About "Catch & Research"

Welcome. I found my passion in ecological economics and fishing. They are all about pursuit of unknown and uncertain objects. I always enjoy the seemingly reckless pursuit itself. This blog is a record of my long journey in research and fishing. Your comments are welcome and appreciated.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Lesson learned: drag setting for kayak fishing

Last Saturday, I went kayak-fishing nearby small lake. The lake, which is a famous fishing destination in this region, is always challenge to me: It is hard to catch a decent size fish. I thought clarity might be anissue: the lake is so clear that it is hard to fool fish. Thus, I decided to focus on deep section of lake where clarity is low. I used dark green color tube with 1/8 oz jig head. The result was successful. I could get continuous nibbles.

However, I could not firmly set hook or lost while fighting. It was frustrating. I solved one side of puzzle, but the other side still remains unsolved. Make long story short, the reason was at my drag setting of reel. I set drag as usual for typical lure fishing. But it was mistake. I should have set it firmly or set no drag. What I found was that because I was on freely moving piece of plastic, there was natural drag system. I didn't need to fiddle with my reel at all. Double drag system, my reel and moving kayak, made it harder to set hook and fight.

When I do not anchor my kayak, I will set no drag. It will help me to set hook. By the way, after realizing this, I nailed a largemouth bass. Not a monster, but it pulled my kayak around. It was a fun!

Sorry, no picture.

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