It never fails, when using cheap equipment;

[slipperybob]

It never fails, when using cheap equipment; That a big fish will strike and you end up losing it.

So I got 4lb test line on my old shakespeare intrepid60 reel with my 7 feet medium rod. Fishing for crappies and wham got a lite bite, start pulling it in and felt heavier than usual for a crappie. Saw the fish come up to the surface, big walleye/sauger easily 18 inchers. With one swipe of the fish's head the line snapped from the sharp teeth. I'm a bad fisherman...should've used fireline...I was shore fishing...should've I kept my rod down instead of up?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Rod position is important, but not as important as a good drag system. On bigger fish like that with light line, you want to play them out a bit and not try and land them too early!

[delmuts]

i agree. a good drag, and good line, along with not trying to over power a fish make a big difference.a walleye doesn't have the razor teeth like pike. still! loosing a NICE fish still sinks!

[slipperybob]

The one thing I didn't expect was for the fish to turn it's head on me...mostly becuase I didn't expect to have a big walleye on, until it surfaced. Still I was using my old cheap equipment...kind of reminiscing the old days of my first few equipment. $30 reel, $30 pole...and that was a step up from the $20 reel $20 pole.

[Sonicrunch]

Quote:

---

Rod position is important, but not as important as a good drag system. On bigger fish like that with light line, you want to play them out a bit and not try and land them too early!

---

Rod position? Are you supposed to be pointing the rod a certain way when they surface?

[Wayne Ek]

Don't beat yourself up. A good drag may have helped, but toothy critters on 4 lbs. line is usually a lost fish. Even if you had top of the line equipment when a northern or walleye run to the side the line will usually pull across at least a few teeth and that's usually enough to cause line failure on smaller diameter lines.

[upnorth]

I always use 4# line for walleyes and have yet to see one cut the line with their teeth. Faulty drag, bad knots, or horsing in a fish is where you see most fish lost.

[Ufatz]

Hey Slip.....welcome to the club!!

[Luck e 1]

I guess I am no expert...but when I get a bigger fish near the boat I like to have the pressure of my rod pulling to my side instead of up over my head. When I fish for smallies and muskies, if i keep the rod down the fish don't seem to jump as often. I would also echo the loose drag. If I know I am out matched like you were I will click the the anti-reverse off and back reel them (basically just let it go and then slow it down when they slow down). If you don't like that, losen your drag and when they run point the rod more at the fish to flatten the angle of the rod out, thus making it easier for the drag to go.

However...this is coming from a guy who still loses big fish (don't we all?).

[Sonicrunch]

Gotcha. thanks.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Soni-like the above post states, your rod angle can turn fish or bring them closer to the surface. A lower rod angle could have(COULD HAVE, no knowing)kept the fishes head under the water... which would not have given him the leverage to turn quickly. Even playing a fish from side to side that is a little "green" can tire them out quicker or at least confuse them into not making a hard run. HInd sight is always 20/20... learn from it. Ad live with it.. loosing fish, especially big ones is part of the deal!

[slipperybob]

I'm just not the kind of guy who treats every fish like as if it was a big fish...I've seen people who do that, and when you're looking at a window of opportunity of 1/2 hour of high feeding activity. You don't want to spend a lot of time playing a little fish. Some buddies of mine play their fish ruining the opportunity for the rest of us. Only becuase they don't control the fish, rather the fish swims anywhere and befouling other's lines in the water. Or I see a fish getting tangled up in the rock or submergeds wood/vegetation. Playing smaller fishes also tend to attract larger toothy critters. Especially ice-fishing...

I suppose it's just my fishing karma...use cheap equipment, will lose big fish. Use good equipment, spend too much time catching little fishes...

[lookincalifornia]

i would expect the proper drag setting for an 18+" fish should be more than enough to fully control a crappie. i have caught some big fish (10 pound range) on my panfish gear including northerns and the main reason is the drag. second reason is i make it a point to check my line for knicks and cuts. that is the best thing about panfishing, that surprise fish. it's much better than getting a bluegill while walleye fishing.