HE'S BEHIND THE BALLYHOO...AND

[WAHOONBOX]

....YOU THEN YOU SHOULD MAKE FLASH GORDON LOOK LIKE A MUMMY... DOG-PADDLING IN A GLUE PIT....THE MOMENT WE ALL LIVE FOR!! YOU ARE QUICKLY ON THE ROD MR DIRTY WHITEBOY IS INSPECTING......BILL IS UP!....BANTERING SIDE TO SIDE....HE IS EYEBALLING IT....LUSTING FOR FOOD....AN INDESCRIBABLE BLUE-HUE FLUROESCENT PORTRAIT JUST UNFOLDS ON THE RIGHT FLAT ....AND YOU ARE POINTING THE TLD OIL BRUSH TO THE SUBJECT ...FREESPOOLING.......CAREFULLING ASSISTING 30 LB HI-VIS OFF YOUR WEAPON

WHETHER THE CIRCLE IS MONELED SECURELY TO THE TIP OF THE BILL OR TOWING GUACO STYLE...DOESN'T MATTER.....

WHAT MATTERS IS YOU ARE COOL UNDER FIRE....REHEARSING AS IT UNFOLDS ......CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR #2 AND #3 TO APPEAR.....NOW YOU ARE LETTING LINE FLOW TO THE THIEF....NO DRAG AND NO CLICKER IS SINGING IF YOU ARE GOOD...


NOW HE HAS PICKED IT UP ...YOU ARE POSITIVE OF THIS ....YOU WAIT....NOT YET!!...HOLD IT...HOLD IT .......ROD TIP HIGH.....................NOW EASE YA LEVER UP AND BIT AND CRANK.....ROD TIP HIGH I SAID.......REMEMBER HE COULD BE AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE OFF TO DA SIDE FROM YOU RIGHT NOW AND YOUR MAINLINE WILL BE STRAIGHT BACK SO CRANK LIKE HELL.....NEVER STOP THE RETRIEVE UNTIL SHE COMES TO TIGHT TO CRANK....IT'S SHOWTIME!!!!

I NEVER STRIKE A HOOK ON A BILLFISH...J-HOOK OR CIRLCE .....IT'S JUST MY WAY AND CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY WAY...BUT IT WORKS FOR ME ...JERKING IS VERY UNNECESSARY HERE........

AND WHEN THE BOAT IS NOT IN REVERSE....TRY CRANKING WITH THE ROD OFF TO A SIDE ANGLE TO APPLY PRESSURE ON HIM....REVERSE IS COOL BUT DOES NOT SLOW HIM DOWN WITH PRESSURE.....

WHEN YOU SEE YOUR HIVIS MERCURY ABOUT TO RISE TO HIS AERIALS .....THEN WITH PRECISION - TIME IT AND LOWER YOUR ROD TIP DOWN TOWARD WATER ...AND INTO THE WATER IF NEEDED ........THIS APPLIES A BIT OF LINE-DRAG TO LESSEN THE CHANCE OF THROWING DA HOOK AS HE BECOMES A CLOUD CUTTER

AS YOU TOUCH YOUR LEADER FOR FLAG RIGHTS, QUITE POSSIBLY & HOPEFULLY NUMBER TWO IS HOOKED UP.....THE ANGLER WHO JUST WON RAG-RIGHTS SHOULD QUICKLY RE-LOAD WITH A NEW BAIT AND BE READY TO SET OUT FOR NUMBER THREE......


ANY MORE THOUGHTS HERE? COME ON GYS ....BIG BAIT WAF TO THEB LEFT.....WHITES CUTTING THE WAD........WHATS CAN WE DO FOR MULTIPLES?

[tunatamer4]

Mr. Box-

I have a question for you and any other circle hookers out there.

Should one actually reel after the drop-back when waiting for the bow if the boat is moving foward or just slowly slide the lever to strike and wait to come tight?

The reason I ask this is during BIG ROCK we had three of the DEVILS come up to play and after what I felt was an eternity, I cranked to the fish, missed him and couldn't get him to come back. We did get one to stick for a few minutes just by sliding the drag up but he threw the hook and the other just popped the clip and lost interest.

I feel that due to me reeling while the boat was still at trolling speed MAY HAVE just pulled the bait and hook from his mouth preventing a double.

What are some thoughts about this? I'm trying to get a handle on the use of circles and have heard different opinions. Can someone help?

Thanks

[Bert Rodgers]

With the Cs I was taught to point and wait, then wait some more even as drag is applied and line is pulling off at 7#s
of drag.

And don't forget to prospect.

Bert

[WAHOONBOX]

IMO............IT'S CALLED PATIENCE....PATIENCE WITH A DROPBACK


IT APPEARS THAT MUCHO MAINLINE IS LEAVING THE REEL WHOLE DROPPING BACK....BUT IN REALITY, ONLY SEVEN INCHES OF LINE PER REVOLUTION IS DEPARTING AND THAT DECLINES WITH EACH SPOOL ROTATION.....

MY FIRST DROP BACK WILL BE APPX 60-70 YDS AND IF I GET ZERO BENTPOLE...I GO A HUNDRED YARDS WITH A SECOND DROPBACK.......

ALSO....REMEMBER GUYS....THE SLIGHTEST PRESSURE (DRAG) PREMATURALY WILL RESULT IN A QUICK VOMIT ....A WHITE WILL NOT TOLERATE PREMATURE PRESSURE .......

