So....We've set our drag properly.  We've hooked into a nice black drum who's put the strength of our line and knots to the test and gave our drag system a nice work out and we've still managed to get it to the kayak.  Now, how are we going to get that beast in the boat and get a picture to prove to the world we did it?  We have our landing net in position already, right?  Landing net?  What landing net?   The one that we're going to invest in after RG told us how important they are to get the "one that got away" from getting away.

RG recommended a collapsible net with an adjustable, retractable handle with a rubber mesh netting.  The collapsible option is for the ease of portability, the retractable handle option is because kayak anglers have to manage their rod with one hand and net a fish with the other.  The longer the net's handle, the easier it will be to manage this task from a distance.  The rubber mesh should really be a requirement instead of an option.  This material is just easier on the fish itself.  Most of these net manufacturers now have some special products specifically designed for kayak anglers.  Check out casteliaoutdoors.com for great, high-quality landing nets.

Now that we have our net ready....what's next?

RG shared a few pointers that will help make landing a fish easier.

A:   The net should always be in the water before the fish is in it

B:  It's best to lead the fish into the net (as the video below demonstrates)

C:  Once the fish is in the net, turn the handle toward the sky for an easier lift out of the water.  This will keep the net handle from bearing all of the weight of the fish (especially if it's a big one).

Catching and boating a fish are the rewarding parts of fishing.  Getting the hook out of its mouth, or even worse, its belly, is the stressful part, especially if you're new to the sport.  To make it as easy as possible to dehook a fish, RG suggested smashing the hook barbs down.  The barb was really designed to keep a piece of bait, like a live shrimp, from slipping off during a cast, it was never intended to be used to secure a catch, that's why you are reminded to always keep your line as tight as possible, that serves to keep the hook from slipping out.  A barbless hook is an easy hook to remove and a quick dehook means a quick re-release.

Releasing a fish back into the water is the most important aspect of a fish's survival rate.  This 15 second action can be the cause of a fish's death or survival.  First off - Never, never, never use dry hands when handling a fish.  The slime coating on a fish is its only means of protecting itself against deadly bacteria in the water.  Always make sure your hands, gloves or the towel you're using are wet.  Honestly - if the fish is too small and you know you're going to have to release it anyway, there's no point in even netting it and putting it through the extra stress of boating it.  Why not just dehook and release it as soon as you get it close enough to do so?  You don't even have to touch it if you use a special dehooking device like the one below.

There are a few saltwater species that will do no harm to your fingers if you get them near or in the fish's mouth.  Two of these are redfish and snook.  Being able to safely 'lip' these fish makes it even easier to dehook them.

This little fish trait also makes it easier to revive and release them.  Once you have removed the hook and taken a picture of your prized fish the final step is to let them go in survival mode.  A chemical called lactic acid builds up in a fighting fish and depletes it of energy.  If the fish is traumatized further by a lengthy dehooking and photo taking process, it may die.  Getting it back into the water ASAP is essential.  But even more important than getting it in the water is making sure it's facing the right direction.  Look at the direction that leaves or debris is flowing on top of the water.  Look at the direction the grass is facing on the bottom.  If the current is flowing east, the fish's mouth should be facing west.  If the current is flowing south, the fish's mouth should be facing north.  This position allows fast moving water to naturally flow through a fish's gills even when it's being held in a stationary position.  You may have to hold the fish for several minutes and keep an eye on its gills, making sure that they're moving naturally.  When the fish makes a sudden lunge to break free of your hold then it may be time to let it go.  Best, though, to hold it in the current for a few more moments until you know for sure that it's ready to move on.  If it's released to early it's especially venerable to predators that may take advantage of it's weakened state so make sure that it's ready to fend for itself when it's released.

If your release happens to be in a place or at a time where no current is flowing, then you must take it upon yourself to improvise and make an artificial current by "pushing" the fish through the water in one direction only.  DO NOT "push-and-pull" a fish under water.  Push the fish forward under water a foot or two....lift it out of the water slightly, reposition it so that you can push it forward under the water another foot or two.  Repeat this process until you have a revived fish.  Again...DO NOT pull a fish backward under water!!!!

At the end of the meeting, RG gave away two scales for testing drag setting at home.  Congratulations to Sue and Sondra for being the two lucky winners !!

