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[Morty]

Anyone have a proven technique for quickly getting Springs to the net when fighting them downriver in a boat?

Had a long drawn out experience on Sunday.  I'm thinking that a long fight likely affects meat quality (as in when we exercise a lot the chemical balance in our muscles changes significantly).  When my buddy knew he had a Spring on, we got the boat out to follow it downstream rather than risk getting spooled out, and holding up those fishing around us.  I think I made a mistake in getting the boat out to and over top of the fish too quickly.  By getting on top of the fish and drifting downstream with it I'm thinking it didn't have to fight too much and took longer to come up.  We were probably over that thing for 45 minutes.

[roeman]

Chasing down the river is half the fun.
You will get the opportunity to net the fish when it is ready.
Not much you can do until the fish is ready.
One thing to make it easier is use small swivels, take off the betty when you can reach it, that way you can reel the small swivels through the eyes of the rod so you can reach the fish. Dont use leader savers, they won't go through the eyes of the rod.

[Rieber]

Once you get into the boat, get out of reach of the casters, then you begin to really play your fish. You have to let it struggle against the current just as if you would from shore. Don't expect the fish to tire if you just drift down or stay on top of it. get perpendiculat to the water flow and your line will naturally flow with the current making the fish think it's being pulled downstream so it's going to instinctively go upstream. try keep them going that way and you're back onto anchor within 10 minutes.

The only time a salmon is on for 45 minutes is if it's foul hooked and you believe it to be a monster - or it truly is one of these mythical 60-lb Springs.

[lovetofish]

Chasing down the river is half the fun.
You will get the opportunity to net the fish when it is ready.
Not much you can do until the fish is ready.

I think the chasing is more than half the fun.
Most of the time you can't wait to get into the boat and out away from shore. A spring that decides to head downstream can spool you in seconds, and clamping down on the spool will probably just break him off. I find it as much a challenge to get into the boat and launched as it is to follow and net the fish. More springs are lost during the mad scramble into the boat than during the rest of the fight.IMHO

[chris gadsden]

Shorter leader works better.

[greese30]

i think alot of guys jump to the boat too quickly.  a spring is going to make a run or two... get it turned, pull in some and lather rinse repeat.... i know there are times that a spring will not turn, in which case chase, but you still gotta put the pressure on him.  i can drag in the current for 45 min too unless i was fighting being forced a certain direction.