The End Game: Tips for Landing More Fish

It’s often said that 90-percent of the fish that get away are lost in the first few moments or the last few moments of the fight. Quite often that’s true. And while you can’t do much about those fish being lost right at the start, you can do a heck of a lot to ensure that you lose fewer fish during the end game. These tips for landing fish will help.

1. When leadering a large fish, let the line slide back out through your hand if it surges. You have to be a human drag system and while it’s tough to watch the fish dart farther away from the boat, a failure to do so is likely to result in a snapped line.
2. When netting a fish, always scoop head-first. Chase after a fish’s tail with the net and it can swim away from you. But fish can’t swim backwards, so once you get the hoop around it’s head you’re 99-percent of the way there.
3. When you have a large fish in the net’s bag, don’t lever the net out and try to lift or the handle and/or hoop could collapse. Instead, hold the handle vertically and go hand-over-hand to get the net as high up as possible before swinging the fish over the gunwale. In extreme cases it’s best if a crewmember can grab the hoop while another holds the handle, to relieve as much pressure as possible.
4. Never rest with a large fish in the net but the mesh and fish still in the water. Many large fish will try to swim right through the net – and some will succeed.
5. When gaffing a fish, don’t stop swinging after you sink the gaff. Think of it like a golf shot: the follow-through is important. Unless the fish is simply too big for one person to lift, try to continue your swing and lift the fish into the boat all in one smooth motion.
6. When a fish darts under the boat and there’s any danger of the fishing line touching the side of the boat, shove the rod tip into the water. Do whatever it takes to prevent the line from hitting the fiberglass (much less a prop) or there’s a good chance for a break-off.

And of course, always remember: if you’re landing a big fish that you intend to release, treat it gently and get it back into the water asap!