RG has been our biggest supporters and mentors since this group formed a little over a year ago.  We appreciate his willingness to share his years of angling expertise with us, helping us learn to become better anglers. 

In RG's opinion, and many would agree with him, the reel drag system and how to adjust it properly, is probably one of the least understood subjects when it comes to fishing related topics..  Most anglers simply turn a knob to 'set-the-brakes' on a larger fish pulling out line.  The fact is, there is a technique to setting the reel drag before fishing and then adjusting it accordingly throughout the day.

He took us back to a time when reels were still made out of wood and the was no such words as "drag mechanism".  When the handle was turned clockwise, the spool rolled line in.  Turn the handle counter-clockwise, the spool turned in the opposite direction - loosening line.  These reels were nicknamed "knuckle-busters" because if you weren't holding it a certain way and you made a cast, as the line rolled off and turned the spool, the handle would spin as well and crack against your knuckles.  Not a pleasant experience to be sure.  A number of reel improvements have come into existence during the course of RG's life time, though, and he was prepared to enlighten us on a few of them.  For instance, free spool mechanisms that allow you to disengage the spool from the handle and keep the handle from turning when you cast.  No more injured knuckles.

Then the Penn Reel Company came out with a device called the 'star drag' which obviously got its name from the shape it was manufactured in.  This ingenious devise was located on the side of the reel, right next to the handle.  As you slowly turned it clockwise, a series of lever washers would compress against the spool, creating friction and making it harder for the spool to turn, just like the brake pads on your car.  This invention made it easier for fisherman to stop a fish from taking out too much line.

We learned from RG that most folks are unaware that the drag set on their reels are set far too tight.  He referred to the chapter in his book Good Luck and Tight Lines that addresses the drag system.   When using lighter tackle, it's a good idea to fish with the drag just a bit lighter than needed and add drag  with your finger or hand on the spool.  Your drag washers won't overheat and the automatic increase in drag as a fish runs out line won't matter as much. 

Possibly the most talked about and least understood element of the physics of fishing is the reel drag.  Set it properly before the first cast, so you won't be tempted to change it while fighting a fish.  When the drag is under strain, it's nearly impossible to regulate with any degree of accuracy, just how much change is being made and more than one fish has broken off when someone has decided to tighten the drag "just a tad" and it seized.  The same can happen when trying to decrease the drag.  Try to back it off just a little bit while it's under the strain of a big fish and you end up with no drag at all.  Then you try to add some back and...bye bye fish.

RG reminded us that each reel has a system of washers that's putting pressure on the spool and they're under a lot of tension, but tinkering with it at the same time you're trying to halt a fish from making a mad dash for cover could cause you to misjudge your adjustment and lose the fish or do damage to the drag mechanism itself.


On the surface it would seem that if a line is rated to break at 20 lbs of tensile pull (straight line pull), setting the drag to allow the spool to turn at anything less than 20 lbs of pull would prevent the line from breaking.  Why not?  With 20 lb test and the drag set so that it starts slipping at 15 lbs of pull, you have a margin of 5 lbs.  Not so.  In fact for line of 20 lb class, the drag should be set at between 4 and 7 lbs.  Use a scale to set the drag at least until you gain experience.

The drag system should be measured with the reel mounted and the line running through the guides.  Do not simply attach the scale to the line coming off the reel.  Measure it as though you were fighting a fish.

There are many factors that must be met when arriving at the figures for both the initial striking drag and fighting drag.  RG reviewed a few of them...

If we start out with a drag setting of 20 lbs, it will take 20 lbs of pull to cause the drag to slip with the reel full of line.    But if you combine the length of the cast and the amount of additional line a fish runs with and the spool of line ends up being reduced to half its diameter (this does not mean half of your line is out....it refers to the amount of room left empty on the spool), it will now take 40 lbs of pull to slip the drag.

To help us better understand, he handed out and explained an illustration similar to the one above which emphasizes the point he was making.  The line on a reel spool is essentially a tool, similar to a lever.  The longer the lever, the harder you have to work.  Likewise, the more line that has been pulled out, the harder the fish has to work.

