Fish On! ...now what...

[buzz]

I was reading another thread when I saw this...

...I have a routine when I have a fish on hook. Paddle goes down first, the hooked pole comes up and I make sure I have him on the line good enough, then the second line gets reeled in to prevent the tangle/snag.

And it got me thinking....

What is the best way to handle multiple lines out when you have a fish on one?

I have lost several fish this year because I was worried about a second line out. Its like this. First I would make sure the hook is set and crank the reel several rotations. Then I would try hold the rod in my left hand while trying to crank the reel of the 2nd rod while its still seated in the rod holder, all-the-while trying to maintain tension on the rod in my left hand. This was very awkward and I would ultimately end up letting the rod with the fish on go slack for a moment or two... which is all it would take for the fish to spit the lure.

So now when I hook one, I...

1. Pull the rod from the rod holder
2. Turn off the trolling motor (my paddle spends most its time bungeed to the gunwale)
3. Pull the kill switch cord so I don't accidentally turn the motor back on
4. Rudder towards the rod. If the hooked rod is on the left I go left... on the right I go right
5. Just let the other line be
6. Land the fish
7. Photos are taken (if worthy)
8. Pull in the second line (or unsnag it) and regroup

What is your routine/procedure?

[Frogsauce]

To add to that, the second line only gets reeled in enough to not drag the bottom while the fish is pulling me around (hopefully it's that big....).

So far, maybe I have been lucky, but the hooked fish haven't shaken a lure out on me while I secure the paddle and reel the 2nd rod.

[HearadonCatch]

Don't have any experience with double hook ups, but after reading this post all I could think about was this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHtU...SN-CPQmDb1MR1Q

[RavensDfense]

The more you play with the other line, the more liekly you are to lose the fish. It's that simple. If the fish is relatively small try to keep the yak as straigt as possible. If you are in a Hobie, just keep peddling.

I lost a bull red playing around with another line because I was scared he was going to get tangled. On the next hookup I was ready. As soon as he started to turn the yak and risked getting tangled, I quickly cut the other line with scissors I had on my vest. The way I figure it is that I spend a crap ton of time, energy, and money to connect on a big fish and I'll be a lot less pissed losing a $5 jighead and a few yards of line then the big fish I came to catch.

[RavensDfense]

Don't have any experience with double hook ups, but after reading this post all I could think about was this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHtU...SN-CPQmDb1MR1Q

This has to be the best case senario. He has his trolling line out further and the first fish he is fighting was sight casted and closer. Loosening the drag on the trolled rod and putting it in the holder allowed that fish to get further away while he landed the first one. If you are trolling two rods the same distance from the boat, it gets a little tricker.

[DonV]

I was reading another thread when I saw this...And it got me thinking....

What is the best way to handle multiple lines out when you have a fish on one?

My style is a little hard to describe but I would say has been best illustrated in some of the Laurel and Hardy or Keystone Cops movies but with more cussing.

[Frogsauce]

But is it better to catch one fish on a lure and lose the other to a tangle or snag. Or let one fish go and keep the lure to continue catching fish on it. If you don't mind losing your lures, I guess that's no problem. I try to keep mine as long as possible.

[RavensDfense]

I am not a big fan of losing any fish I hook, but I see where you're coming from about losing $7 lures. For me, it all depends on what I have on the end of my line.

[Cowpokey]

Set the hook and reel it in. If you have a double, reel in one, then the other. I try to keep moving, but sometimes the excitement takes over and the feet stop pedaling.

I don't worry about a tangle, when that happens, it's just a minor annoyance to get things untangled...but better than loosing a lure. I can't imagine cutting a line as a preventative measure to avoid a tangle. Cutting a line is along the lines of littering in my opinion; not only are you leaving a lure, but who knows how much line that could get fouled around a critter.

[buzz]

I wouldn't cut the line either. Heck, I've been out on a big boat with others and we don't all reel in just because one guy gets a fish.

I suppose I could keep moving. With the motor running, line #2 wouldn't sink to the bottom.
But prefer to shut it all down and fight the fish with the rod and not with the boat.

[J.A. Veil]

Last May I trolled 4 lines in the Severn and had a very strong hookup (estimated at 30" striper). I began fighting the fish then realized that at least one of the other lines was likely to get in the way. I braced the rod with the fish on under my leg and began reeling in the closest other line. Despite my efforts, the fish tangled lines then got free.

The following week I had three other strong hookups on successive trips. On these occasions, I used the Propel drive to keep me moving away from the other lines and made no attempt to wind them in. I successfully landed all three large stripers.

Unless I see that the fish is imminently likely to tangle another line, I will continue dealing with the hooked up fish.