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+--- Thread: Need help on how to reel in a fish (/showthread.php?tid=977875)
Need help on how to reel in a fish - Mirra - 05-21-2016
I have no one to teach me and my son fishing so having learn off you tube, lol. We gave it a shot today but I had a problem so need help figuring out the problem.
We have 2 combo spinning fishing rods (one salt, one fresh, one cheap, one a bit better). I'm not really after a certain type of fish. Just want to catch a few and let them go for my 10 year old to have fun.
So today I was using playdough (recommended by Bass pro salesman) a small hook he gave me and a bobber. I caught a huge catfish (I thought they were bottom so maybe it was shallow since I had a bobber on).
Anyway, he was big. I did not know about drag. I could see my real giving out and didn't know what to do. Eventually he tired and I got him to the surface but it took forever. I can see now researching that it was too lose drag). Anyway, once he was at the surface I could see he was about 13-14 inches maybe. My reel would not lift him off the water. It just kept spinning. The fish was so tired he wasn't even struggling LOL. So I started playing with knobs and found the drag knob and tightened it all the way. At this point it didn't give out anymore....BUT I couldn't turn the handle either! Is that because he was too heavy or because I tightened that knob?
In the end I threw on gloves and hand pulled the line up. He then fell off (likely because the hook was small and he was friggin heavy!) Truthfully I was relieved because I was afraid to handle a catfish that big. The hook stayed on the real.
I saw videos on how to set the drag. What I don't get is why I couldn't turn the handle anymore to get him up. What do you do when you get too heavy of a fish?
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Re: [Mirra] Need help on how to reel in a fish - gdn443 - 05-22-2016
I use my fish net. Tighten your drag just enough to give you good residence when you pull on the line.
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