To cast or not to cast?

[el_carpo]

Hello again,

I've got a question. If you were out fishing and saw a fish that you MIGHT be able to land with your rod, reel and line, would you try for it or not take the chance? I ask this because I once saw a very large fish but my gear was a bit lighter than ideal. I chose to skip it. I figured why take the chance of it busting off and leaving the lure in its mouth and I also didn't want to lose the lure. I may have landed it by playing it properly with the drag adjustment though. :-/

Sometimes, I think I made the right descision, other times, I feel queezy with regret for not trying.

What would you have done?

[seajay39]

Might be able to land.

There still is a chance and it's worth taking the risk just for the thrill.
plus lures are replaceable :D

[jackash]

Id have a dig! Half the fun is in the fight isn't it. And if you lost it atleast you would have known you couldnt get it... rather than regretting not even trying at all and always wondering what could have happened.

[Kendall249]

stick it to em'

[DNO40]

Take the chance, it may have been a lot of fun. Worry about the size of your gear if you actually hookup not before.

DNO

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

Confucious aka GWH say:

" A man cannot know how high a mountain is until he has climbed it."

you must climb that mountain, grasshopper, and enjoy the view from the top because only then will you know the path to take in future!



[smiley=chinese.gif]

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

[smiley=chinese.gif] arso oops !

[Poodroo]

Interesting question El_Carpo. Have always had this saying that in clear waters like that when you can actually see the big fish that you can never catch what you see. Was out with my uncle in his boat a while ago and could see all these school mckeral swiming a few metres under the boat but do you think anyof them would take the bait? We threw everything we had at them and even to the point where my uncle touched the nose of one with a lure but to no avail. I remember that day well. The size of these fish would have outgunned us easily on the day but we were still hoping for just one hookup. A long way to answer the question I know but yes I would still have a crack at it just to break the myth.

Poodroo

[JasonT]

Hey El_Carpo!
There's a saying here in Oz. I think it began as a marketing slogan for our northern territory, but it's apt...

"You'll never never know if you never ever go!"

JT

[marlinqld]

Do it next time........... you know you want to........ ;D ;D

[griz066]

In the words of "Rocky" GO FOR IT 8-)

[megan]

Go for it - if you get busted off you always have a good story to tell!!!!

[Duyz72]

I guess if you are fishing with 4lb line and see a 30lb fish go past, well you are either going to bust off without a thought or pick up the record! So definitely have a crack, chase that fish down if you must and use a lure you don't mind donating to the fish!

[el_carpo]

;D Gawdabbit! ;D

100% for "Go for it!" Now I know I made the wrong choice! D'OH!

That's what I get for letting my inner "greenie" cloud my judgement. I was worried the fish would die from the stress from an extended fight or the hook in the mouth if I busted off. That probably would not have happened and I probably would have caught it, won a line-class record and become one of the beautiful people. Now look at me! A wreck of a man with no hope for a bright tomorrow. Dish shucks.


Next time that inner "greenie" pipes up while I'm fishing, I'm gonna drown him in beer or at least distract him with a Pink Floyd reunion rumor or something. ;D

Ah well. Thanks for the replies everybody. Next time I'm going for it.


'Til then, continue shining on my fellow crazy diamonds. ;)

EC

[el_carpo]

Well, you're diamonds anyway, I'm more like a crazy, fishless, lump of coal. I'm going to be kicking myself for years over that fish now. Argggg! :'(

[onerabbit]

2 distinct occasions come to mind with your question,

The first, a couple of years ago, Ida & I were fishing in Glenlyon dam when a massive cod swam right up to the boat, so big that one mans's arms wouldn't have gone around the back of it's head.
The fish swam up to us & was no more than 18 inches from my toes, on the surface, armed with a sloppy little rod & 12 lb line I just HAD to pull a lure past his nose, every hair on my head prickled when he suddenly turned towards it, only to then give me a look, "you think I'm that stupid??"

The other was out on the shelf about 6 mnths ago, we were cod fishing & moving back up on our mark when we saw an enourmous marlin freejumping for the fun of it, again, the fish swam right up to the boat to have a look, I looked at my Penn 6/0 full of 80lb braid, but didn't even bother trying, it wasn't gonna be good enough.

Muzz

[fez]

HAVE A CRACK!!!!!!!!!

I would...

