Fishing tip of the week: – 12/09/20

Fishing Tip of the Week

Monday, 07 December 2020 13:36

What is retrieve speed
by Mike Gerry

With Christmas approaching our loved ones always try to find a Christmas present for the avid fisherman and fishing reels are a big part of that decision. The problem is, like all the newest technology, understanding what you’re purchasing is critical. Understanding the type of fisherman you’re buying for is a big part of understanding what to buy.

We are approaching a time of year that one of the most critical things that people do wrong, when they have trouble catching fish, is how quickly you retrieve your bait while fishing! There are many ways to work a bait and certainly many of them require you to work them very quickly to produce the action the bait was designed for; however, working that bait has a lot to do with the reel you purchase or will purchase for your fisherman.

All baits we fish with require thought on the presentation and many times the presentation you use at first light may need to be changed drastically to get the same bite at 11am. Often fish are more active at 6am than they are at 9am and your retrieve speed and tempo needs to be changed from time to time as the day progresses.

Lastly, tournament anglers are a perfect example of critical retrieve speed. Often a tournament angler hits the water for a practice day and really slays the fish. He then goes back to the same spot, at the same time of day, during the tournament and can’t get his fish to bite; why? He is fishing with a different tempo than he did during his practice time.

Not realizing how critical this can be, his body is hyped up and the speed and tempo at which he caught fish in practice has changed! Hence, reel retrieve speed must be understood to work the bait correctly. Remember a 7:1:1 speed reel turns the spool 7.1 times for every revolution of the handle so the reel is fast as it gathers line and must be adjusted for while fishing. A 5:3:1 reel only turns the spool 5.3 times for every revolution gathering less line for every revolution of the handle hence, slowing the bait down and can be critical in the colder water of winter fishing.

Captain Mike