Never Lose Another Largemouth Bass

We bet you know the heartache of dropping a huge bass. Truth is, it’s often your own fault. From proper prep work to fight techniques to end-game insurance, these tips from a pro will keep you from feeling that sting ever again. 

Expert: Dave Wolak
Home Water: Lake Gaston, North Carolina
Credentials: A pro angler since 2004, Wolak has chased largemouths in every corner of the U.S.

THE PROBLEM: Retying One On 

“I’ve heard so many guys say, ‘I’m using braid. I don’t have to check it or retie,’” Wolak says. “But I don’t care what line you’re using. You can’t make 500 casts without ever retying your lure. It doesn’t take much to weaken your line just a little, yet many anglers don’t want to be bothered retying, especially if the action is good. Then when a big fish hits, that one little nick hurts.” 

THE FIX: Run the 2-Foot Slide
“Every single time I retrieve a lure, I’ll quickly slide my fingers down the first 2 feet of line before I recast. Do this until it becomes second ­nature. You won’t even think about it; you just sort of work the motion right into your cast. If I feel anything I don’t like, no matter how slight, I retie right away. I’m such a freak about retying that there are always surgical scissors in my back pocket.”

THE PROBLEM: Swinging Big

“Bass guys love to swing hard when they set, and when you’re used to hitting 2-pound squirts all the time, you can get away with it. Big fish are different. When you swing on a true trophy bass, very often it doesn’t move. It just feels like you’re setting against a rock, and snap goes the line. Because of that, many anglers lose big fish before they even knew they had them.”

THE FIX: Slip Some Drag
“If you’re fishing where you know there’s a chance of tying into a big bass, your drag has to be set properly ahead of time. If you pull it by hand and nothing pays out, it’s too tight. When you hook a big fish, you want the drag to slip just a little. This acts like a buffer between your own strength and fish that may not budge.”

THE PROBLEM: Panic Attack

“An angler can be in total control of a big fish the entire fight, and then he finally sees it next to the boat and loses all composure. Suddenly he thinks because it’s big, he’s going to lose it, so he grabs the line and tries to lift it into the boat fast. Or guys play the fish too long because they’re nervous, that hole in its mouth gets wider, and with one jump the bass is gone.”

THE FIX: Block the Jump Shot
“You don’t want a big bass to jump next to the boat. I keep my rod tip submerged 10 to 12 inches when the fish is close. That keeps its head down and helps stop it from jumping. If I see the line rising, I’ll bury the rod even deeper to keep that head down. I’ll wait to make the grab when the bass is calm and rolls over on its side, or even better, wait for it to be moving toward me with its mouth wide open.”

CRANK IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT

The lures, baits, and tactics used when trolling offshore for tuna, marlin, and wahoo may vary widely, but once these species strike, there’s one key element that gets them to the boat: Don’t stop reeling. It’s a big mistake to crank down and then start pumping the rod or resting. Early on, it’s your job to pick up as much slack as possible between you and the fish. Because of the boat’s forward momentum, these fish tend to dump 100 or more yards of line after the hit. With that much line out, even slowing for a few seconds can cost you a trophy, because if it swims toward the boat, you may not be able to regain that slack fast enough to stay tight. You can pump and rest once the fish gets closer to the boat, which is good because you’ll be tired from all that hard reeling. —J.C.

Photographs from top: Bill Lindner; Brian Grossenbacher