Big Fly Fight Jump

CONTINUED - When you feel the fish, there are two ways to set the hook. One is simply stripping hard while pointing the rod at the fish. The other calls for you to hold the flyline from paying out with your line hand and move the rod sharply to the side - away from the direction the fish is heading. Make sure the rod butt is tucked against your body.
The strike should be made both with your arms and by turning your body in three or four sharp pulls. Some anglers like to strike a tarpon or billfish as many as eight or 10 times. Three or four good pulls is plenty to drive the hook home, providing the hook is razor sharp - as it should be.
This strip/strike method can be used on any size fish, but it's most effective on big fish. After the fish is booked, you must clear all the line from the deck. To do this, form an "0" with your line hand, check that you aren't standing on the line or it isn't wrapped around your legs, press the butt of the rod against your forearm to prevent tangles or wraps around the butt, and turn the reel away from you. All of these steps keep you from snagging on your equipment and breaking off the fish.
Once the excess line has been cleared and the fish is directIy on the flyreel, some anglers strike the fish again once or twice to be certain the hook is still set. This can be a dangerous effort if the fish is running away from the boat or is jumping. The sudden increase in tension can break a tippet in a heartbeat.
THE FIGHT
Getting the fish back to the boat is where flyfishing methods differ considerably from spinning or stand-up offshore techniques. With the beefier types of tackle, the most effective means to gain line is by lifting the rod tip and using short pumping strokes to gain line and reeling in on each downward stroke.
With fly gear, the "down-and-dirly," method of applying side pressure is the best and simplest- Fighting a fish this way pulls the fish's head to the side or, even better, turns the fish upside down rather than pulling it straight back. This confuses the fish and upsets its equilibrium and momentum, making it easier to land quickly. We're basically ~psyching out" the fish.
Besides the psychological reason, there's a physiological reason the down-and-dirty technique works so well. If the fish is pointed directly, away from you, the structure of its spine won't allow you to pull or bend the fish directly back toward the boat. If the pressure is to the side, however, the spine will turn to the side. Downward pressure likewise can flip the fish over. It's really no different from humans. If someone is standing behind you pulling on your body, it would be hard for him to bend you backward due to the way your spine is made. However, it isn't as difficult to bend you over forward or pull you to the side.
It's important to realize that these two techniques are most beneficial when the fish is within 80 feet of the boat. If you have a lot of line out, the amount of stretch negates the amount of pressure you can apply on the fish.
Another crucial factor in landing a fish on a flyrod is your drag setting. Most guides agree that the drag setting should be fairly light - usually one-third or less of the breaking strength of the tippet.
Many of the old-timers who fished in the days before good flyreel drag systems were available prefer to keep the drag just tight enough to prevent a backlash. They use the palm of their hand on the reel spool. Extra drag can be carefully applied by pressing gently against the spool line with your hand.
Certainly one hand is needed on the reel and the other hand should be on the rod somewhere between the reel and the first guide. Right? Yes, but how many times have you taken your hand off the reel and placed it way up on the rod to apply more pressure on the fish? Some also pinch the line between their fingers, but if you have a big fish on, be prepared for some serious blisters if you try to apply tension this way. A benefit of using your hands to control drag is a closer link to the fish. You can actually feel the fish better and can adjust drag instantaneously. Speaking of hands, something you should always be aware of when fighting a fish is the location of your arm.
Some newer offshore flyrods are made with a fighting grip just in this spot for a ouch of added comfort. There are two basic theories on how much pressure to put on a fish during a battle on fly. One camp believes that you put only very

modest pressure on the fish and outlast the fish over a long period of time, taking absolutely no chances. The other camp believes in putting as much pressure on the fish as you possibly can. My personal belief is that after the initial run, you should take up as much line as youcan, and then, if you have a 20-pound tippet, you should be putting 19 pounds of pressure on the fish. This less conservative method requires that you be extra careful tying your knots and more attuned to the fish and what it's doing.
Giving a moment's rest- Big mistake!
If you place your hand higher up on the flyrod, you're changing the location of the fulcrum on your lever, effectively transferring the power from the butt to the tip. The tip of a flyrod is designed for casting. The butt is designed for fighting a fish. Your arm and hand may get tired more quickly keeping it down close to the reel, but the fish will tire much more quickly also. A good compromise is to move your hand halfway to the first guide. If you need to rest while battling a big one, straighten your rod arm and lean back, using your larger back and shoulder muscles for a minute. If your rod hand starts to cramp, hold the rod with your reel hand for a short while or rest the rod in the crook of your arm, Sure, it's important to put pressure on the fish whenever you can, but pay attention to the signals your body is sending too, or the fish is likely to say: "sayonara" when you get tired.
DIPPING
To a void breaking off your fish, point your rod at the fish when it jumps (bowing) or actually dip your rod tip into the water (dipping).
Big fish such as sailfish, tarpon, and marlin will jump. It's critical that you "bow" to the fish when it does. This puts immediate slack in the line. Of course, this concept goes against everything you've ever been taught about fishing. But here's why. Wrap a light tippet around your hands and pull in a steady fashion. You can't break it. Now bring your hands together and "Snap" them apart. Most of the time the tippet breaks. When a fish jumps, it shakes its head. If you have tension on the line and the fish's head comes toward you, the line slackens. When its head jerks away, the tippet is jerked tight and often snaps.
Something I like to do, particularly with tarpon as the battle wears on, is immediately after the fish jumps or rolls, I put the heaviest pressure on it and try to turn it around. I feel this gives me a psychological edge over the fish. After all, the fish has just given me its best shot. When I turn around and give one right back, I'm convinced it's demoralizing to the fish. With that said, it's important to remember that the fish is fighting for its life. An angler after big fish on a flyrod must be wily, strong, and knowledgeable.
There's a time when you must revert to the old offshore short pump technique, though. As I mentioned earlier, if you have a spool full of line out, line stretch and water drag are likely, to limit the amount of pressure you can put on the fish. And if your sailfish heads for the bottom, your only option is to go right back to the same old stand-up techniques you've used offshore for years.
I also walk backward occasionally to gain some line and then reel up the slack as I walk forward. But once you get the fish back to the boat, side and underneath pressure is the name of the game. And they also serve another purpose - they help keep the tippet off the bill where it can abrade and break.
Just how long should it take you to land a fish on a fly? Well, fish are a lot like people. Some are in better shape than others. Most experts agree that after an hour, the chances of you landing your fish decrease significantly. Tarpon world record holder Billy Pate has caught a world record in 20 minutes. He has also battled a tarpon for 12 hours before losing it. Your only choice is always to be prepared for a battle with "Rocky" and hope you're in good enough shape to handle it.
There are probably as many different nuances and techniques as there are anglers. The best way to refine what works best for you is to be a copycat. If you see someone doing something effective that's comfortable for you, steal it. When you put enough of those little tricks together, you'll find that others are copying your techniques. And that's a great feeling.
Editor's Note: Many of the techniques described in this article con be seen in the instructional video Billy Pate's Fly Fishing for Billfish, available from Bennett Watt Enterprises, 800-327-2893.