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How do you unhook a fish from the saltwater on n a fly rod without dunking the rod?

i just got into fly fishing and caught my first red today but couldnt figure out how to get to the fish without candy caning the rod or dunking the reel, i dont want to do either and damage my gear. any help would be appreciated! If Im wading in thigh deep water, with the 9 foot rod I cant reach it without over bending it and I dont wat to dunk the reel unless I have to

Public Comments

1. You could use a net and bring the fish onto the boat.
2. if you are using a stripping basket you could put the rel in there. don't worry about dunking the rod. as long as you wash it down with freshwater it will be fine
3. I know how you feel about dunking your fly-reel. I feel that way when I'm fishing with one of my Dads Lamson/Sage outfit's. If I'm wading- After I grab the Tippet I usually stick the rod between my legs...(lol). However, I'm sure you could rig some kind of velcro strap harness that fits around your waste and shoulder. When I wade, I always take my Kelty jumbo-sized fanny pack looped around my shoulder and neck. When I'm moving from spot to spot I will stick the fly-rod between my F-pack and shoulder and then the Fighting-But (of the fly-rod) into my shorts, (in the crack of my @ss- lol). Actually works fine for moving from spot to spot on a Flat......... Cabelas makes a wading basket with rod holders for Flats fisherman. But after reading the reviews, I think you could "back-engineer" something better. Here it is- http://www.cabelas.com/p-0036759018468a.shtml#customer-product-reviews Hope this helps ya? Good luck.