How hard can you lean into a fish on your gear?

[MuskieBait]

When you are battling larger fish (or stronger fish), sometimes you cannot simply turn the handle to reel in line, especially when you are using a lighter drag setting to let the fish run if necessary.

There is always a fine line between just enough drag and too much drag. I tend to err on the side of a lighter drag, such that fish can run if they need to do so.

On a lighter drag, you may need to do a few things to retrieve line with a heavier or stronger fish.

1) Use your hand to gently palm the spool to add that extra pressure to prevent fish from taking line.

2) Lift the rod up to bring the fish closer, then reel quickly to keep a tight line as you drop the rod tip. This is the pump-and-wind method. Your rod will provide that extra pressure to bring the fish closer, and by dropping the rod tip you can then reel in the line under less pressure (so it doesn't work against your drag).

3) Try to follow the fish as much as possible to minimize the amount of line being pulled out and to use the rod's reserve power as much as possible to fight the fish.

Remember...

Force = Mass x Acceleration

A fish does not have to be 8lbs or heavier to snap 8lb line. A fresh 4lb steelhead on its initial run under a tight drag can snap 8lb fluorocarbon without issue.

On the other hand, you can land so big fish with 8lb line if you play a fish properly. Fish fighting skill will come with experience.