SOMETIMES WE THINK WE HAVE HIM HOOKED WHEN WE DON'T.....LINE IS SCREAMING OFF....THE ROD IS BOWED....AND ....OH NO!!!! EL LIMPO SETS IN!!! QUIT [POSSIBLY THE LINE WAS AROUND HIS BILL OR TAILFIN...MAYBE A PEC.......


SOMETIMES AFTER A LONG DROP BACK ...THE CREATED ARC OF THE MAINLINE BECOMES SERIOUS DRAG IF WE ARE STILL IN FREESPOOL .......... AND THIS ARC GIVES US THE IMPRESSION WE HAVE HIM ON.....

[WAHOONBOX]

With the Cs I was taught to point and wait, then wait some more even as drag is applied and line is pulling off at 7#s
of drag.

And don't forget to prospect.

Bert

.............

[O-SEA-D]

I have been taught to point the rod straight at the fish at the begining of the drop back. Then slowly and smoothly point the rod down at the water and off to the side when dropping back. When you do push up the drag you should do it slowly keeping the rod pointed down and out. Let the line come tight on its own and once line starts leaving the reel as you are tight.....then smoothly bring the rod tip up and high. Then you can start cranking.

There are many other ways to do it, but this is how I have been taught and it has worked good for me.

[Squidnation]

great topic marty, its getting to be tournament time and while I am not playing as much as in the past it gets the blood pumpin just thinking about it.

Just my opinion here and everybody does it differently. The bottom line is that every single fish acts a hair differently. the first thing as box said is to keep your cool, because if you do you can actually feel what is happening. I don't count anymore, I feel and react. I have noticed that with whites their is a point where something happens differently and it may not be the same all the time. Sometimes the line just starts to accelerate off the reel, sometimes, the line just stops and you can see the fish go side-to and then accelerate. and yet sometimes nothing happens and the line just slowly keeps going out (I hate it when that one happens). Whatever it is, when that something different occurs is when I SLOWLY INCH THE DRAG up to maybe 2-3lbs. If the lines keeps coming off then I inch it up again to 4-5lbs and if it keeps going out I know I am hooked up.

[WAHOONBOX]

THIS FOOTAGE IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF "CRANKING" UNDER EXTREME REVERSE PRESSURE I HAVE ON FILE: WATCH AS BILL NEVER STOPS RETRIEVING.....HE RETRIEVES FEVERISHLY....NEVER YIELDING TO DA PAIN....THE RUN-OFF IS IN REVERSE

ALSO NOTE THE LACK OF RODTIP MOTION IN HIS DINKROD ........WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS FLICK IS SUPERB RODTIP CONTROL.....FOR BETTER CLARITY CLICK THIS LINK....http://www.wahoonbox.com/videos/cup.wmv

106

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THIS.....IS YOUR UPPER BODY IN SHAPE? CAN YOUR CRANKING ARM TAKE THE PUNISHMENT NEEDED TO GET THE JOB DOWN?

THE NEXT TIME YOU GO OFFSHORE, WATCH THE RODTIP THE NEXT TIME YOUR BUDDY IS FIGHTING A FISH.....SCAREY WASN'T IT .......

SOMETIMES I SEE A ROD TIP COVER A DIAMETER OR "OVAL" OF 20 PLUS INCHES.......IMO , THIS IS ALL UNECESSARY ACTION ON THE HOOKSET...

[BTH284]

I have never achieved a white one released under control at boatside. I have missed quite a few and come tight on just as many that come unbuttoned right at the transom. So as you can read I still have a lot to improve on.

The whites and sails that I have dropped back too and successfully hooked all have the same thing in common IMO. The feeling that comes to mind that tells me to push the drag up and start smoothly cranking and put the tip at the correct angle is that it almost feels like someone gently "thumps" the spool. This is telegraphed through the rod and you actually feel the small vibration on the foregrip even more so if the clicker is off and the reel is in complete freespool. I try if I can keep my cool not to take the rod out of the rod holder until I know the fish is hooked up. The only reason I would take the rod out is to break the rubber band (if that is being used as a release) off the reel if it is a flatline bite or it is a rigger bite that came out of the clip. I only do this while the reel is in freespool so the fish does not feel the motion of the rod being picked up and possibly taking the bait out of their mouth.

When this happen a few things come right after the thump. One a few loops back up on the spool (as you can see I am still an amateur here), not a backlash or overrun but just 1 or 2 pile up and then immediately come off the spool a bit faster than the dropback speed. Option 2 the spool stops for a minute and you feel the rod tip pull to one side of the boat or the other (you can actually see the line peel through the water when this happens). Then push the drag up to strike and crank smoothly but quickly to keep the line tight. Rod tip should always stay the correct angle and not move up or down in a pumping motion.

Learning alot by reading this one. These tips should help my percentages alot. Thanks guys.

[Double D]

NOW HE HAS PICKED IT UP ...YOU ARE POSITIVE OF THIS ....YOU WAIT....NOT YET!!...HOLD IT...HOLD IT .......ROD TIP HIGH.....................NOW EASE YA LEVER UP AND BIT AND CRANK.....ROD TIP HIGH I SAID.......

Why are we holding the rod tip high at this point? With circles, I have been having more success pointing the rod at the fish, prior to engaging and coming tight