Practice / "Bowing"

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I somehow always wind up writing as your are leaving town. Nonetheless, I meant to ask you and the group about something a while back. You mentioned the term 'bow' to a big fish when you want to avoid snapping the leader during a fight or jump. What exactly is this 'bowing'. Can you describe?

Dan
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This calls attention so something we sometimes do when teaching...... making assumptions !

We assume that our students understand our words and phrases when often they don't. Most students are unlikely to ask. For this reason, I take some time to discuss the "definitions" we'll be using at the start of a workshop or course.

When a large fish such as a tarpon jumps, a lot of things happen in a short period of time. The fish often shakes his head in mid air and makes violent movements .... sometimes even cart wheeling about before landing back into the water. Upon landing, this fish may land on the leader or fly line placing a sudden strain or shock to the leader which will break the class tippet since this is the weakest link in the system.

For this reason, most of us swing the rod tip in the direction of the fish quickly and at the same time lower it in order to throw some slack line into the system. This minimizes the strain on the class tippet. We then come tight to the fish after the jumping episode. Sometimes a wild tarpon will make a series of jumps requiring the angler to maintain as little tension as possible.

Some anglers are good at throwing LOTS of slack to a wild fish . One example of this can be seen in Floyd Franke's book, FISH ON, p. 97. (Photo of Paul Dixon fighting a tarpon from my skiff)

Here we deal with a "risk/benefit" ratio, for we can lose fish by yielding slack. With a wild jumping tarpon, however, that ratio is tipped in favor of providing the slack.

Some Florida Keys guides, have their clients use heavy class tippets..... up to 30 lb.s breaking strength. With that leader, they often instruct their anglers not to bow to the jumping fish. In my experience, the lighter the class tippet, the more likely it is to break when the angler either forgets to bow, or does it too late. An experience tarpon angler almost always knows when his fish is about to jump. A neophyte never knows.

This technique is also used when fighting billfish such as sailfish and marlin, however it is less effective with these fish because the jump is often made with the fish so far from the angler that the "bow" is less effective due to the line stretch and the great amount of line "anchored" by water resistance.

It isn't limited to salt water. I found the "bow" useful when fishing jumping salmon with light tippets in Alaska, too.

Sometimes the "bow" can be used when a large fresh water fish is booming downstream. By suddently introducing and literally throwing slack downstream, the belly of slack line in the river can result in a pull on the fish in the direction opposite that of the angler. Occasionally that will cause the fish to turn and travel upstream.