Jumping fish throwing my fly

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

So a little help is needed. Three times this week I had a nice fish on, who jumped out of the water and mid air threw my hook.

I know your supposed to keep "pressure on the fish" but I think I'm doing something wrong. Help!

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[Pete]

Did you sharpen your hooks?

Most non-premium hooks come out of the box dull.
If you have access to a low power microscope, you'll be shocked at how dull the point of a standard hook is.
A sharp hook will tend to "stick" when drawn lightly across a fingernail.

It's wise to touch them up after snags, fish, or just long use.
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There's a school of thought that a barbless hook will penetrate deeper, than a lightly set barbed hook, and actually hold better.
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Pressure... Is a judgment call. Fish weigh more in the air than underwater. If the fish is big, and the tippet is light, and a jumping fish lands on a tight tippet, you could break off. Some people advocate throwing a little slack during a jump, (my reflexes aren't that quick).

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Any recommendations for a hook sharpener?

[danme]

a file is what i use

[Randyflycaster]

I was told that when a fish jumps, point your fly rod down; that will take some slack out of the line.
Then again, sometimes the fish just win. Perhaps that's the way it's supposed to be.

Randy

[Andy]

Regardless of what one does, I believe everyone will lose some fish on the jump. Sometimes, the fish don't take the fly confidently, and you don't get a solid hook set in a part of the jaw soft enough to allow deep penetration. Sometimes, the fish turns away (a refusal) at the last second and is only lightly hooked outside its mouth. Rather than sharpen and re-sharpen your hooks (which can do more harm than good), I suggest starting off the right way at square one by tying your flies on Tiemco hooks which are extremely sharp and increase your chances for quick, deep penetration. If you buy your flies, seek out a custom tyer who will tie your favorite patterns on TMC hooks. I would regard these as the "premium" hooks previously mentioned.

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

Thanks Andy. Right now I've been going thru so many flys i haven't even considered premium flys. Seems I catch more trees and river bank than anything else. I did buy a knot tool, which has really decreased my fly loss with a much better holding knot.

I have twins at home so tieing flies is not possible, but I'm going to ask for a vice for Christmas.

[trico mike]

When a fish jumps apply less pressure not more by bowing the rod to him. If you have a good hook set the hook will hold better with less pressure on it. Sometimes you lose fish that's the way it go's. Thats why its called fishing not catching.

[tomfly]

I drop a few fish after they have been hooked and I can care less. It is not that the hooks are not sharp or bent. I pinch all barbs down. This does give a slight advantage to the fish. At this point in my life I can care less if I land the fish. I get a thrill just knowing that the fish took my fly and what I am using works. Fly fishing is all about outsmarting a fish. After the fish is hooked the job is accomplishe. Anything that happens after that is just incidentals.

[BrownChickenBrownTrout]

I know its a thrill to catch a fish, and trust me a day of "4 hooked, 2 landed" is still better than a day at the office. I'm still learning so I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. It just wasn't chance because every fish that jumped, I've lost.

I saw on TU the other night the guy fishing for Browns in AR dropped his rod and his body low. I'll try that next time.

[msmith14]

I drop a few fish after they have been hooked and I can care less. It is not that the hooks are not sharp or bent. I pinch all barbs down. This does give a slight advantage to the fish. At this point in my life I can care less if I land the fish. I get a thrill just knowing that the fish took my fly and what I am using works. Fly fishing is all about outsmarting a fish. After the fish is hooked the job is accomplishe. Anything that happens after that is just incidentals.

I know this is an older thread but I agree 100% on what tomfly is saying a lot of people like to land the fish, but I like just knowing I have outsmarted such a beautiful intelligent fish