Flyfishing question

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When reeling in a fish, do you strip the fish in or actually use the zero-gear-ratio reel to retrieve?

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all work done is with rod and hand, the reel is just to pick up extra line you dont need

if you are after something big that will take all the line, then you can use the drag on the reel as well as your hand to adjust the line tension.

its something you get the feel of as far as to how much pressure to put on the line based on your casting leader size

On bigger fish, I usually use the reel.

I only fly-fish for bass and bream so I always hand strip the line

quote:

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When reeling in a fish, do you strip the fish in or actually use the zero-gear-ratio reel to retrieve?

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Depends on the fish...unless its big enough to strip line you just haul in the line but if it is taking line you fight them pretty much the same way you would any fish that is taking line...if you've stripped in a bunch of slack when the fish hits you have to act as the drag until it gets on the reel. Bream, 2-3 pound bass or trout will usually not take line so they are usually stripped in. Redfish, stripers, snook, tarpon and even 2 pound bonefish will be on the reel almost immediately and into the backing. Catching fish capable of stripping line is hell on most fly reels...even really good ones get smoked regularly on Tarpon and permit. I have never caught a billfish on the long rod but I have been on a boat when sails and white marling were hooked and to be honest I do not know how anyone gets one leadered without destroying the reel...even when those reels cost as much as they do.

Grab the line let the rod do the work and strip the fish in. I usually have so much line out using the reel you would have an issue, unless you have one of the self reeling reels that are spring loaded that will take up all your slack line, but I have never used one.