Hey guys, ive been in broward now for about 5 months and have fished everywhere. Ive caught lots of species but no monsters. Well the other night under the 17th street bridge I caught a nice little pinfish and my girl told me it was good bait. So I went to the car, grabbed the big pole and threw it out. I had it propped on a chair about 20 ft from the water and within about 30 minutes, I hear a crash and my pole goes charging toward the canal. I jumped up, ran toward it and dove on the concrete but there was no chance...it was gone. I was so upset, I couldnt sleep for days wondering what it was.

So ive been back out using big bait again...but this time having the knowledge to loosen my predrag so the line pulls out and not the pull. Well tonight I got nailed again...the zzzzzzzzzzz type hit. Well I got to it in time and picked it up, tried to turn the drag up a bit and set the hook but lost it.....never even had it on. The bait was mangled and totally destroyed....it was a big fish. But.. I feel the drag in this case was too light to have the pressure to set.

These are spinner reels, what am I doing wrong. I feel I am either going to get my pole jerked in or not be able to set a firm hook. Help me...lol


I need this monster!

Losen drag, hold rod, circle hook, let fish run and keep tension on it.

Sounds like your gf might know what to do. If you`re getting bit like that, there`s no excuse for not having your pole either in your hands or real close.

IMO you don't need to hold the rod (but thats me ).....when i fish the pier i have all my reels
set with loose drags...but i also have a baitrunner
which makes it alot easier to go from light to hard drag...
Anyway... you can get a PVC sand spike and use it on the bridge put it up next to the railing and get a bungie cord..
wrap it tight around the spike and rail and it should hold,
so where you can have some drag and not worry about your rod going over...
Another thing...start using circle hooks and once the fish picks up your bait...DON"T!! be in a hurry
to fight him...let him run alittle bit (big bait),and then palm your spool and tighten the drag
at the same time....Don't jerk...let the hook do its job...
But if you do it with the spike/bungie cord/circle hook and a little tighter drag setting...the fish will
end up hooking himself...
I yell at people when i take them with me...DON"T touch the rod...let him run...
The best hook setter in the world when using circle hooks...is that sand spike/rod holder
Good luck

When fishing with Big C, I have to slap him across his head and remind him to let the damn fish run!

+ above stupid.

If you are using a spinner and running loose drag always palm your spool to set the hook. Do not attempt to set the drag and then set the hook. Too much time lost messing with your reel. Circle hook would be better when using loose drag on the spinner. As the fish runs, all you have to do is apply spool pressure using your palm and the resistant will set the hook. Never set your drag too loose. You need some drag pressure. Big fish will cause a blacklash on your spool and for sure pull your rod and reel into the water.

With conventional or spinning gear, there reely is no substitute for maintaining tight control of your poles. Learned me that lesson long ago whilst hunting cottontail orange grove bunnies near Orlando with a replica `94 Winchester BB gun.
Commercial fishermen who troll go belly up when they neglect their lines. Gators never slack off when they fish; why should we? Ain`t it that monster fish we all crave to land what motivates us to stand around for hours braced by the corner rail with our lines in our hands feeling the pick up, slack from a hit, Sargasso clumps forking up the bait.....Pffft! Fish or goof off. Monsters only come to you once in a while. As for myself, I have never once lost a rig overboard to a fish, boat, bird or anything else. I never got far enough away to allow it; what with fishing in waters full of Cow Nosed and Eagle rays, sharks, huge Tarpon, large robalo and others just as frisky, a man cannot afford to get too far away. What happens when you forget to loosen your drag and you get hit? You best be close enough to grab your gear, that`s what.

What are you doing that's so important while fishing that you have to be such a great distance away from your baited line in the water? I would suggest if you want to catch your "monster" I'd put actually being next to/holding the rod as the number 1 thing to change right now.

For rods that I am not holding, I only use conventionals that I put in freespool and put the clicker on, or Baitrunner spinning reels. I frequently fish 4 or more rods this way in the Keys and have never lost one or come close to doing so...just make sure that the clicker works and you are in freespool, when the fish hits, put the reel in gear and fight your fish.

I'm sorry, but I simply can't imagine fishing without holding my rod

No, not THAT rod

I mean, I would have felt the bite long before my rod & reel went into the drink!

Lot's of reel good circle hook advice up above though............

Dates?

Wow a Noah blast from the past...............Thanks Harry for bringing a 2 year old post back

Take me to the spot, I'll remove it for you and you can get back to normal life.

Good thing the horseshoe has built in rod holders.

You should have seeing the Horse shoe 2 weeks ago, it was packed like if they were giving candy away LOL

Herb, where was your digi cam?!?!

make a few of these and be done with it , i use them to clip the rod to the rail and the rod to my cart when out on a pier , has stopped many thief's in there tracks when the rod stops moving and it comes out of there hand and hits the cart and makes a loud rackets lol

I have to agree with most. Stay close to your rod. For me, I only fish one rod and have my hands on it all the time, when fishing big bait or for big fish. Down here in SF where you can fish many rods, many folks tend to be relaxed and wait for the fish to bite, hook it's self and then come on in. Where I come from, one rod per person has always been law. We have always had hands on the rod. So.....even here I do the same.