[Whistler]

Original post made by Brad Prather(Slimy) on March 3, 2002


well fellas there is so much knowledge on this board someone will hang into the hawg of there dreams this year on that note i will try and post about that big fight of your life ....many of us while anchored on the river enjoying a beer lookin at the sky waiting for that blue or flathead to hit are not fully prepared for that once in a lifetime fight maybe this will help you have braggin rights instead of that big fish story ... scenario ...a big blue say 70 pnd grabs the bait starts makeing that drag sing you grab the rod within seconds the blue has peeled 50 foot of line off at this stage it is very critical in heavy wooded area to get control of that fish if you cannot stop him YOU NEED TO LET LOSE OF THE ANCHOR AND CHASE HIM DOWN that big of a fish is not dumb by any means he will rap you into wood in a sec or spool ya that is why it is critical that you make that call if you cannot stop him chase him down ! i carry a milk jug with super glue on the lid tied to my anchor rope that way i just throw the rope overboard and chase .if you ever get into this situation this is the way i go about it ..start motor first then run up to front and throw line over (mine is a tiller motor) go to the back of the boat and kick into reverse long enough to get a little momentem up flip into nutral and reel like hell all the while i dont let slack in line that could cause the fish to drop hook ..i keep my rig pointed up stream to have maximum manuvering ability i stand up and fight fish after you disengage your engine you will have momentem that will allow you to drift down river at a speed that will allow you to fight the fish and not let him gain any more line ..if he does get into wood start motor kick into gear till your right over him and try to pull him out or set rod in holder and let him come out on his own might happen might not 50/50 chance of that happening...im posting this because i have learned this technique through trial and error and a little salt water exsperiance.. i have lost 3 fish in my favorite river that would of went better than 60 pnds due to not gaining control of fish soon enough or not wanting to throw the anchor rope over ...dont make these mistakes be prepared and good hunting....slimy

 

[Whistler]

Original post made by Tim DeWerff(Bearcat) on March 5, 2002


I have caught a few big fish. What seems to me one of the most important things to do is. Have help. Always if possible go with a friend. Know and discuss in advance what you and they will be responsible for before you hook that biggun. Talk to each other so you are on the same page. Remain calm as much as possible. Have them remind you to stay calm. Buy and use the best gear that you can afford. After you land the fish get a few pictures as fast as possible and get fish back in water. Now if you plan on releaseing it let it go after you are sure it has recovered. If you are going to keep it for the dinner table you still want to keep it in the water to keep it fresh and alive untill you are ready to go home. Dead fish dont last long unless they are on ice. Good fishing and good luck Bearcat

 

[Whistler]

Original post made by Jerry Trew(Jtrew) on March 6, 2002

Bro, a couple of things to remember for setting your "lunch hook" (drop-off anchor): first, have some quick-disconnect method of unhooking the anchor rope from your boat. In the past, I have always used a big "S" hook, with the anchor rope tied to the hook, so that I could just reach down, grab the "S" hook, and throw it, the anchor rope, and the float overboard. I've got some new anchor rope tie-offs I'm going to try, though. You simply wind the rope in an "S" curve through some pegs. To loosen, just grab the loose end of the rope and jerk. That's they way it's advertised to work, anyway.
Throwing the anchor rope overboard brings me to the second point. Keep the loose rope coiled up and } so that it won't come loose. If you throw the loose rope overboard, when you come back to your marker float, you may run over the rope and wind it around your prop. In the wrong waters, this can be fatal. In 1983, when I had just returned to Arkansas, a friend and I were fishing from shore just below the powerhouse at Dardanelle when we noticed an anchored boat moving to retreive the anchor and move. Because of the extremely swift current, they were using the motor to move the boat up over the anchor to make pulling in the rope a lot easier. They overran the rope. Suddenly, the outboard jerked to a stop, with the rope wrapped around the prop. The boat immediately swapped ends, with the stern facing the current. Of course, it only took a few seconds for the boat to fill with water and turn over. All we could do was to yell and wave at another nearby boat that hadn't seen what was happening. Finally, we got their attention, and pointed at the overturned boat. Fortunately, the two elderly guys had had enough sense to wear their life jackets all the time they were out there, and that saved their lives. The other boat, containing the son-in-law of one of the wet gentlemen, quickly picked them up, took them to shore, and retreived what equipment was still floating. Of course, most had gone to the bottom. Remember, if there's a possibility that you're going to throw it over the side, coil your extra anchor rope and secure it with a cord, bungee strap, or whatever.