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When you go fishing, it is inevitable that at some point you are going to fight a fish. Believe it or not, fish generally do not have a sufficient death wish that they just want to be dragged along by their mouths, onto your boat, and then cut up into small pieces and served to your buddies or your family. This is not a part of most fish’s plans for the day. And whether there is a conscious process or not, when a fish feels a hook entering their mouth, they are going to run. Well, technically they are going to swim, but the term for it is running.
When you fight a fish, you have got to resist the urge to fight it with brute strength. The fish might give. You probably won’t. But your rod, your reel and your line are not necessarily so durable. When your rod and reel break, you have either got to improvise, use another rod, or settle in for a day when your friends invent increasingly humiliating taunts for your broken equipment- which for some people can be a pretty emotionally painful experience. Remember that as the smarter species (at least we all hope so), it is our job to out think the fish, instead of just out muscling it.
For instance, you have your drag for a reason. Use this drag for all it is worth, and set it to about one third of the weight of your line’s test strength. Keep your rod pointed at the fish so that it can reel and drag appropriately without catching or breaking. While there is no guarantee that this will not happen, it is less likely to than if you were to keep your rod pointed at an oblique angle and sheer off your line. Remember that in time, even the mightiest fish is going to wear out. Wait.
