Back-Reeling vs. Drag System

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on January 19, 2011 at 6:52pm

Both! I have my drag set just loose enough so that I don't break the fish off on the hookset and then I switch the anti reverse off to fight the fish, I can fight the fish with more control and were it down much faster.  A bunch of guys hook the fish then loosen the drag if it is a big one, it takes way to long to fight a fish this way and if you are in my boat you're gonna get an earfull, just ask my partner, it bugs me because he will take twice as long to land it so I am sitting there twice as long holding the net when I should be fishing. 

 

Seriously though reels are great nowadays but the added control you have by keeping your drag tighter and backreeling is much more effective for me while playing fish.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Christel on January 19, 2011 at 7:03pm

Ron, how long did it take you to learn how to do this right, and how many fish did you loose in the learning stages?  Besides there being a shorter fight, and there for less opportunity for the fish to come undone, do you feel that the chances of loosing a fish is reduced by doing this?

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

Both! I have my drag set just loose enough so that I don't break the fish off on the hookset and then I switch the anti reverse off to fight the fish, I can fight the fish with more control and were it down much faster.  A bunch of guys hook the fish then loosen the drag if it is a big one, it takes way to long to fight a fish this way and if you are in my boat you're gonna get an earfull, just ask my partner, it bugs me because he will take twice as long to land it so I am sitting there twice as long holding the net when I should be fishing. 

 

Seriously though reels are great nowadays but the added control you have by keeping your drag tighter and backreeling is much more effective for me while playing fish.

Permalink Reply by Don Hogue on January 19, 2011 at 7:37pm

Backreeling makes me feel more in control of the fish (esp. big fish), like I'm more actively involvoed in the fight and the fishes movements.  With just allowing the drag to run, I'm giving the fish more time to throw slack in the line when he decides to turn, and I don't react to him.  Backreeling helps me react to those movements.  That fish has the best chance to get away when he can throw some slack in the line, either by changing directions in the water, or coming out of the water.  I want to try to keep up with his moves in the water and keep him from coming out of the water.  Backreeling helps me do that. 

And...the hardest time to get the drag going is that initial movement so those last minute surges by the fish at the boat when the line is at a 90 degree angle may not always engage the drag smoothly. 

 

Like Ron said, get that fish in!  The longer he's in the water the more time he has to get away. 

Permalink Reply by Aaron Christel on January 19, 2011 at 9:23pm

The first time I had really ever seen anyone doing this is at an FLW event on tv on the River a few years back.  In fact, it was either Kromm or Hobbs, I don't remember, doing it next to a bridge pilling using a drop shot.  I didn't know if it was really something specific to the situation.  How often do you guys do this?  It has never crossed my mind while fighting a fish.  Guess that shows what I know...

Permalink Reply by David Parnicky on January 19, 2011 at 9:34pm

I tried backreeling for the first time last spring and now I always backreel when using 6 lb or lighter line and sometimes 8.  I agree that it feels like you have more control of the fish when backreeling.  I would like to say that I land them quicker by backreeling as well but I don't know that for sure.  The fight is usually a blur to me until I get the fish in the boat.  After releasing a fish or putting it in the livewell, my first thought is always, "how did I just catch that fish again?"  I have to get better at not getting so excited about landing the fish on the end of my line that I forget what I did to catch it in the first place!

 

Anyways, to answer your question Aaron, I was worried about backreeling being difficult to learn as well before I tried it. It couldn't be simpler however!  What gave me the confidence to try it was listening to Marc Marcantonio describe how to do it last year at a seminar at the Sportsman's Show in Puyallup.  He said to pay attention to how much pressure you were putting on the fish and how much your rod was bowing from it.  Then just focus on reeling backwards and forwards in an effort to keep the amount of bow in your rod from changing.  I think about this and apply it to what the fish does throughout the fight and it has done well for me so far.  I will lose a fish every once and a while still but I know I have a lot less fish pull off when I am backreeling than when I just loosen the drag a bunch to fight a fish.    

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 19, 2011 at 10:50pm

See, now if you had a subscription to Bass Angler's Magazine in 2009 you could have read my article about back-reeling and been already putting it to good use.

 

I attached the article as a file.  BTW, the smallie picture in the article is Moses Lake.

 

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Attachments:

• BackReeling.pdf, 774 KB

Permalink Reply by Aaron Christel on January 20, 2011 at 12:02am

Ok, well I think I will save it for the spawn when 50 fish days are reasonable and I wont care if I screw up a few practicing.  Great reply David, you gave me a little confidence to give it a try. 