Additionally,  RG credited Frank Moss with the development of a formula for setting line drag (X=A/BxW) and referred to the book Mr. Moss wrote: Modern Saltwater Fishing Tackle

X = new line tension

A = original fill spool diameter

B = new diameter (the amount of line left on spool after cast and fish run)

W = original drag setting in pounds

Example:  If your reel is holding a full spool of 12 lb test line and your drag system is set to slip at 6 lbs of pull, your line will break when your spool is half empty.  The focus is on the amount of line left on the spool...NOT the amount of line that's in the water. 

It's important to set the drag as lightly as possible and still be able to set the hook.  As you fight the fish, you can simple add drag by palming the spool or just placing a finger lightly against the side of the spool against the line.






Another suggestion RG made was to start out with quality line to begin with and a reel with a good reliable drag.  He taught us how to test the smoothness of the drag: 

1...Take the reel off of the rod. 

2...Pull about a foot of line out of the spool and then close the bail.

3...Hold the tag end of the line up high, with the bail closed, and let gravity pull the weight of the reel slowly to the ground. 

4...If the reel does not move, then turn the knob slightly in order to loosen the drag until it begins to drop slowly to the ground. 

5...If the drag system is working properly, the reel should fall in one slow continuous motion to the floor. 

6...If it drops in jerks - then you have a problem.

Using a weight scale similar to the ones in the website linked below, we spent the next 15-20 minutes doing some hands-on activities testing the drag system of some of the reels he brought with him.  Here is a link to a great web-site for new anglers that will explain in a more elementary way.

A couple of tips he gave us before he switched topics:

1...If your fishing with a spinning reel....Don't Reel Against the Drag !!  This means if your fish is running with your line and you can hear the constant clicking noise that the reel is making....DO NOT try to reel in the fish.  WAIT until the clicking noise stops before you start turning the reel handle.  If you get all excited and start reeling while you hear that noise, then your line will get all twisted on the spool and will tangle on your next few casts.  Hard habit to break so work on it!

2...When you get home from fishing, remember to loosen the drag all the way and rinse the rod and reel under fresh water.  Get all of the salt residue off of the equipment so that any mechanisms inside the reel won't get corroded prematurely. 

Next on the list of topics:  Part 3 - Landing Nets

RG Schmidt is the former Tight Lines fishing columnist for our local paper, the Citrus County Chronicle.  He was instrumental in helping get the Nature Coast Lady Anglers fishing club off the ground in 2013 and has been one of our strongest supporters since we began.  Even though he was very busy with his weekly column, he always made himself available to any of us who's needed guidance or have had 'silly' questions.  He is our official mentor, in a way, and we continue to be grateful for his willingness to share his knowledge. 


Now - allow me to step up on my soapbox for a moment.  I was surprised one Thursday morning, several months ago, to access my on-line subscription to The Citrus Chronicle in order to read RG's Tight Lines column for the week before heading out to work, only to find the space had been given to a local guide.  As I read the words in print I expected to learn that RG was on vacation or some other temporary hiatus that necessitated a short-term replacement.  Instead I read a vague fishing report that sounded more like a column sized advertisement for his guide service.  I contacted RG for an explanation and I was shocked to hear his news.  Those who make the decisions for the Chronicle content felt they could cut costs and save a buck by cutting RG out of the picture and replacing his long standing and informative column with some free guide advertising and a sentence or two disguised as a "report".  The loyal readers of RG's column aren't stupid.  It didn't take us long to figure out what was going on and we revolted.  I personally cancelled my subscription and I know many followed suite.  I know this site doesn't get a great deal of exposure, but for those who are reading it now - you need to know why his column was replaced.  So....there you have it  - my personal opinion - and I will now step down from my soapbox!

After all of this - RG still possesses his desire to teach anyone willing to learn.  He agreed to be our guest speaker for the June topic of Setting the Reel Drag and Boating a Fish...


He gave us a brief and humorous self-introduction that started with his upbringing.  We enjoyed listening to the story he told us about being  raised in Tennessee by his aunt and uncle and how they managed to keep an eye on him when they went fishing together.  Seems  they would tie one end of a light-weight rope to a nearby tree and the other end would be tied to him (sort of a make-shift leash, if you will) giving him just enough slack to reach the water's edge...cane pole in hand. Not sure if a parent would get away with that in this day and age, but it served its purpose back then.  He recalled spending his childhood fishing  and its been a passion of his ever since.