Fez

[JasonT]

Well now you Know El_carpo!
The answer is to "Run like Hell" and in no "Time" you'll have the fish in the boat and be enjoying the feelings of "learning to fly"
Don't worry about the "Money" if you lose a lure.
Remember it's just "Another brick in the wall" of our fishing experience!
Another battle for the "Dogs of War" to wage!


lol...
I really hope someone other than me finds the amusement in this!
Or I'll look like a complete knob!

:-)

JT

[Craigus]

I would have a crack. You never know, you just may be able to land the big one on the light gear and wouldn't it be an experience and a half!

[tunaman]

el-carpo. Give it a go! Whats the worst that can happen?

Getting spooled is a trophy in its self. 8-)

Sportfishing is what I like, and using light line is a great way of making
the battle last longer and its much more fun.

The skills in the fisherman, not in the gear.

signed tunaman

[Reef_fisher]

El carpo,Bite off more than you can chew and then chew like hell, you might surprise yourself. 8-) 8-)

Onerabbit, 80lb line and you didn't have a crack. :o :o. I bet you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, I know I would.

[aussiefool]

Hav' a go ya mug.............. sooner or later your' goin to loose that lure anyway be it to a fish, rock, tree or whatever

[Poodroo]

I was going to add that it is the Australian way to say "Have a go ya mug" and sure as eggs aussiefool goes and beats me to it. ;D Oh well, one for the road.... have a go ya mug! :D

Poodroo

[slyman]

Fortune favours the bold ;)

[haggis]

;)should of gave it a wee bash .
its better to lose than never to have lost .

the first fish i ever hooked with this wee lure I had since I was a school kid
was last year , now I have had this lure twenty three years before any fish woul take it .
It had to be my first look at an Aussie barra , the fish took the lure on my second cast and
bricked me right at the boat .
I wake up at night in cold sweats still seeing this barra jumping out of the water trying to shake my wee Scottish lure out of its mouth as I tied on another lure .
going back to see if i can catch this lure this year .
cheers fae haggis

[el_carpo]

Well now you Know El_carpo!
The answer is to "Run like Hell" and in no "Time" you'll have the fish in the boat and be enjoying the feelings of "learning to fly"
Don't worry about the "Money" if you lose a lure.
Remember it's just "Another brick in the wall" of our fishing experience!
Another battle for the "Dogs of War" to wage!


lol...
I really hope someone other than me finds the amusement in this!
Or I'll look like a complete knob!

:-)

JT





I like it JT. Very good! :)

Thanks again everyone for your input. Onerabbit and I will have our revenge on those fish some day. Next time, it's cast! My northern pike and his marlin have a date with destiny. ;)

[staddie_local]

i would have a go, the lure is replacible, but your pride isent. ;)

[onerabbit]

For me at the time, it wasn't the fear of doing battle with the fish & loosing...... Should I have been lucky enough to hook this monster I was certain he would have spooled me (I've had the 6/0 emptied by a big marlin before ), so I started thinking of the $160 worth of braid that I stood to loose.
That said, I have up-graded my big gear to to a Sealine 900 (holds 1000 mtrs of 80lb braid), if I had it on the day I may have stood a chance.

Muzz

[tunaman]

one rabbit. At that price commonsence wins the day.



signed tunaman

[Dirtysanchez]

How about sentimental value ?

I know this huge cod that lives in a hole under a ramp in the Hervey bay area, at low tide the local kids go down and feed it prawns by hand :o

Anyway, last time we brought the boat in at that ramp the cod was happily swimming around near our feet looking for a feed ::)

We'd caught bugger all so I was very tempted to throw a pilly on gang hooks at it, but we decided that would be a low act so we spooked him back into his hole to fight another day. Sure was plump and looked tastey though :-?

[Scalem]

Hey El Carpo,

I thought about this another way. #If you saw the woman of your dreams or women, if you saw the man of your dreams, would you walk up to them and say a friendly hello and start chatting, or walk away thinking to yourself, "Nah, way out of my league!!"

All I know is that there are a lot of desperate and dateless people out there, who are also very lonely, because noone ever asks them. ;) ;)

As for me, I'm happily married!!

Go on, be a devil!! # ::) ::) ::) That fish may have been the catch of a lifetime!!

Scalem

[Sea-Dog]

The most bitter regrets are from those things left undone................... :-?