thumbing the spool

General musky fishing discussions and questions.

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Esoxonthefly
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thumbing the spool

Post by Esoxonthefly » Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:48 pm

This topic isn't covered much anywhere so can someone explain why you thumb your spool during a figure 8?

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Post by swanezy » Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:31 pm

you usually do it because when u hook a fish on a figure 8, so it has room to run and not go crazy boat side with the chance to lose the fish. Otherwise u have given it no slack without the thumb bar depressed.

I can usually press my thumb bar quick enough if i do hook a fish, but some people prefer doing it just one way.

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Post by Duke » Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:30 pm

Yup- so you clamp the thumb down tight during the hookset, but then you can feed out line if the fish needs it by controlling the freespool with your thumb. A thrashing big fish at boatside with no line out usually results in a victory for the muskie!

Some reels are very difficult to push the button under heavy tension, others are not. So like swanezy says, for some reels it is not necessary to go freespool before the hit.

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Steve S
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Post by Steve S » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:20 pm

I agree with Duke & Swanezy it can go either way.

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hemichemi
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Post by hemichemi » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:45 pm

What Duke said! On my Pfluegers, it's damn near impossible to release the spool with a crazy fish on the line putting tension on the mechanism. If you wait until you've hooked a fish, it may be too late.
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Cyberlunge
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Post by Cyberlunge » Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:46 pm

Not only those reasons but it seems that the line pack is about the loosest at the very top and a hard hook-set can rapidly bury the line in the spool causing the aforementioned fish victory.
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Esoxonthefly
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Post by Esoxonthefly » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:38 pm

Thanks for clearing this up. This subject never gets talked about when authors write about how important it is to F8 on every cast. Seems to be the F8 is only the beginning, you need to be ready for that fish to take as well. I'd be so mad at myself if my line broke setting the hook on a F8 and watch that fish swim off and maybe die.

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MuskyDan
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Post by MuskyDan » Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:04 pm

also, when you get in the habit of free spooling on the L or the 8 even if there isn't a fish present you can more fluidly move into the next cast. This will cut out a fraction of wasted time and will keep your bait in the "zone" for a longer period of time!! One of the things I learned while I was getting my ass handed to me by Dick Pearson!! [smilie=2thumbsup.gif]
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Post by robhj » Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:52 pm

I haven't been at this muskie game very long but I've never disengaged the spool on a figure 8 & I have yet to lose a fish on the 8. Granted, I haven't caught a ton of fish boatside. Perhaps it is something I should consider but it seems that with the newer & longer rods available and if the drag is set properly, I don't see the need to do that after every cast. My rods are all 8 1/2-9 ft rods & I usually set my drag so it's tight but still allows the fish to pull line when it makes it's initial run. Maybe I'm playing with fire but seems to work for me. It also seems like it puts more pressure on the reel, especially the thumb bar, by disengaging the spool for every figure 8. I'm sur I'll change my tune real fast the day I lose a big fish after a boat side hookup.
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Cyberlunge
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Post by Cyberlunge » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:19 pm

It really isnt IMO one of the things that has to happen on every fish for a person to be successful, however when you up the game to 53 or 54 inches and it comes in hot, that is when it will matter. Most people cannot react fast enough, and we all know how many of those shots you get in a lifetime, for me it is a matter of being ready for the biggun on every cast you may never get burned but the one time you do...
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Will Schultz
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Post by Will Schultz » Thu Mar 31, 2011 1:55 pm

My advice is don’t do it.

I used to be a freespooler becasue back in the day of short rods, dacron lines and a generally unforgiving set up for fighting fish at the boat, if you didn't get them away from the boat a little you were likely to loose them.

Thing is, over the last 10-15 years, everything has changed but for some reason the idea of hitting the freespool before a figure eight has not. Rods and line aren't even close to what they were 25 years ago. The advancements have increased our ability to set the hook and keep it set with lots of bend in the rod. Long rods and superline allow us to set the hook without a locked down drag. This means there’s no reason to freespool a fish hooked at the boat, especially a big fish that will take line without any help. Also consider that you must keep a thumb on the spool during the figure eight, this limits your movement of the rod and/or puts you in a really bad position when a fish does eat.

Trust your equipment to do the job it was meant to do.
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Corey K
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Post by Corey K » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:13 pm

I've always stripped line off by hand if needed whether its with a spinning reel, trolling reel or a casting reel. Might not be the best technique but I've always done that ice fishing, trolling salmon/walleyes, and musky fishing, worked so far.

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John E. Sox
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Post by John E. Sox » Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:59 am

With a good drag and long rod, I would say thumbing the spool is a thing of the past. I used to routinely thumb the spool on every figure eight until I decided to experiment a few years ago by letting the drag and long rod do the work for me. I have been pleasantly surprised with the results. I think thumbing the spool lost me quite a few fish in the past. My landing percentages have gone up drastically by simply holding on tight and trusting my equipment. I believe that I wasn't keeping enough constant, steady pressure on the fish by thumbing the spool. Consequently, I wasn't burying the hooks enough and I allowed the fish to gain leverage and shake free. I am a firm believer in applying constant and, fairly, heavy pressure. In fact, I have also calmed down my hook-sets because of all of the improvements in our equipment. I simply sweep the rod and keep a heavy bend in it.
When I used to the thumb the spool I felt like I was trying not to lose the fish rather than trying to land the fish. Now, I feel more like I am winning the battle by being the aggressor.

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Post by TimD » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:09 am

IMO it's really a personal preference and whatever you feel comfortable and confident with and works for you. Personally, I don't ever freespool and simply trust my drag and rod. I may end up backing off my drag a bit after the intial hook set and tightening it again shortly after. This usually only happens with a few of the bigger fish. How well the fish is hooked also plays a role in this decision. The longer rods of today hold fish better as we can keep that important and constant bend in our rods, unlike some of the shorter "pool cue" type rods of the past.

I tried the freespool gig years and years ago, probably in the late 80's, after an old Wisconsin guide practically insisted on it but I never found it to be an improvement for me

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Will Schultz
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Post by Will Schultz » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:55 am

John E. Sox wrote:
When I used to the thumb the spool I felt like I was trying not to lose the fish rather than trying to land the fish. Now, I feel more like I am winning the battle by being the aggressor.
Perfectly stated!

I would also add im my experience and observation that the more you try not to loose the fish, instead of trying to land it, the more likely you are to loose the fish.
Self interest is for the past, common interest is for the future.

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