Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
From the time a fish is hooked until it’s either in the boat, on the shore or intentionally set free, there are a lot of things that can go wrong resulting in the outcome of the encounter being anything but what the angler is hoping for, in other words – it can be lost at any time! Whether the fish is intended to be gaffed, netted, lifted aboard by the line or just held in the water for a few photos before its release, of all the things that can go wrong after hook-up, it’s been my observation that the greatest shot at losing a fish comes at the end of the fight when it’s mere seconds from being landed.
Most battles with fish are pretty straightforward involving a give-and-take of line between fish and fisherman until the fish is eventually brought to the boat, shore or pier and unless extreme light tackle is being used, or the fishing area is chock full of line-snagging obstacles, as long as an angler gets a good hook-set and there’s no malfunction with the tackle, then there’s often a pretty good chance that sooner or later a fish will be close enough that the swivel hits the rod tip and it can officially be considered a “catch.” But every angler knows that if the intention is to bring the fish home for dinner, or even just keep it close-by for a photo or two, there’s a lot more that needs to go “right” and a whole lot more that can go “wrong” before the catch can really be celebrated.
For instance; when a fish is brought to a boat or pier, there is always a chance that it might foul the line or leader under the boat on the prop or rudder or get around a piling that supports the dock.
Anglers can only do their best to avoid such mishaps by keeping aware of the hazard and try to direct their catch away from it. On a boat it may be necessary to stick the rod tip deep into the water to keep the line from fouling if the fish makes a run under the boat when it’s close. It may also be necessary to start the boat and maneuver it away or around a fish to prevent a break-off. Pier anglers should try and land their catch on the down-current side of whatever structure they’re fishing from.
Fish are also lost at the boat because the person wielding the net or gaff just goofs-up and something goes awry. The person with the net or gaff must be patient and wait for the fish to be in the proper place before trying to do their job. Rushing things will almost always end horribly. You should never try to scoop with a net or chase a fish with a gaff, in both cases the fish must be at the surface and pointed in the right direction. A net should be put in front of a fish and the fish led into it and a gaff should be brought to a fish from behind so that if the fish surges forward, it won’t foul the leader or line into on the handle.
When a fish is brought to a boat, the person who is charged with grabbing the leader and directing the fish the final few feet to the net or gaff is burdened with the most important job on the boat. To that point, the connection between fish and angler has been subject to no more pressure than the drag of the reel would allow. When someone grabs the leader, they run the risk of applying too much additional pressure and pulling the hook from the fish’s mouth or popping a leader that might have become weakened during the fight. The leader-man’s first order of business should always be to try and determine the condition of the leader and the hook-set before pulling too hard on a fish close to the boat.
The leader-man must also be ready to smoothly let go of the leader if the fish makes a final surge away from the boat. Holding tight to a leader connected to a big fish has one of three outcomes; either the fish will be held at the boat, the fish will pop the leader or hook and get away or the leader-man will get pulled overboard. With only one out of three chances for success, the leader-man had better do it right the first time!
In most cases the first time a decent size fish is brought to the boat or pier it’s going to figure out real quick that it’s someplace it doesn’t want to be and will muster up the strength for one more run. Those who don’t stay ready for this might find out the hard way that last-runs can result in broken tackle and lost fish. Anglers should keep the rod tip well out over the boat and always be prepared to resume the fight should the fish take off again.
Finally, fish are often lost at the boat because they make a sharp turn and suddenly draw the line or leader across their own face. Imagine fighting a fish that has a hook in the left side of its jaw. During the entire fight, the pull might have only been from that side of the fish. Now the fish is close to the boat and it makes a hard left turn, which draws the line or leader into its mouth. Even if the fish is not able to bite through the leader, there is an increased chance of the hook pulling free because the hook will rotate and it is now being pulled from an entirely different angle. This problem can worsen if the fish also decides to shake its head, which they often do when close to a boat. To avoid such problems anglers should raise their rod tip to keep the line high so that a turning fish will swim around the line and not straight into it, and when possible a leader-man should strive to leader a fish on the same side as the hook.
Captain Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