He's been writing about the outdoors in general (recreation, fishing, hunting, environment, ecology etc.) for the past 35 years.  He also taught an Ecology course at Indian River Community College in St. Lucie County back when it was a two-year community college.  It has since turned into a four-year university. 

At one point in his life, he was writing three columns per week for the same newspaper.  One column focusing on the outdoors, a second more politically focused column, and a third on Ecology where he attempted to educate the public on a frequently misused term called "the chain of life".  He wanted people to understand that the term is really not a accurate analogy for what it's supposed to represent.  All that our ecology encompasses would be best described in terms of a 'web'...not a 'chain'.

In 1995 he wrote a book, Good Luck and Tight Lines, on inshore Florida fishing, which is his specialty and the following year, 1996, that book was voted one of the three best outdoor related books of the year.  He is currently working to get a revised edition of it approved for publication that will include kayak fishing and inshore grouper fishing.  Grouper, of course, are generally considered offshore species, but Citrus Co. is one of the few places in Florida where they can be caught in 8-10 ft. of water.  Click on the link above for more info on the book and how to order it.

As a prelude to our topic of discussion for the evening, RG told those of us who tune into televised fishing shows that much of the information presented through this medium is not accurate.  As a matter of fact, he became so aggravated after viewing so many misguided episodes that he refuses to watch them anymore.  He recalled one episode in particular where the host had caught a spotted seatrout that just happened to be missing one of its two large canine teeth.  He held the trout's mouth to the camera and began to inform the viewers that a lost tooth, such as this trout had, was a sign of spawning activity.  RG was ready to throw a bottle at his television in an attempt to knock some sense into that guy!  RG explained that all pre-spawn fish activity has a purpose, coloration changes that can attract a mate, for instance.  Loosing a tooth has no purpose.  This happened to be the same host that confused the trout with snook when he told his viewers that trout have the ability to change from male to female.  Now we know why he doesn't watch them anymore.

Anthropo - what???  Anthropomorphizing - Something most women have a tendency to do.  It basically means to attribute human qualities (like emotions, feelings, and logic) to animals and plants.  Just watch any Disney animated film and you'll get the picture.  This is why many females get a little squeamish when we watch others put a live shrimp on a hook or pull a fish out of the water by just the hook.  RG warned us to avoid this emotional pit-fall when fishing.

He actually gave us a great example to emphasize his point.  If you know anything at all about crabs in general, you know to avoid them because they have pinchers, for starters, but their outer shell is hard and scattered with sharp edges for defense.  If you break a blue crab shell, what do you have?  More sharp edges with an increased chance of cutting your hands and causing injury.  Now, imagine how it would feel if you tried to crush a crab's shell in your mouth.  Would it hurt?  You Betcha !!  Now, think about red drum, black drum and sheepshead.....they all eat crab.  If crushing crab shells were as painful to them, as it would be for us, they certainly would avoid it, too, right?  So it just stands to reason that a fish's mouth is not very sensitive to pain.  Redfish in particular even have specially designed 'crushers' in the back of their throat that help with the grinding of crab and oyster shells.  A fishing hook in the side of the lip is probably more aggravating than painful.

The same holds true for fish that supposedly uses 'logic' to escape from danger after being hooked, "That snook was smart, he headed straight for the mangroves."    Fish don't take action like this in an attempt to outsmart an angler.  The mangroves act as a nursery and are where most of these inshore, and some offshore  fish were born.  It's where they find food and shelter from larger predators, including birds, so the mangrove root system is a familiar safe zone for them and it's only their natural instinct that leads them back in that direction.   If the fishing line is cut in the process, that's just coincidence. 

Trout, on another note, migrate from the mangrove nursery to the sea grass meadows.  That's their safety zone.  Their instinct is to try and hide in the grass and 'fight-it-out' doing everything within its power to shake that aggravating hook out of it's mouth.  They're pretty successful at it, too.

Redfish don't have a specific 'safety zone' really.  Although they will dash into a mangrove root system to take cover if it's within reach.  Their primary reaction to being hooked, however, is to run....run, run, run as far and as fast as they can.  The first run of a redfish will usually be the most powerful.

So don't think all of these fish-fighting strategies are a conscience decision on the part of the fish.  It's their instinct and their natural defense mechanisms taking over.