“It’s all about the bite and fight”
Why rush such an enjoyable part of the sport?
INEVER get why some of us will wait hours for a bite, then want the fight to be over as quickly as possible.
Match anglers are the same, but for a different reason – eager to build a big weight, they play a fish so hard it’s in the net within seconds, then it’s back out for the next one. To me, the bite and the fight that follows mean everything. I’ve had some memorable scraps with fish in my time.
Pound for pound in British waters the barbel takes some beating, especially in the fast-flowing waters of the middle Severn, where this muscle-packed fish will take off downstream at a rate of knots, or even show off its strength by swimming upstream against the flow to find a snag. I remember landing an 11-pounder on the float two years ago that simply would not give up on my 8lb line. It took around 10 minutes to land – what a battle that was!
Some say predators don’t fight very hard, but I had some memorable encounters with Canadian pike in shallow water. These fish were grabbing lures near the surface, and sprayed water everywhere as they tried to throw the hook.
Not all the best fights are from massive fish. If there’s a species better at slipping the hook than a big roach I’ve yet to meet it. For much of the time you’re using small hooks, and roach have this habit of fighting near the surface, nodding their heads violently. This is always a heartstopping moment, and you’ll need properly balanced tackle to avoid a parting of the ways.
Only last year I landed a roach of 3lb 1oz, and the memory of that fish will stay with me for a very long time. It fought high in the water from the moment it was hooked till it finally went over the landing net, taking years off my life in the process!
In recent years the best fight I ever had was from a 300lb Mekong catfish in Thailand. It took me over two hours in 350C heat to subdue this monster and I must have sweated off pounds!
All my fish are landed using the clutch on the reel. Rarely, and then only when the fish is under the rod-tip, will I revert to backwinding.
Really big, fast-running fish can’t be played on backwind – early in my angling career I tried it, and it’s a really bad idea.
The only exception is when I’m fishing for trout or salmon with a centrepin, and even then I have the clutch set fairly tight to slow the fish down.
Here’s to a summer of bent rods and long fights for all of us!