Thread: Preferred landing method: net-swing-lip?

Originally Posted by fishn_a_ledge

what does this silly question mean to you CC. When you are with me, you count it on the clicker whether it hits the deck or not. "They all count one" is what you tell me. thats why i bring MY own clicker.

And that hay bale counter is easily the coolest clicker on the water TC. You make a good point when you quote the late great crappie hound and TV star Joe Krieger who said often as he swung in another dink " they all count one Wanda". In Mr. Krieger's memory it's true I do click every crappie that makes it to the surface but as you have photographically documented on this very site- when things get really slow sometimes I like to goof around in the live well verifying with actual measuring devices some of those "2 pounders" you casually toss in the hot tub- thus my interest in actually boating more of the few good fish I manage to snag. Plus I'm just curious where people weigh in on this controversial subject. Since the deck of The Ark is 10' off the water I'm gonna put you down as a " swinger". (-;

you should have seen me fishing in Fishers boat at the Eufala tourny! I dont know how many fish I swung from the front of the boat and they went out the back! I thought i had more runway to land them. Nope, right on out the back they went, unharmed, and only viewed in the air. I bet i did 4-5 that day!
In my boat, once the swing starts, the goal is just to get inside the boat. Then I can deal with keepers and culls.
Only John Deere counters for me!

I'm new at fishing by boat and since having a boat I have swung them in. I quickly realized after fishing Gaines Creek 3 weeks ago that I needed a net. I got caught in a situation where I landed a big fish but the bottom jig got hung up. The fish sat there and flopped on top of the water while I tried to free the bottom jig. Ended up losing everything. Wished I would have had a net so I could have at least had a net under that slab while I freed or cut the bottom jig. I will continue to swing them in but have a net on stand by.

"Thought I had more runway to land them" I will put this one in my little journal of classic Ledge quotes right next to " Thought you said these jalapeños were sweet"! When the mission gets a little tough I just pull out this journal and put a smile right back on my face- keep em coming TC........thanks for weighing in Dr: I did that same dance last year with my biggest Oologah slab ever- with a happier ending in cornmeal. It's early but I'm sensing that the Swingers may run away with this one- remember we are talking about big fish here, over 11/2 lbs..

Originally Posted by fishn_a_ledge

you should have seen me fishing in Fishers boat at the Eufala tourny! I dont know how many fish I swung from the front of the boat and they went out the back! I thought i had more runway to land them. Nope, right on out the back they went, unharmed, and only viewed in the air. I bet i did 4-5 that day!
In my boat, once the swing starts, the goal is just to get inside the boat. Then I can deal with keepers and culls.
Only John Deere counters for me!

Ledge lost some nice fish like that that day. Between his flying fish and the two that I accidentally left in the live well, which by the way you dont find out about until your boat has been in the hot garage for 2 days, we would have placed much better. Sorry Ledge, but I figure enough time has passed now that I can be forthright about my failure to see all the fish in the live well that day. In my defense tho, the Big E was living up to its other monicker that day, the Big muddE.

Many more of these and my journal will become a book Fishers. Hope Ledge honors the statute of limitations on the lost tourney fish since it just kind of evened out with his lost flyers! Since both of you are in need of a new partner now I will throw my hat in the ring. I should be pretty salty, having forgotten all my bad habits with this 18 month sabbatical from fishing.

Bring it on!

Hay hook