How to land a big bass from a boat?

Just grab the line (loosely in case he runs, you can use your hand like a drag) and pull the fish in close so you can lip it.

Unless your in a tourney no need to use tuna gear on a large mouth. Where I the fun in that?

Everyone has their own agenda.

If you wear a bass out you're are stressing them out. You could possibly kill them if you wear them out to the point they are exhausted. Get them in as quick as possible, take a pic, let'em go as quickly as possible.

Just my two cents

the bass will give up before she is too tired. the angler should always run some water through the fish's mouth and over it's gills before it starts to struggle again at which time it is ready to be released. i have never killed a fish because of the fight. notice the way bill dance fights and lands a fish. (although i don't let my fish jump like he does and i spend more time resuscitating them.) in my opinion if one fancies themselves an angler than they should give the fish a fighting chance. this gives the angler more time to enjoy the process of the fight and a greater sense of accomplishment once the fish is landed. i do see the need for a net however when landing a treble hooked fish and i can see the argument in using one on a pin fish but on a 5 lb. fish, go in and grab her yourself.

i personally would never release the bail or grab the line. the drag should be set correctly before the cast. if, however one feels they must add a little tension you can gently add pressure to the spool with your hand as the the fish is running. if the fish dives under the boat i usually put my rod tip in the water as to make sure the line doesn't rub against the hull. then, either walk the fish around the bow, or pull her back to your side. golden rule= always keep tension so the hook isn't thrown.

if you are going to "play a fish out" do it away from the boat a bit, a good 8-10 feet as long as there is not obstructions there. bringing a "hot" fish to the boat is a recipe for disaster unless you have heavy line and rod.
I made this mistake early last year. I had a new PB on the end of my line on a swimbait. I got so nervous I rushed her in. At the side of the boat I decided to regain my composure and play her a bit. She decided she was not ready and did a power dive.... ripped the hooks right out of her

Bringing in a "hot" fish on the kayak is definitely a recipe for disaster. On the yak you must control the fish with your rod in one hand from a seated position as you reach down with the other to lip the fish. If you're fishing anything with treble hooks there's a lot that go wrong in that moment. But if you play the fish too long, the hooks can loosen and work free. Lord knows I lose a lot of fish.

if you are going to "play a fish out" do it away from the boat a bit, a good 8-10 feet as long as there is not obstructions there. bringing a "hot" fish to the boat is a recipe for disaster unless you have heavy line and rod.
I made this mistake early last year. I had a new PB on the end of my line on a swimbait. I got so nervous I rushed her in. At the side of the boat I decided to regain my composure and play her a bit. She decided she was not ready and did a power dive.... ripped the hooks right out of her

That sucks, but I guess that is why big fish are tough to catch.

The last few feet are always the toughest. Once they see the boat there is always one last run.

Last week I was fishing with a guy that lost a 30+inch rainbow right at the net. The fish jumped 4 times, but at the end he tried to horse it into the net and it popped it off. I was heart broken for the guy, fish of a lifetime for him.

This is why cast nets are so great. Especially on spawning bass.

if you are going to "play a fish out" do it away from the boat a bit, a good 8-10 feet as long as there is not obstructions there. bringing a "hot" fish to the boat is a recipe for disaster unless you have heavy line and rod.
I made this mistake early last year. I had a new PB on the end of my line on a swimbait. I got so nervous I rushed her in. At the side of the boat I decided to regain my composure and play her a bit. She decided she was not ready and did a power dive.... ripped the hooks right out of her

This is a nightmare you had right? You don't make mistakes

if you are going to "play a fish out" do it away from the boat a bit, a good 8-10 feet as long as there is not obstructions there. bringing a "hot" fish to the boat is a recipe for disaster unless you have heavy line and rod.
I made this mistake early last year. I had a new PB on the end of my line on a swimbait. I got so nervous I rushed her in. At the side of the boat I decided to regain my composure and play her a bit. She decided she was not ready and did a power dive.... ripped the hooks right out of her

This is a nightmare you had right? You don't make mistakes

I am pretty awesome hu???

if you are going to "play a fish out" do it away from the boat a bit, a good 8-10 feet as long as there is not obstructions there. bringing a "hot" fish to the boat is a recipe for disaster unless you have heavy line and rod.
I made this mistake early last year. I had a new PB on the end of my line on a swimbait. I got so nervous I rushed her in. At the side of the boat I decided to regain my composure and play her a bit. She decided she was not ready and did a power dive.... ripped the hooks right out of her

This is a nightmare you had right? You don't make mistakes

I am pretty awesome hu???

That's what you keep telling me

This is why cast nets are so great. Especially on spawning bass.

Lol nice.

I know how to play with drag and I have plenty of experience but in regards to wrangling the fish when he's within reach I always seem to have bad luck.

You obviously did not have the drag set right, the fish would not have broken your rod for sure and perhaps not your line either. As you get the fish closer to the boat, the less line that is out, the higher the strain on the line and on your rod as a result. If you stick with lighter lines, consider loosening your drag a tick when the fish is making those last-ditch-effort runs close to the boat. You don't want to be horsing it at this point, try to let the fish play out more, tire and relax before trying to land it with a net or by hand. Just make sure you revive tired fish before releasing them.

Heavy vs lighter setups is personal preference and situational but I don't think its necessarily critical in landing the fish one way or the other.

Also, two things nobody has touched on in this thread are line condition and knots.

If your line is old and frayed; re-spool. If you can't remember the last time you changed your line; re-spool. If you have new line but you're still breaking off fish, consider spending a few extra dollars of quality line instead of cheaper bargain brands. Suckbag line usually gets suckbag results, IMO.

Knots are hugely important. I don't care what kind of line or tackle you use, without typing a good knot, you're hugely disadvantaged. You can find knots in many books but I like animatedknots.com for great instructions and visuals on all sorts of useful fishing knots. Make sure yours are up to the task. Practice the one(s) you use most; you should be able to tie a good knot quickly and easily on the water.

Thats my thoughts.

Play the fish! Let her take line. Use the rod to fight the fish and leverage! I've pull line out to let her run a little.


Last night I caught a striper on my bass rod 10lbs braid! Fishing off the pier! Great fight!!!!!!!! I've caught 23lbs stripers on 12lbs test mono!

haul a 4+ from the slop or teabagging a frog over a tree branch with a flipping stick and 65 lb. braid. tell me that's not fun - the strike and the battle.

any chance to teabag