddy went down to the water and grabbed the line and the fish got away!”
Don’t do that either! Keep pressure on the fish, walk backwards, and let the fish come in with the waves. If anyone grabs anything, it should be the fish. With a pair of gloves on, pull it up by the gills. Don’t grab it by the tail or the hook might come out and the fish might swim away!
“My drag locked up!”
We hear that all the time. Always make sure your drag is set and is working before you start to fish. Less expensive reels have fewer drag washers in them, so you need to play with them a little to make sure they are working. If you crank the drag knob down too much, you may accidently set it on terminate. If you have an old reel that is full of salt and sand, the drag may not work at all. Take out all the little washers in the spool and clean them up. Put them back in, just like they came out.
“I had my rod leaning into the water and a fish pulled it overboard!”
Whether in a boat, off a pier or in the surf, you need to keep your rod in a rod holder (with your drag working and set) or in your hand. If it’s not in your hand and there’s no rod holder, put it away. More rods and reels are lost overboard to fish than you would imagine. Even if you haven’t had a bite all day, as soon as you turn your head, that’s when it happens!
“What happened to my bait? It was right here?”
Whether surf or pier fishing, there’s one thing you need to know in Ocean City. Hungry seagulls will steal your bait in 30 seconds if you aren’t careful. Keep your bait in a bucket or cooler.
“I hooked a big fish and the line broke!”
If you are up on the pier and hook a shark or other big fish, handline the fish up or see if anyone has a bridge net. Cranking and cranking and getting nowhere will get you just that… nowhere. If you crank down on the drag, the line may break. I always carry a pair of gloves with me. Get someone to hold the rod and reel in the slack, and hand line it in!
Don’t lose that fish!
Good fishing!
Sue Foster is an outdoor writer and co-owner of Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City, MD and Fenwick Tackle in Fenwick, DE.
