DALLAS -- Looking through some digital photos taken recently at Lake Tawakoni, I realized I had captured a couple of different action sequences of veteran fishing guide Tony Parker doing something I don't recommend.
Parker was using his medium-heavy action rod to lift hybrid stripers weighing as much as eight pounds into his boat. That's a good way to break a rod, though Parker uses seven-foot rods for leverage in fighting and landing big fish and for the boost it gives his casting range.
I'm more of a medium-action, six-foot rod guy, mostly because I enjoy fishing with the shorter, lighter rods. I seldom use my fishing rod to lift a fish weighing much more than three pounds.
When landing a fish, never reel the fish right up to the end of your rod tip. Keep the fish four to six feet away from the rod tip, thus enabling the stretch of the line and the flex of the rod to work in your favor if the tired fish decides on one more dash for freedom. They often do.
Regardless of the fish-landing method you prefer, first tire the fish out. A lively fish beside the boat is more likely to gain freedom than a lively fish 20 feet from the boat. Here are four ways to land a fish, starting with Parker's snatch-'em-in-the-boat method.
If you plan to lift the fish with your rod, first get the fish moving in your direction and use that incoming momentum to time the lift and pull the fish into the boat. You see the bass pros on television using this method a lot. Remember, they're typically fishing with heavier rods and heavier line than most anglers use.
Anglers often use a landing net to boat a prize fish, but I've seen poor netting techniques even by experienced anglers. Like any fishing gear, today's landing nets are much better than they used to be.
The nets come in a variety of sizes designed to handle any Texas freshwater game fish smaller than the biggest blue catfish, flathead catfish or alligator gar. Select the net that works best for your fishing style. I like those with rubber net material because it's easier to extract treble hooks that invariably get tangled in the mesh.
You should never use a net to dip a fish from behind. Chasing the fish with a net is guaranteed to cause a frantic reaction that can result in a lost trophy. Better to submerge the net at boat side and lead the tired fish into the netting. Even if the fish makes another run, it's headed right where you want it.
Disappointed anglers have watched in dismay as big fish bounced off poor netting techniques that look more like a Roger Federer forehand stroke than a skilled attempt at netting a big fish.
Here's a caution about landing nets: Always start your fishing day with the assumption that you're about to hook a big one. Keep the net in a handy spot near the middle of the boat and avoid putting anything, like a tackle box, on top of it. When you need a net, you don't have time to go looking for it or uncovering it.
Unless you're fishing for something with big teeth, you can land most freshwater fish by hand simply by clamping down on their lower jaw with a thumb grip. This is the technique by which oversized largemouth bass are generally boated (assuming there's no net), and I've landed 10-pounders with a careful lip grip.
Make sure the fish is worn out before attempting a lip grip and avoid this technique if your lure is equipped with treble hooks. Even a tired fish will shake its head when grabbed, and you're liable to be sharing the hook with the fish.
Treble hooks and catch-and-release are why I always carry a BogaGrip clipped conveniently to my tackle bag. The BogaGrip is a machined, stainless steel landing device with an accurate spring scale incorporated. It works by clamping onto the fish's lower jaw.
Once the BogaGrip is attached, the fish cannot escape unless it jerks you and the landing device into the water. I've landed blue cats as big as 30 pounds with a BogaGrip. You can land the fish, weigh it and release the fish without touching it. The BogaGrip is not cheap ($120 to $240), but it's a lifetime investment.
Cheaper versions have come along since the original and the design is the same, so they probably work about as well as an actual BogaGrip.
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