Putting pressure on a tarpon means using the rod as a shock absorber while keeping the angle low and straight, so most of your pull actually reaches the fish instead of bending the rod. In this How 2 Tuesday I answer an angler who was sweating and straining yet putting almost no pressure on his tarpon. A fly rod is a long, flexible lever that feels like you are pulling hard while delivering very little at the fish. I explain how to lower the rod angle, take the bend out, and pull with the line nearly straight, plus how to rehearse the exact amount of pressure at home with the genius dumbbell drill Andy Mill invented.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Stop relying on a high, bent rod. A fly rod is a flexible lever, so the more it bends the less force reaches the fish. To pull hard, reel down, point the rod more directly at the fish, and pull sideways with a low angle and only a slight bend from the cork to the water. The straighter the rod under a tight line, the more pressure you deliver, right up to the limit your tippet allows.
Because it is built to cast and to protect light tippet, which makes it a big shock absorber, and it is long and very flexible. Those same traits work against you when fighting a fish. When the rod is bent double it feels like you are pulling a ton, but on the fish's end you are barely pulling at all. Understanding that the rod is a flexible lever is the key to fighting tarpon efficiently.
Andy Mill rigged a dumbbell of the exact weight he wants to pull, tied to his leader and fly line, run through a pulley under a table and out to where he stands thirty or forty feet away. He pulls with his normal rod-and-reel setup, and when the weight lifts off the ground he knows he is pulling that many pounds. It lets him practice alone, anytime, dialing in maximum pressure for each tippet and rod without breaking off real fish.
Rod angle is everything. A high rod pointed at the sky puts almost no pressure on the fish, and a deeply bent rod wastes your effort in the bend. Lower the rod, take the bend out, and pull sideways or straight back so the line runs nearly straight to the fish. That low-angle, low-bend position is where you can pick the dumbbell off the ground, and it is where you actually move a tarpon.
Because a long fight exhausts the fish and the angler. Anglers who fight tarpon for two hours are usually putting tons of pressure on themselves and almost none on the fish, like a dog on a leash. Pull correctly and you can land most flats fish, even big tarpon, in about fifteen minutes. A quick fight is better for the fish's survival and makes you the angler guides want on the bow.
You can pull the most by eliminating the rod and pulling straight on the line, but you should not fight that way. With the rod pointed straight at the fish and the reel cupped, there is no shock absorber, so if the fish turns and surges it will break off no matter how heavy your tippet. The goal is a balance, use the rod's cushion while keeping the angle low enough to deliver real pressure.
The core problem is that a bent fly rod feels powerful while delivering almost nothing to the fish. I explain how the flexible lever works against you and why so many anglers strain hard yet move the tarpon not at all in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The fix is reeling down, taking the bend out, and pulling with a low rod angle so the line runs nearly straight. I describe how to feel the difference, and why pointing straight at the fish is the one thing not to do, in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Andy Mill's dumbbell-and-pulley setup lets you practice maximum pressure alone, for any rod and tippet, for under twenty dollars. I break down exactly how to build and use it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Fighting tarpon well is a learnable, controllable skill. Understand the lever, drop the angle, pull to the edge of your tippet, and practice the feel at home, and you will land fish faster, release them healthier, and earn a nod from every guide on the bow.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
tarpon · fly rod · Andy Mill · fish fighting · rod angle · tippet · pressure · spinning rod · catch and release · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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