I was in Canada thinking about what I might write about when I got back to the States for Esoxhunter when I happened to see a fisherman attempting to throw a jerkbait off of our dock. The guy had hardly started to fish the jerkbait, and he just quit. I had been watching as I said, so when I asked him, "Giving up already?", I knew what he was going to say before he said it. He said that throwing a jerkbait was to tiring and couldn't see how anybody could fish it more than 5 minutes! He further explained that he was relatively new to fishing and thought since he was coming to Canada the first time, he would try musky fishing.
The guy above had good intentions, but he didn't have the proper equipment for what he was doing, and never was instructed on how to properly use the equipment.
To begin with there is no such thing as "the proper equipment" unless you state how the equipment will be used. Every piece of equipment made is proper under the correct circumstances, but this is a musky and northern pike website so I will concentrate on fishing for these species. Knowing the species your fishing helps to determine equipment, but in addition you have to know how you are going to fish with it. Example: You wouldn't want to use a heavy action musky rod with 50 to 100 pound test line to fly fish for blue gills, nor would you want to use an ultra-light setup for musky and northern pike. These are extreme examples, but it makes the point. One prime consideration are the types and weights of the lures that you want to use in fishing for musky and pike.
If you will be fishing normal bass size lures you could use a spinning rod and reel, or a short handled casting rod and reel. I would use this equipment if I am not trophy fishing pike and musky and want to catch bass as well. Personally, I still lean to the casting rod, but spinning and spincast do work well in this application. When you start throwing larger spinners, crankbaits, and jerkbaits your equipment needs to change accordingly. I use exclusively long handled, medium heavy to heavy action casting rods loaded with 50 plus pound test line to fish heavier baits. There isn't a fisherman alive that can cast big spinners or jerkbaits for any length of time if you are using equipment that was designed for bass. The fisherman literally fights the rod in this scenario in a similar fashion to a hooked fish. When the rod bends it is like fighting against a spring, it tires fish and fisherman alike. This was one of the problems that the guy on the dock had, he was using a medium action bass casting rod with a short handle and was throwing a 10" Suick.
My musky and pike equipment consists of all casting equipment on long handled rods. I will explain the significance of the long handle a little later. My rods do vary in length and action. I use shorter (relative term 6' - 6 1/2') rods with heavy action for jerk bait fishing and heavy crankbaits. When I am jerking a bait, I don't want the rod bending and taking the some of the energy away from the bait, which again puts pressure on me. Spinnerbait and lighter crankbaits I will use longer medium heavy action long handled rod (6 1/2' - 7 1/2'). The added length allows for longer casts, better hooksets and really helps when figure eighting the baits next to the boat.
As I stated prior I use long handled casting rods for several good reasons: First the extra handle length allows me two hands to throw large baits, and trust me you need both! A long handled rod provides extra leverage as you can rest it against your forewarm when jerking or just reeling in a lure. The other thing the long handled rod provides is a counter balance to the rod in general. The rod is much heavier on the butt than the front, until you had a heavier bait to the front in which case the rod comes into balance. I even purchased a signature rod by Pete Maina from BassPro Shop where additional weights could be added or removed from the butt. It definitely makes a difference.
One of the most important aspects of casting is how to hold a rod when fishing. I have seen many people that just do not know how to hold a rod and reel properly (see photos). As I stated earlier leverage and the rod work both for and against a fisherman, just like it does with a fish. The big difference is hopefully the fish is the one with the hook in it, and the fisherman has better leverage and is stronger than the fish.
The above photo is a classic example of how NOT to hold a fishing rod. Holding a rod like this literally puts all of the pressure on the fishermans wrist, which will quickly tire even with the right equipment. In addition, if a fish does strike the fisherman does not have sufficient leverage to set the hook in the bony mouth of a big musky or pike. Again, the wrist is not adequate to the job.
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along forearm (click to enlarge) |
Cupping the reel adds to leverage and control (click to enlarge) |
The pictures above demonstrates how to properly hold a long handled casting rod. Notice that the handle is actually running along under the forearm which allows for more support and leverage on the rod. Notice also that you can cup the reel or use the section ahead of the reel to support the rod. Again, this adds more support and leverage for the fisherman. This will enable the fisherman to control the rod and have adequate power for reeling in larger baits and setting the hook.
The picture above shows the IMPROPER way to hold a spinning rod. I have seen multiple people fish as a spinning rod like this. They literally fish the reel upside down and reel in line by cranking backwards. This arrangement is obviously out of balance as it is top heavy. Here again, the fisherman has to literally hold the weight of the reel, try to manipulate the bail and drag in an unnatural way.
The proper way of holding a spinning rod is demonstrated above. Holding the rod in this manner allows the weight of the reel to hang naturally under the rod. Notice that the my fingers are actually around the base of the reel. This adds more control to the rod and reel, and supports the weight of the reel. Here again, if I were to hold the rod handle behind the reel, my wrist would actually be under more pressure (leverage) as that hold would not only support the weight of the reel, but would be have to fight the leverage generated by the rod.
In summary, use the right equipment, in the right way and you will be able to fish longer, more comfortably and that translates directly into landing more fish.
Click the mailbox to e-mail. Last updated on ... August 24, 2003