Swingers nightmare!

Those takes are the worst. When the fly is not moving the fish can just mouth it without turning. The hangdown usually occurs is shallow and slower moving water, the fish has no reason to attack the fly so a hook-set is usually necessary...but of course when we realize a hook-set is necessary it's already too late...unless we're lucky!

My preference is to be lucky, but it's rarely the case in this situation.

 

drop the loop. big mend towards shore, hope to feel some weight. Sorry, it's a low percentage deal. Good reason to stand shallow, and fish a longer line.

 

So I think I understand why you drop the loop ( feeding the fish, allowing it to turn with the fly ), but what does the big mend towards shore do? I'm still pretty new to this

 

Really tough percentage. Drop loop and mend as already mentioned

My experience with danglers or very trouty stealhead (head rise, no turn or steelhead just sucking bugs off the surface) is to drop the loop (feed them) and wait and wait and wait. It will drive you nuts but other than using bugs with a stinger its about all you can do. You have to be careful with too much slack line though as sometimes they will inhale the fly deeply (with the hook ending up in the gills, gill rakers, back of tongue etc)

One other method I have used with some success when you have a player like that, and you haven't stung the fish is to put a cast further down well below the fish, and strip the fly in past him, often they will chase the fly down during the strip. You'll have a solid hookup and usually a serious run out of the fish as they have been stung hard. On a recent trip I had a large fish grab the fly half ways through the retrieve, just about took my hand off, the fish was deep into my backing in about 5 seconds....

 

One other method I have used with some success when you have a player like that, and you haven't stung the fish is to put a cast further down well below the fish, and strip the fly in past him, often they will chase the fly down during the strip. You'll have a solid hookup and usually a serious run out of the fish as they have been stung hard. On a recent trip I had a large fish grab the fly half ways through the retrieve, just about took my hand off, the fish was deep into my backing in about 5 seconds....

This exact scenario happened to me a few weeks ago fishing for Atlantic salmon. I fish took on the dangle, but no hook up. Waited a few minutes & swung a few above him & below him with no reponse. On my last swing before changing fly, I stripped in the xtra 6 feet I let out from where I raised him & he took hard! Not a big fish, But he gave me his all!
It was pure luck, but you know I will definately try this again if I raise a fish on the dangle!

 

Pray!? Better lucky than good!

Only had a few at the hangdown, and never have had one to my feet...oopsy fish i guess

 

Low percentage of bringing them to hand. However, it is worth having them on the end of your line, if even for a few seconds. And every once in a while, you get lucky and get to land one that took on the hang-down.

 

hook type

hi,yo guys seem to fish single hooks either by choice or river laws.
We (UK) tend to use more trebles, most of my trebles used for Salmo, are outpoints these are useless for connecting on the hang (dangle )
I tend to use inline trebles on all my sea trout flies, as sea trout ,tend to come straight up stream, do not turn and reject the fly quickly.
Two or three slow long pulls on your line,will get your line tight and might just get you hooked up, but as has been said PREY and HOPE

 

post script

As your fly reaches the end of the swing, drop the rod tip, each and every time. This will take the flex of the rod out of the equation, be ready to give line or you will get snapped off !!
Follow this buy the long slow pulls

 

keeps the fly moving, as above.
gets the tippet closer to 90 degrees from the swing...think corner of mouth on upstream-facing fish. Fly can move more sideways-
allows the current just a tiny chance to pull the needle-sharp (you did hone, didn't you?) point into some fishflesh.

all kind of slim odds, but what the hay. My last two bites were a touch and go, with a pluck on the next swing, and a slam zing slackie oof. So don't think me an expert.

 

Thanks guys, clears it up nicely.

 

clears it up nicely.

Well, yeah, kind of, but I've been googling "slam zing slackie oof" for hours now and nothing comes up:chuckle:

Here's my yogism: All the fish I've caught have been hooked, except for the ones that weren't.

 

This may sound like a bunch of bunk but the fish I catch almost always hook themselves. When I feel the weight of the fish I do something to set the hook but it varies, I have no set program. Whether they take when it is strait down or while crossing the channel they either get hooked or they don't..............

 

hang down



Nope...that's how I feel about it too.
JM

 

I'm with Ard. The fish (winter and summer) that I hook almost always do the dirty work themselves. I present the fly, they hook up.

But like everybody else, the hangdown is a tough one. Based on personal winter fish experience and interpretation, hangdown fish tend to be hooked in the nose (when hooked) and generally lost quickly, even the few times I got a fish to say hello after I slowly lifted and dropped the fly that was hanging below me. On about 1/2 the time, those hangdown fish were briefly stuck, then they vamoosed, pronto. Half the time they weren't stuck at all. A very small percentage of the time they stayed pinned and were hooked right in the snout.

With summer fish my experience is more limited. Those very few hangdown fish have been very "plucky," picking the fly up gently and releasing quickly. Not one hookup.

Tough nuts, those guys who introduce themselves while right below you. Let us know if you figure out how to crack them.

 

When I get a take on the dangle, I set the hook inline. I usually hold the rod near my right hip when fishing and will give it a short but firm tug straight back/away from the take. This has increased my dangle hookup % a lot.

For the most part they're soft takes or sips; instead of the hard hits on the swing.

 

I don't hold a loop. I've bounced back and forth over the years and am finally settled on off the reel. In my experience they turn or run down stream, in which case I hope the hook sticks. Sometimes it does, but often it doesn't. If I get a pull and the fish doesn't immediately make an aggressive move, I sweep swiftly low and towards the bank. Mainly my worse fear is I hook em and they run right at me. Now that's a *****.

 

That's when you put the rod in your armpit and strip like made with both hands all the while hoping you can stay connected with the fish with enough pressure to keep the barbless hook from coming out. Sure is exhilarating though when it happens.

 

right or wrong, what do I do

right or wrong, what do I do >

My the time it gets onto the dangle, the rod tip is down and my hand is moving to the line (if not on), and then I do a small pull in. So I have no rod flex, and when (if) the strike comes, I so a small tightening of the line with the hand and might direct a rod to a side, depending upon the topology of the river stream.

No dramatic movements, and relying on the fish to enable the hook set.

 

I had one grab me on the dangle the other day and I had my hand on the running line as I was preparing to strip in for the next cast. I strip set HARD tarpon style. Stuck him good. What a fish! 10lb ish wild one. Three hard runs into the backing! Normally I have dropped the loop I always carry, and often had to come back at em with different fly and or presentation.