How to fight big fish on a fly rod

[@geoffreyparadise1272]

Peter's blogs are always worth watching especially because the advice is so practical rather than theoretical.

[@gazmo6070]

Just started flats fishing in the Great Barrier Reef on a 10wt, this was very informative. Cheers from Aus 👊🏽

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment and glad it was helpful!

[@markhoffman9655]

Very informative detail on how and why the techniques work - will be ready for the next big kingfish knowing this stuff!

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment Mark, glad it was helpful...

[@brandenborn4277]

great demo--especially with Andy's bucket example. I've always heard "fight with the butt of the rod" but have never had it explained or demonstrated in such a way. Very helpful, thanks! Only took me 51 years to figure this out, but only a dozen or so fishing the salt, so.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for commenting, glad it was helpful!

[@mikekuczynski1552]

Went to a Sage fly rod demo 20 years ago , the rep had us all ( trout fisherman ) pull to see how much pressure we could put on the rod . One guy comes up and pulls like triple the amount of pressure ( with a 6wt ) I remember moving back because I thought the rod would blow up . The Sage rep looks at the guy and says , I bet your a salt water fisherman ? Yup he was . His technique was just as you are showing , it was life Changing for me when it came to landing big fish quick and efficiently there is no better way saves not only the fish but you also :-)

[@stevebirrer4037]

As always well done. The section with Andy and the bucket is so good to show people. I am sending a link to several buddies who I have tried and tried to get to understand this. Hopefully this will do the trick!!

[@stanislavmankov7160]

Thanks a bunch for sharing such a knowledge! I'm so keen to give the bucket a try now. Such videos will make the difference for many of us and will help us catch the dream fish sooner. Keep the great work !!!

[@clueless4085]

Keith fights fish like they've insulted his wife 😂 Man is a legend. Great video! Thanks for sharing.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Hahahaha!

[@camstarx]

Really good tips !! Thanks for posting

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for commenting, glad you found it helpful!

[@cachi-7878]

@7:17 “Eleven o’clock, Billy! Look at the cow in the lead! Mm mm!” That’s from SA’s “Giant Tarpon” series, as his guide is pointing to Billy Pate, a huge fish to cast to.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Brilliant series…. Loved it…

[@paulobainz1210]

Excellent video, thanks

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks Paulo, glad it was helpful….

[@Packandcamera]

Great video, thank you.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment!

[@elidonato9479]

130lbs leader? Wow. So what is the whole setup for very large fish with a 12WT, 9/10 reel?

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

130lb leader, Rio GT with 60lb core, 80lb braid as backing.. with very good loops!

[@Msquad321]

Very important info for any SW fly angler.

[@richardgill9484]

Works a treat on carp too, provided you have a good hook hold that is.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Absolutely! Carp need to be bullied, very strong fish!

[@sekaikiroku304]

Jim and Kelly ... and Kelly`s laugh!

[@bennoklinck]

Hi. I was wondering what pound backing you would be using?

[@bennoklinck]

Aardvark McLeod Fly Fishing Thank you for the information.

[@BB1872]

I've bounced sea trout and salmon off in the saltwater estuaries and put it down to their mouths being soft , but I'll definitely try these tips in the future 👍

[@BILLHENRY239]

works for big carp too!

[@mattbugg4568]

Doesn't matter how much you bump and grind on a fly rod, its a 20lb rod with a 20lb line and a reel that you only want to put 8lbs of tension on. The rest of the opposite pull on opposite sides is because you put the line in the water and it creates drag equivalent to 80lbs. When straight on you lift your rod high and feather the paling rim with your hand and it creates this same amount of pressure. But drop zoning a rod is a great way to snap a good fly rod I've done it twice. The rod itself is designed to angle fish with a 20lb blank. The reel is set up at 8lbs so that when your fly line gets spun on a run exceeding 80lbs it releases line. They used to use wire gages instead of weights which showed this.

[@mattbugg4568]

Think of it like a fish is running on a circle in the water and your line is attached to an anchor at a distant point. The anchor doesn't have to weight much to really hold a big boat.

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment Matt, if you were fishing 20lbs line class for tarpon or something I would agree. However for GTs we use 80lbs backing , 50-70lbs cored fly lines and 150lbs mono. By keeping a low curve in the rod you can exert far more than 20lbs of pressure when combined with a locked up fly reel. My Hardy XDS for example has 35lbs of drag when tightened up and the fish is still pulling line off. Quite often we actually clamp the line to the rod and just pull. Why is this necessary? Because a GT will head straight for the reef edge and cut you off. In terms of pulling in different directions this knocks the fish off balance and makes it harder for them to recover or even pulls it head down into the flats which can end a fight fast. At the end of the day this keeps the fight short and allows the fish to be released strong.

[@MM-tt3np]

rod tip under the surface is many times King ;)

[@AardvarkMcLeodFlyFishing]

Thanks for the comment!

[@jakefinn7905]

well done as always..

[@huntjunky1]

I am assuming this tactic is why so many accomplished anglers, on KZbin, utilize the "quick release" upper rod sections to fight fish off the butt only or in extreme cases, the reel only. I always wondered why they would risk losing half their rod. :-)

[@fabiosoldati1811]

Thank you !!!!!!!!

[@CaptAdell]

Thanks, Trying to get the wife to change her form.