 

Marc, awesome article and nice fish!  I love Moses, it's got some PIGS!  I got a female there late last spring that was spawned out with a sunken belly and she still weighed 4.6.  I'm betting she was 5.5 to 6.0 about a week earlier.  I haven't even beaten up the largemouth there much, the dang smallies are so good.  I plan a few trips this summer...

David Parnicky said:

I tried backreeling for the first time last spring and now I always backreel when using 6 lb or lighter line and sometimes 8.  I agree that it feels like you have more control of the fish when backreeling.  I would like to say that I land them quicker by backreeling as well but I don't know that for sure.  The fight is usually a blur to me until I get the fish in the boat.  After releasing a fish or putting it in the livewell, my first thought is always, "how did I just catch that fish again?"  I have to get better at not getting so excited about landing the fish on the end of my line that I forget what I did to catch it in the first place!

 

Anyways, to answer your question Aaron, I was worried about backreeling being difficult to learn as well before I tried it. It couldn't be simpler however!  What gave me the confidence to try it was listening to Marc Marcantonio describe how to do it last year at a seminar at the Sportsman's Show in Puyallup.  He said to pay attention to how much pressure you were putting on the fish and how much your rod was bowing from it.  Then just focus on reeling backwards and forwards in an effort to keep the amount of bow in your rod from changing.  I think about this and apply it to what the fish does throughout the fight and it has done well for me so far.  I will lose a fish every once and a while still but I know I have a lot less fish pull off when I am backreeling than when I just loosen the drag a bunch to fight a fish.    

Permalink Reply by Zach Chandler on January 20, 2011 at 10:01am

Thanks guys for the input and great article Marc.  I'll give it a try.

One thing I had never thought of was how the amount of line you have on the spool will change the amount of pressure it takes for the drag to slip.

Permalink Reply by Zach Chandler on January 20, 2011 at 10:14am

You're so selfish.

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

A bunch of guys hook the fish then loosen the drag if it is a big one, it takes way to long to fight a fish this way and if you are in my boat you're gonna get an earfull, just ask my partner, it bugs me because he will take twice as long to land it so I am sitting there twice as long holding the net when I should be fishing. 

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on January 20, 2011 at 4:07pm

I know I love it!

Zach Chandler said:

You're so selfish.

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

A bunch of guys hook the fish then loosen the drag if it is a big one, it takes way to long to fight a fish this way and if you are in my boat you're gonna get an earfull, just ask my partner, it bugs me because he will take twice as long to land it so I am sitting there twice as long holding the net when I should be fishing. 

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on January 20, 2011 at 4:20pm

I have been backreeling as long as I have been bass fishing. Back in the day when I didn't have the best gear, I broke alot of fish off because of a sticky drag. I have always used 4# test as long as I can remember I use to use it for everything, with that light of line I had to do something to control the fish and prevent line breakage. I don't remember losing any fish, while learning, it really only takes a couple fish to learn. Really the backrealing part is easy the fish does it for you, try to keep the same bend in the rod the whole fight, fight the fish with your rod not your line or your reel and your success will increase.  I know with backreeling I have landed more fish, especially the ones that are barely hooked in the skin, one tiny bit of sudden pressure too much or too little the fish would be gone.

Aaron Christel said:

Ron, how long did it take you to learn how to do this right, and how many fish did you loose in the learning stages?  Besides there being a shorter fight, and there for less opportunity for the fish to come undone, do you feel that the chances of loosing a fish is reduced by doing this?

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

Both! I have my drag set just loose enough so that I don't break the fish off on the hookset and then I switch the anti reverse off to fight the fish, I can fight the fish with more control and were it down much faster.  A bunch of guys hook the fish then loosen the drag if it is a big one, it takes way to long to fight a fish this way and if you are in my boat you're gonna get an earfull, just ask my partner, it bugs me because he will take twice as long to land it so I am sitting there twice as long holding the net when I should be fishing. 

 

Seriously though reels are great nowadays but the added control you have by keeping your drag tighter and backreeling is much more effective for me while playing fish.

Permalink Reply by Jake Anderson on January 20, 2011 at 5:25pm

Quite the contradiction there Dr. Hobbs.......If you were backreeling since you started bass fishing, how were you breaking them off due to a sticky drag? 

 

Ronald Hobbs, Jr. said:

I have been backreeling as long as I have been bass fishing. Back in the day when I didn't have the best gear, I broke alot of fish off because of a sticky drag.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page