Bass Fishing Feb - Mar 2018 | Page 40

TAKEOFF KAYAK FISHING 4 TIPs FOR FIgHTINg FIsH FROM A kAyAk A FORMER NATIONAL CHAMPION’S APPROACH TO IMPROVING LANDING PERCENTAGE A By Matt Ball 38 lightweight kayak is a great craft for accessing tucked-away areas where a lot of unpressured big bass are waiting. However, the same attributes of a kayak that make it great for access – light weight and compactness – can also make fighting and landing big bass a tough job. I’ve learned to deal with the challenge first hand while competing in kayak fishing tournaments, and I’ve assem- bled a list of tips based on my experiences to help you land more big fish, too. 1. STICK THE HOOKSET The first step in landing any fish is the hookset, which is much more difficult when sitting in the confines of a kayak than it is in a bass boat. The best strategy I have is to keep slack out of the line when fishing, so when it’s time to set the hook I can drive it home in an efficient way. Proper gear selection and setup are important, too. I prefer a reel with a high- speed retrieve ratio, which helps to remove slack quickly before the hookset. When I first started kayak fishing, I erred toward a loose drag setting, because I thought it was necessary for fighting fish. Consequently, I wasn’t getting good hooksets. Now, I tend to tighten my drag down more than I would in other fishing situations. 2. KEEP IT PINNED Coaxing a big fish out of the thick stuff requires more finesse than brute force because the kayak is often moving toward the fight, which makes it tough to horse in FLWFISHING.COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2018